Aurora, beware of budget promises

After I got home from another Aurora City Council meeting and kissed my daughters goodnight, I thought, "What just happened tonight?" and sighed.

The first issue that was presented was the labor contract for the maintenance workers, which includes street department, sewer and water, etc., all of whom work extremely hard. We residents depend on them a great deal.

We were presented a four-year contract that includes several sacrifices by the union members but also includes retroactive raises for 2009, guarantees of no layoffs for 2009-2010 and subsequent raises for the remainder of the contract.

The main component missing in our ability to vote or make a decision was the actual 2010 budget. In a recent memo to another union, Mayor Tom Weisner acknowledged his lack of a long-term, multiyear "financial reduction plan," but suggested his annual budget is, in fact, a plan.

The Aurora City Council was promised to receive a budget for review on Oct. 15, but now we learn the administration is waiting until probably mid-November.

The union contract may be attractive for taxpayers, but without it being presented in the context of an entire fiscal plan, it's not responsible to the employees or to commit taxpayers to certain obligations without a full understanding of the entire financial scope, depth and plan of how we move forward.

The mayor has stated he is unwilling to raise taxes further again, so where will the revenue come from to cover all of his commitments of past four years? He has promised to submit a balanced budget, so where will the balance come from given the spending addiction of the Aurora City Council?

Or, could the politicians be relying on the county multiplier? Will the mayor and city's finance director, Brian Caputo, keep their promise not to raise rates or taxes?

Beware Aurora.

Rick Lawrence

4th Ward Alderman