by INFORUM
Fargo city commissioners object to 2012 budget issues
September 5, 2011 at 7:00 pm in INFORUM
FARGO The city’s 2012 preliminary budget doesn’t increase the property tax levy, but a few issues in the proposal are raising some eyebrows among city commissioners.
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Commissioner Piepkorn is right in insisting that commissioners participate very early in the budgeting process. Often cutting funding is the only way to kill an unpopular project that city officials are pushing for despite public opposition. A good example of this type of project is turning downtown one-way streets into two-ways to impede traffic flow so that downtown merchants can boost sales.
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Considering there’s no such thing as an R6, I doubt he has one. If you mean RS6, great…considering they’re already 9 model years old and are cheap. If you mean S6, again, they’re not that special. Furthermore, I really don’t understand what a person’s car has to do with a city’s budget.
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No such thing as an Audi R6. Derp.
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City employees forgo the opportunities at bonuses, profit sharing, and individual salary negotiations (their salaries are set in stone). The sense of security is about the only reason it’s an attractive job, and it’s not as if they aren’t contributing to their own retirement accounts.
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The thing is–Piepkorn doens’t even have his facts straight. Public sector employees aren’t eligible for 401K plans–yes, there are other deferred compensation plans available to them, but they go by different rules & different sections of the tax code. You’d think Piepkorn would at least be aware of that much having been a city commissioner this long.
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Well bek, way to try to mislead the public – you must be in fear of losing your free government pension. The plans you speak of are either 457 or 403b plans – same type of retirement plans with matching funds/etc. Now get back to your government job and stop misleading the public.
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“Free”? Who’s trying to mislead now? Everybody I know with a defined benefit plan contributes.
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Hmmm, don’t think so, the state employees who have a defined benefit plan contrinbute nonthing to their retireme. The state puts in 4% for the employer share (also 1/2% for health insurance) and 4% for the employee share. The West Fargo teachers contribute NOTHING to their retirement plan – all is paid by the employer – NO MISLEADING HERE!!
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The NDPERS handbook lists an employee contribution of 4%, and an employer share of 4.12%.
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The Dome is getting new turf again? Didn’t it just get new turf a year or 2 ago? Maybe they need to find a new vendor if it’s only lasting such a short time.
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It isn’t that it’s worn out, it’s that it isn’t very good to play on. This time they are going to the “best” turf you can rollup. Thing is, it still isn’t great.
To see great, you need to go to Fargo Shanley or Concordia.
The Bison are helped though that UND has even worse turf and the Alerus Center loses money so there is absolutely no way UND is getting new turf.
The only real question is will the new turf be solid gold in color?
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Government goes through this cycle of why didn’t you involve us earlier, to why are you bothering us when nothing is thought out already.
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From what’s been observed in city meetings of recent Piepkorn should run for mayor. We’ve had enough of the old boy network cleaning the plate (no pun intended there denny even though you do eat 9 candy bars and bags of chips on one 45 minute Fargo to Minneapolis flight while lounging in first class). We need to cut the golden fleece with these city pensions. That’s why olddenny is fighting it, the old boy network is the only reason he’s had a city job for the past 20 plus years. Fargo tax payers cannot continue to be the victim of extorsion from our city officials like they are from the teachers union.
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Omaga-X, but its not paid for out of the checks of the employees, its 100% paid for by the employer (i.e. ND taxpayers). The employees do not have 1 penny withheld from their checks.
Read my post, it says, the employer pays both the employee portion of 4% and the employee portion of 4.12%. Ask any state employee how much of a deduction is on their check for their retirement and they will say NONE (if they are honest). The employee handbook shows the breakdown that is paid for by the state.
Better yet, call OMB and ask them how much of the retirement amount of 4% is deducted from an employees check – you may be surprised.
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City of Fargo employees who are on the NDPERS system (which is all new employees) have it deducted from their checks. You’re either wrong, or massively over-generalizing.
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Did I say city of Fargo employees?? No I didn’t, I specifially mentioned state employees and West Fargo School employees – you are either not reading the posts clearly or completely bullheaded when others disagree with you.
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I said that the people I know, who happen to be City of Fargo employees, have it deducted from their checks. When you started talking about “free”, I inferred that you were talking about City employees, since that was who the article was about in the first place.
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Strange, you can suggest others are misleading, but when it is clear that is your intention you get defensive. I believe you are the bullheaded one.
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Liberty, if the retirement fund is “free”, it is because it is negotiated that way and it just does not show up in the pay stub. The pay of those employes are reduced accordingly, so they still contribute. Like teachers being paid the whole year for working 9 months. The monthly may is also reduced compared to those teachers that do not get payed in the summer.
I don’t think you comprehend high finance very well.
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Never said it wasn’t negotiated that way, I said they don’t pay for it out of their paychecks as others have alluded to. Its a misconception just like employees think they pay their own unemployment insurance, they don’t its paid by the employer.
And the criticism can continue of me, that means I have struck a nerve when I speak the truth and rather than admit the truth or debate the facts, ridicule is your response.
And I understand and comprehend high finance very well but I don’t resort to personal attacks when I can’t debate on the facts. Pot meet kettle!!
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Piepkorn has an Audi S6. Or he did a few years ago. Ballpark price $80,000.00 range. I can imagine him reading this saying, it was $86,000.00!
Perhaps, his Trugreen business or what ever it is, could take care of his retirement program and the good people of Fargo, could find a new commissioner.
Have a good day.
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Well Audi sux I would smoke that thing with my RX7 turbo!
Seriously I am usually for the workers. As a working stiff myself I hate to see my taxes keep rising to keep the govt plush benifits in check while mine are constantly be chipped away at. No one is stepping in to help me or my co workers we cant just force our customers to pay more through legislation like the govt can through taxation. So I say screw em, if its they can take a hit and I can have lower taxes let em take the hit. I dont care for or use 70% of the services the city offers anyway.
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I believe budget time comes around the same time each year and this isn’t Commissioner Piepkorn’s first time around. Perhaps it would make more sense to ask to participate before the work is completed.
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Everyone else has gotten jacked on stuff like pensions healthcare and so on. Why should govt workers be any different. After all the taxpayer who more than likely does not get that same level of benifits and security should not have to ensure the govt workers get it. Let them be like any other worker. I believe this is the type of stuff ACS is fighting about right now. I hope these govt workers get the same treatment ACS workers are getting.
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