Spending The Taxpayer's Money

By Douglas V. Gibbs

At all levels of government, from the federal government, the States, and on down to the cities, out of control spending is a problem. When cities try to fix the problem they eliminate employees, or services. This is not the best way to reduce spending. It is the lazy way to do it.

Spending is a concern, and it is an issue we must ask of our candidates that will be running for office in November. I, myself, am running for City Council in Murrieta, California, and I have indeed beenasked, "How does Douglas V. Gibbs plan to reduce spending in the City of Murrieta."

The key to reducing spending is not about what you do, but how you do it. For example, when a small business needs to cut down their expenses, the best answer is not to get rid of employees, or stop producing a particular product. More often than not the answer is to streamline operations, to make the business more efficient, to do things in a more effective manner.

Cities are not much different in this respect. For example, the City of Murrieta currently sends out all plan-checking to a contractor in another city (another county, for that matter). The cost, and time lost, is not necessary. To reduce the cost, and time lost, regarding plan-check, Murrieta needs to hire an in-house plan-checker. The cost would be that of the wages of one employee (the Building Official should also be able to check plans), and cost and time would be reduced because there would be no transportation regarding plans. The plans would never leave the city of Murrieta.

In addition to reducing cost and time, the in-house plan-checker would also be available for the customer. It is advantagious for the city of Murrieta to have a plan-checker at the city level, rather than having the customer call a phone that may connect him to someone that may know what is going on with the plans at a corporation on the other side of the hills from Murrieta.

An outside contractor is not exactly what I consider to be personal interation between the city, and those wishing to do business with the city. A staff plan-checker will reduce the cost of plan-check, reduce the time it takes to get plans through the process, and bring the city in more direct contact with the builder.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary