Increase Governent Spending: GT Gone to the Dogs

Where are the Protesters who say run away budgets and Government Spending Needs to stop? Stray dogs should be tied to a corner post fed 3 days then shot in the street in public. Pretending the Pound is a Shelter and a better way is quite a folly. If Fido has a tag or a chip he may get a free ride home. This should cost the City much less than the services contracted and may be an encouragement for folks to keep their dogs inside or on a leash. Perhaps the savings could be put back to pay for a Dog Park for GT's Dogs.

Grand Terrace agrees to extend animal control pact

10:00 PM PST on Friday, January 22, 2010
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino will continue housing stray animals from the city of Grand Terrace, but the city will have to pony up more money.
The Grand Terrace City Council voted recently to approve an 18-month extension of its animal-sheltering contract with nearby San Bernardino.
It calls for Grand Terrace to pay $2,012 a month, including $1,750 for housing strays collected from Grand Terrace and $262 as a 15 percent surcharge to pay for shelter improvements.
Grand Terrace, which does not have its own shelter, had previously been paying $1,150 a month.
In a report to the council, Grand Terrace City Manager Betsy Adams said the city's operating budget has set aside $8,400 for animal housing through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2010.
"The cost for animal housing services for the first six months of the fiscal year was $6,900 under the prior agreement with the city of San Bernardino," Adams wrote. "The cost for the second six months of the fiscal year will be $12,072."
She told the City Council that she will have to find $10,572 somewhere in the city's budget to pay the difference for the second half of the year. Just where is yet to be determined.
"The provision of animal housing and animal control services are evolving issues for Grand Terrace," Adams wrote.
Cash-strapped San Bernardino announced last year that it was not going to renew its contracts with the cities of Fontana, Colton and Grand Terrace to provide shelter services as a cost-cutting move.
Those cities have been scrambling ever since to find alternatives.
Fontana began hiring animal control officers and purchasing used animal control vehicles last July to snag the 3,200 stray dogs and 2,000 stray cats that wander its streets each year.
Meanwhile, San Bernardino agreed at first to put off its moratorium on animal housing for other cities through the end of 2009. It has now agreed to continue serving Grand Terrace through next June.
Colton, which has been providing animal control services for Grand Terrace, wants to renegotiate its deal, Grand Terrace Community and Economic Development Director Joyce Powers said by phone.
Colton laid off one of its two animal control officers and is looking to cut back its service for neighboring Grand Terrace from seven days a week to Monday through Thursday.
Adams told the council that negotiations are still under way.

Reach Darrell R. Santschi at 951-368-9484 or dsantschi@PE.com


ROADS in GT:

Jap Hill or Mt Vernon Cliff Road is being cleaned up after the rain storms. Small boulders and mud came down in the past rains. Use caution when traveling on this road even after the rains stop the rocks and dirt may adjust. Gravity is what it is and that road is subject to slides. Be careful out there and please turn your lights on in the rain.

On Thu, 1/21/10, A Blog Reader wrote:
Subject: Promises
To: grandterracenews@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 7:39 AM


I see now that the tune of the GT Blog has turned to broken promises as expressed by Schwab and Berry. Wonder as to where the $$$ was going to come from?In the last days before Stetson Avenue was ripped up and rebuilt in Hemet, the city Mgr. said to stop complaints, put down a slurry seal and that ought to shut the complainers up fro a few weeks.

Ross Namar was getting tired of the daily complaints sitting on his desk when going to the office. According to the Green book which many cities in Sou. Calif. attended to, it said the slurry was totally wrong for the situation, which we agreed. But bid was out, no one yet responded for the due date was weeks away, and then the delay to mobilize.

We got a whole bunch of folks a the CC meetings saying nothing short of a total rebuild would suffice. Everyone agreed, 'except for the time delay factor. In Hemet we got the intended two month delay in fixing up the surface every Friday. That time factor long ago passed on the slurry seal. I told Berry the surface was not strong enough to support was was being done, and I am sure the prime contractor (Roquet) said the same.

Now, were is the money at?

Paww Replies:

The blog had expressed the opinion that the money was being waisted at the time of the slurry contracts. The topic is revisited because it should not be repeated and the effectiveness of the squander is clear as the top coating is washing away and the broken streets are exposed.

Thanks for the added information.

Citizens made similar statements to the City Council at the time each of the contracts were presented. The Rubber Stamp City Council voted with the "Staff Recommendation" each and every time. The blog's purpose is to remind the Citizens and the City Council of this error which was endemic in the Schwab/Berry Administrations of the city, and hopefully stop the squandering of funds in the future.

Where is the money? Well, the budget manipulations of Schwab/Berry found money for their Contracts/House and Bloated Incomes. What was paid for road cover was or is being washed out to sea.