Tuesday, March 24, 2009

If Only We Had A Good County Executive

From the Stevens Point Journal's editorial page from last Saturday:
Cheers to the number of projects that will be undertaken with money from President Barack Obama's economic recovery package, of which $10 million went to improve economic opportunities in central Wisconsin.

Among the projects are money to expand US Highway 10 between Stevens Point and Marshfield, help the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point establish its Institute for Sustainable Technologies, complete a design for a road-rail grade separation on Hoover Road, help St. Michael's Hospital buy a new van for its mobile health services and money for Mid-State Technical College and the Restorative Justice Program by Justiceworks Ltd.

While we understand that there is plenty of healthy disagreement about the stimulus plan and its ultimate effect on the struggling national economy, there's no doubt that this money will have a positive effect on central Wisconsin.

Cheers to the city of Stevens Point and Portage County for using federal programs to save some local money.

By switching from tax-exempt to taxable bonds, the government will reimburse the city 35 percent of the interest payments on the $3.65 million it has borrowed, or about $2 a homeowner annually for eight years.

The county, meanwhile, will use federal dollars to replace the 72-year-old bridge in the town of Linwood that crosses Rocky Creek Run on West River Drive West. Portage County would have originally been responsible for $154,000 of the estimated $773,000 project.

With a budget constraints all around, its good to see both the city and county seeking out and taking advantage of these types of programs. No matter the amount any money saved will certainly help in other areas.
Also in the same paper is a news story about how the City of Stevens Point will be using stimulus money to relieve a traffic problem involving a railroad crossing, making commutes easier and safer.

Meanwhile, here in Milwaukee County, we have the wannabe-but-never-will-be governor Scott Walker, who is busy trying to obfuscate his position on the stimulus dollars, but states that he wins when Milwaukee County taxpayers lose.

See also how Washington County has better leadership from their exec than we do from ours.

1 comment:

  1. HI

    There was that old politician that once said. The opposition never passes up a chance to pass up a chance and so it is with walker. He is not going to survive this recall. Its going to happen for him because this is something that he cannot even accidentally pass up.


    www.recallwalker.info

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