Another way to cut the State Budget
Something I totally agree with and will make this part of my commitment to the voters of Framingham... dissolve county government.
From the Herald:
Bay State taxpayers are shelling out more than $80 million for antiquated shadow governments in five counties, with some fiefdoms so inefficient that the bureaucrats want to fire themselves.
“Why are we doing this?” said Anthony T. O’Brien, chairman of the Plymouth County Commissioners, in an interview with the Herald. “It’s inefficient, bureaucratic and wasteful.”
Eight county government bureaucracies - including Suffolk and the most populous, Middlesex - already have been dissolved, their functions taken over by the state. But five remain - Dukes, Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk and Barnstable - and their budgets come in at $80 million combined.
The environmental police continue as a separate agency even as state police ranks have been reduced by 200 troopers and urban departments statewide struggle to keep up with rising crime.
Of the department’s 75 officers, six made more than $100,000 in 2009, topped by Lt. Michael Scibelli, son of late state Rep. Anthony Scibeli (D-Springfield), who raked in $115,000.
Many officers, records show, are regular political donors.
And while this old growth tree huger believes strongly in defending our environment from abuse, it's painfully clear, The Environmental Police agency is not worth it's budget. Incorporate them into the State Police and make them earn their pay.
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 10:55 AM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
And one more place we could save is eliminating the Lt Governors position.
Lt. Gov. Tim Murray holds a largely ceremonial constitutional office that doesn’t even exist in seven states.
His public schedule brims with groundbreakings, roundtable discussions and bridge-namings - which cost taxpayers a total of $475,895 in annual salaries for Murray and his staff, raising the question of why the office still exists.
Pretty interesting stuff. I did not know these county governments even existed, which reminds me that there is an awful lot of stuff I don’t know about the way MA is run. I don’t know much about them, but I would have to say if the most populous secitions of the state can survive without these, I don’t see why the lesser populated areas can not. As to the Lt. Governor, I just have a question. If there is no Lt. Governor, who would take the office in the event the sitting Governer was not able to serve for something like a need for surgery or a heart attack or something like that. Please don’t tell me it would be the Speaker of the House or the AG, because if that is the case, I say stick with a Lt. Governor.
More useless government. Environmental police, what the hell do they do all day? Clearly they have not been doing much for the toxic waste dump at General Chemical in Framingham.
75 environmental police officers? What a joke. If you operate round the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The means 21 shifts a week. So if we assume they do operate 24 hours a day (doubtful) 7 days a week (even more doubtful), 75 staff means they could have 3.5 officers on for every shift and no one would ever work overtime. If they only work M-F, 9-5 we have 75 environmental police officers on duty every week day. Either the state is keeping an awful lot of environmental issues quiet so we don’t know about them, or something is rotten in Denmark (or should I say MA). My money is on something being rotten.
Whose budget does the pay for these county governments come out of? State budget, or local budget? What I am asking is does my money pay for the county government in Barnstable, or do the people of Barnstable pay for that themselves? Point being if it is paid for by the residents of Barnstable only, then what do I care? We have more than enough to worry about here in Framingham.
Just another example of all the lies they tell us. No money in the budget for things like Quinn funding, but they can fund environmental police who have nothing to do all day but play cards.
As I've traveled around Town today... I never remember seeing so many details at road construction. This Town is being dug up big time. Perhaps some of the Environmental Police could fill in for the Sheriffs or our local men in blue.
Now there is an ideal Pillsbury. However, the local men in blue are not likely to give their overtime pay up to the environmental police!
Off topic here, but what’s the deal with the SMOC case now? Have not heard anything about what we are doing about this. Are we going forward with the case?
No Lt. Governor, no environmental police, no county government. How much money do we save if we get rid of all of these? Enough for Framingham to put little kids back on school busses?
Anon
The Judge has said in writing, the suite can go forward. He indicates that there is sufficient evidence that Town Leaders violated federal discrimination laws and that a jury should hear the evidence in a court of law. The only question left is how long this will go on.
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