New Oshkosh leaders group to hold community meeting on state budget impact
Citizens for a Strong Oshkosh (CSO) will hold a public meeting on June 15 to examine the proposed state budget and how it will affect the Oshkosh community. The meeting will take place Monday at 6:00 pm at the Oshkosh Convention Center, 2 North Main St, Oshkosh.
Diverse community leaders formed CSO to preserve quality services and infrastructure that Oshkosh residents rely on every day. CSO includes business owners and union leaders, elected officials from all branches of local government and interested citizens. Although members have different roles in the community and reflect different political persuasions, all care deeply about Oshkosh. Steering committee members include John Nichols, Frank Tower, Mark Harris, Tom McDermott, Steve Hintz, Jessica King, Paulette Feld, Dennis Schwab, Kathleen Propp, Joan Wade, Ashley Hesse, Sean Fitzgerald, Vue Thao, Tom Willadsen, and Steven Powers.
CSO has been looking at the large role that state revenue decisions play in our community. The budget proposed by the Governor and amended by the Joint Finance Committee is being debated now by the entire legislature in Madison.
According to Mark Harris, Winnebago County Executive, “At this community meeting, we will discuss the growing state budget deficit and how it may affect Oshkosh. We want to inform and involve citizens so state legislators hear their opinions before the budget is finalized. The decisions our state legislators make may raise our property taxes and jeopardize local services for years to come.”
CSO has met at least monthly since November to discuss the role that state revenue and decisions play in local public structures from law enforcement to schools to human services and economic development. They have been studying reforms at the state level that could make Oshkosh stronger.
Interested members of the community are encouraged to attend the meeting on June 15 at the Oshkosh Convention Center. Call 231-4770 for more information.
3 comments:
Well lets all hope that the "union leaders" in attendance will make it known that their membership is ready, willing and able to accept compensation freezes like the rest of us.
The last thing I want to hear is talk of raising taxes so these people can get even more in pay and benefits.
It sounds like a really good idea/group to me. Though I have to admit I can't even imagine how something like this would be done, it wold require significant knowledge of past and current budgets, and also knowledge of the particular quirks of how things actually function in your specific community. snarly sounding stuff.
But it seems that what they are doing is saying "this is what we've been dished up" and NOT "I'll take some of that and that, and put some more gravy on my 'taters too please". While it's true those kinds of things may come from various groups LATER, it seems to me that this group trying to not be like that, it reads like this group is NOT about future grabs at the pie, but just a group that gives an honest description of what's on the table. How various diners behave is then up to their own choice. But then this is Oshkosh so we can expect someone to try to start a food fight.
Ooooh, all this food analogy..is that funky or what?
mmmm, Saucy!
just to be clear - I didn't mean those within the group itself would start the "food fight". newp.
In fact, give 'em all Purple Hearts for being willing to talk at length about boring shit.
(does Jef allow cussin' here? hmmm...)
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