LETTERS

CITY BUDGET

The focus groups that came up with the list of priorities for Redmond’s so-called new budgeting process could have saved themselves considerable time had they done a little research into the city’s recent past.

The priority items listed in the Redmond Reporter have been on the city’s agenda for the past 20 years or so. Though lacking in imagination, these priorities may be worthy, but they do raise some questions about the ability, usefulness and effectiveness of the officials who have been chasing the same elusive goals over the last two decades.

These same city officials also seem woozy with self-delight over a budget that will be built “from the ground up.” They act as if they have discovered some bright, new, far-off star in the firmament. A “from the ground up budget” is hardly a new notion; it is called zero-based budgeting and has been around for quite some time.

Perhaps, the city should form a group to focus on how not to spend other people’s, that is, taxpayers’, money.

Now that would be a novel budget concept.

Richard Grubb

Redmond