Street sweeping cutbacks?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think the snow removal thing also showed that the neighborhoods who were the most loud and annoying got the best service. The squeaky annoying wheel gets the grease. Get everyone on your block to call 311 multiple times making sure "children" and "safety" are used.

Its interesting, this is my first year in a new neighbourhood and I can say that when they built it they were not thinking about where to put all of the snow.

[Muta]

Street cleaning is money well spent. I have no problem seeing my tax dollars cleaning up the gravel and crap on the streets that accumulate over the winter; this isn't San Francisco or Vancouver... Calgary is a very dusty city and can get dirty very easily. Street cleaning is critical, IMO.

Can't we stop building suburban interchanges instead?

[NuclearPizzaMan]

Kinda frustrating that any cuts go directly to front line services, since City Hall could probably lose 30%+ of it's administration staff and remain 100% effective (or even get more efficient).

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by NuclearPizzaMan

Kinda frustrating that any cuts go directly to front line services, since City Hall could probably lose 30%+ of it's administration staff and remain 100% effective (or even get more efficient).

Care to back up that claim?

[strombad]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I know this place is generally anti-Calgary Sun and Rick Bell but he's right a lot of the time about the morons in city hall.

Well Rick Bell complains about absolutely everything, so even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by strombad

Well Rick Bell complains about absolutely everything, so even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Well city hall has been a gong show for a long time so you can argue that his job is as easy as being paid to poke fun at the Oilers.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well city hall has been a gong show for a long time so you can argue that his job is as easy as being paid to poke fun at the Oilers.

Care to elaborate on the 'gong show' that City Hall is and why you feel that way?

This is a PERFECT example of the ongoing 'I want to maintain existing fantastic levels of services but not see my taxes ever go up' outcry. Now citizens start to see what happens when you roll back services.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Care to elaborate on the 'gong show' that City Hall is and why you feel that way?

This is a PERFECT example of the ongoing 'I want to maintain existing fantastic levels of services but not see my taxes ever go up' outcry. Now citizens start to see what happens when you roll back services.

Exactly, it's just people looking for something to complain about. I'm fine paying increased property taxes for better services, do it up!

The snow plowing since Bronco left has been significantly better. Yeah, taxes went up, but I haven't felt near death on major roads since.

I'm all for spending that ched on having a pristine city, but some people have to realise that you can't have both. That's why Rick Bell is a joke.

[rohara66]

I want to know WTF the city is thinking when they dump 10 tons of rock (gravel) down our cul-de-sac all winter long? They never plow it so why bother with the gravel which just sinks into the snow anyways.

Here’s a win-win idea for the city. Don’t gravel it and you won’t have to come and do a half ass street sweeping job either. But alas that takes common sense…. Not so common at city hall these days.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Care to elaborate on the 'gong show' that City Hall is and why you feel that way?

This is a PERFECT example of the ongoing 'I want to maintain existing fantastic levels of services but not see my taxes ever go up' outcry. Now citizens start to see what happens when you roll back services.

IMO you are suggesting that city hall is using all the money effectively and cuts absolutely had to be made here. We all know like most governing bodies they are terribly inefficient at managing their books and that's not taxpayers fault. Every company I have worked for has endured times where they were expected to do more with less and most of them actually pull it off but why is it city hall that keeps asking for more and more to offer less and less?

The city makes the mess on the streets and it's their responsibility to clean it up. Roll back snow removal and force people to outfit their cars in proper rubber but don't penalize people that want to enjoy the few months of outdoor weather we get.

[Bunk]

I would be quite surprised if Council didn't put the funding (back) in place to execute the program as normal. But, we'll see.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by strombad

I don't agree with Rick Bell. That's why Rick Bell is a joke.

I fixed your post for accuracy.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO you are suggesting that city hall is using all the money effectively and cuts absolutely had to be made here. We all know like most governing bodies they are terribly inefficient at managing their books and that's not taxpayers fault. Every company I have worked for has endured times where they were expected to do more with less and most of them actually pull it off but why is it city hall that keeps asking for more and more to offer less and less?

The city makes the mess on the streets and it's their responsibility to clean it up. Roll back snow removal and force people to outfit their cars in proper rubber but don't penalize people that want to enjoy the few months of outdoor weather we get.

So your reasoning is: make the roads more dangerous for 6 months of the year in a way that could cause serious accidents so we don't have as much gravel that could cause scraped knees?

Riiiiiight.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO you are suggesting that city hall is using all the money effectively and cuts absolutely had to be made here. We all know like most governing bodies they are terribly inefficient at managing their books and that's not taxpayers fault. Every company I have worked for has endured times where they were expected to do more with less and most of them actually pull it off but why is it city hall that keeps asking for more and more to offer less and less?

The city makes the mess on the streets and it's their responsibility to clean it up. Roll back snow removal and force people to outfit their cars in proper rubber but don't penalize people that want to enjoy the few months of outdoor weather we get.

I'm not suggesting in the LEAST that the government is the most efficient organization around - but then again, are they ever? And is reducing staff over and over again going to fix that or actually make things worse?

What I'm saying is that you can't get blood from a stone. If you never want to see minute incremental tax increases, and if these goofy developer-funded Councillors who got brought in and won't sign off on any service enhancements and won't budge at all, eventually you're going to have to start cutting non-critical services like street sweeping.

All I'm saying is don't be shocked when it eventually get's to this, because at some point, you can't just keep reducing administration and harp on the 'we need to be more efficient' bandwagon over and over again (ala Rick Bell).

You want a great city? Okay fine. You just have to pay for it. It's really that simple.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by strombad

So your reasoning is: make the roads more dangerous for 6 months of the year in a way that could cause serious accidents so we don't have as much gravel that could cause scraped knees?

Riiiiiight.

Roads more dangerous? How many people die in the city in winter crashes? Truth is that 80% or more are fender benders. Let's not exaggerate things here as how many of us have had life and death situations on Calgary roads? Not many I expect. Most fatal accidents involve speeding and not paying attention to road conditions so lets not play dumb and believe an extra scoop of salt and gravel is going to make things safer for anyone.

The budget got upped because people didn't like having ruts on their side streets boo hoo hoo. You still got nothing here.

[roadblock]

They made the mess with the gravel and now they won't clean it up? That is completely unacceptable. It's bad enough we all have to replace our windshields every year. Now they just want to leave it?
We all need to spam 311

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Tyler

You want a great city? Okay fine. You just have to pay for it. It's really that simple.

I don't mind paying for it but the issue is that you don't have a say where your money goes. More taxpayer money to some of city hall clowns means more chances to pull off one of their pet projects.

[Tailgator]

Originally Posted by fotze

I have never understood that as well. You would think they could actually make money at it.

Mind you the signage has been brutal lately a 1.5 hour notice Tuesday at 9:30 am to move your car.

Last year, they came to our community 2 days before the signs said they were coming. They might as well have done nothing for all the cars they had to go around. My neighbour called them on it, they said they were coming back to finish on the dates the signs said. Everyone moved their cars, aaaand they never showed up.

Our street is like a Lafarge pit right now since we have this year and most of last year's gravel.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You're wrong because money is only worth spending on stuff I personally deem important.

Fixed your post... for accuracy.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by strombad

Fixed your post... for accuracy.

Nice try but that post on the previous page where I said I wouldn't mind paying more for the services kind of debunks that no? You aren't very good at this are you?