Five years

When it comes to politics, I am generally pretty ambivalent. This could be because I'm white, heterosexual, middle-class, and well-educated (in other words, there simply aren't very many political issues that concern me personally -- I don't need government assistance, I don't need to fight for my marriage rights, I don't need an abortion, etc. etc.). As a city employee, however, I do have an interest in what goes on in my local municipality (a.k.a. Orem) as those issues are more likely to directly affect my quality of life.

Which brings us to Exhibit A: An article published yesterday in the Daily Herald. (click here to read) For many people who live in Orem, and especially for anyone who works for the City of Orem, this article is not really news. Councilmember Hans Andersen has been spouting nonsensical and inaccurate diatribes against the City for the past couple of years. His comments at the most recent city council meeting, however, were particularly unsuitable; he basically admonished the city council for not being righteous in following God's laws, and that Orem's current fiscal woes are a direct result of Orem not following God's "economic principles." Specifically, Hans is against an increase in property taxes for Orem residents (an increase that is proposed in order to, among other things, help meet the budget needs of paying for UTOPIA -- which really sticks in Hans' craw).

Last year, the city proposed a property tax increase of approximately $4/month. It would have been Orem's first tax hike since 1978. The need for the tax hike was a direct result of a decrease in sales tax revenue (which itself was a direct result of the 2008 economic recession) as well as the city's debt obligation to the fiber optic network UTOPIA. The bill for UTOPIA was originally anticipated to be covered by user fees; however, the number of users has not met expectations, footing Orem with a giant bill that it must pay regardless of whether Orem uses UTOPIA or not.

That last part is important. See, many uninformed and angry residents show up to city council meetings and implore the city to cut off UTOPIA services. Not enough people are using it...it's expensive...it's not available to everyone anyway...get rid of it! What they don't understand is that Orem City is under legal obligation to pay off a portion of the UTOPIA bond. If Orem decided to just stop paying the fee, it would result in costly litigation that would undoubtedly cost more than what Orem is obligated to pay for the network. Orem residents should be vying for UTOPIA's success...more users equals more residents who can take advantage of the network equals less debt for Orem equals good good good. (former councilwoman Mary Street has articulated this point quite well at past city council meetings...look up the minutes, they're all available on orem.org)

This is where it gets personal. In addition to the UTOPIA obligation, Orem City has been expected by its citizens to maintain the high level of service it has provided in the past while operating under a severely depleted budget that is the result of a drastic decrease in revenue. Orem City residents may not be feeling the crunch yet, but employees of the City have been feeling it for years. Five years, to be precise. Five years without a pay increase. Five years of outdated electronics, equipment, and machinery (have you seen our patrol cars?). Five years of additional paycheck deductions to cover the rising cost of health insurance. Five years of understaffing, resulting in more work for less pay. Five years of being expected by Orem citizens to maintain the same level of service while operating on a depleted budget.

I came across some minutes from a city council meeting that really get to the heart of it:

City Council Minutes – June 12 2012 (p.16)
1 Gary Downey, resident and City employee, stated he has lived in Orem for thirty-five years and has
2 worked for the Orem Police Department for twenty-eight years. He said he loves his job, and he and
3 sixty-six other Orem officers are willing to put their life on the line for anyone that needs it. The
4 officers go through a lot, but they take it every day and they take it for what they get paid. None of
5 them are rich. He said he been an officer for twenty-eight years, and he owns two used vehicles. He
6 said he went into this job knowing it was not a high-paying job. It is tough as a police officer
7 because they have to do a lot of unpleasant things. They have to notify family members that loved
8 ones have passed away. He wondered how much that is worth and how many people would be
9 willing to do that for what the officers get paid. He said he has done a lot of death notifications over
10 the years. He worked in the Detective Division for twelve years, and he worked on the dead body
11 calls. He remembers them all and probably will for the rest of his life. He served on interview boards
12 for the Police Department and has discovered that they get what they pay for. He wants Orem’s to
13 remain a good Police Department. They have not had a raise in four years, and some of the officers
14 have tested at other agencies. If something does not happen, they will lose more good officers. He
15 said he is favor of the tax increase.

Lt. Downey (now retired) cites the most unpleasant examples of the duties of a police officer, but it is in the little things where Orem citizens will first begin to see a decline in service. Unlocking vehicles (for free!), helping out a stalled vehicle stuck in traffic, picking up stray cats/raccoons, responding to minor fender benders, taking a report for the person who lost her wallet (who knows where or when), taking reports for those individuals who find themselves the victims of an Internet scam -- many police departments will not respond to these types of calls, but Orem responds to them all. And that's only the Public Safety Department services...think about the Library, Public Works and Utilities, and Recreation departments...I can assure you that many of the city services that make Orem a decent place to live will no longer be provided because the city will be unable to support them...and not because Orem is being irresponsible with its funds, but because it is simply not generating as much revenue as it has in the past. If only residents knew how much their $4 a month could help.

And now back to Hans. His suggestions that councilmembers and city employees are being irresponsible with city funds and making the citizens pay for it is simply uninformed. His most recent assertion that councilmembers and city employees are unrighteous and ignorant of God's laws, however, is ludicrous. The underlying connotation of Hans' discourse is that he is somehow endowed with the spiritual knowledge and foresight to lead Orem out of its financial deficit. As a city employee, Mr. Andersen's antipathy towards city workers is disheartening to me; as a resident, Mr. Andersen's objection to a property tax increase is understandable, but still ignorant; and as a human being, Mr. Andersen's religious nutjob criticisms of Orem City are frightening. While Mr. Andersen's religious convictions may serve him well enough at home, with his family, and at church, with his congregation, they are not relevant to the budgetary concerns of Orem City and have no place at a city council meeting. This man has already been elected to city council, and is currently running for mayor. I only plan on living in and working for Orem for the next year, maybe two, but I've lived here for twenty-three years already, and that's long enough to know that people like Hans Andersen are not likely to make sound, factually-based, well-reasoned decisions on behalf of the City.

Next city council meeting is July 9th at 6:00 pm. See you there?

My life these days

This one time, I went running and stuck my camera in my running belt (it's a belt that holds water that I wear around my waist) and somehow, the home screen on my "smart" phone unlocked itself, opened the camera, and proceeded to record seventeen seconds of my run that day. I was a little bit horrified, because in my dispatch center we receive pocket dials from people who accidentally dial 9-1-1 all the time and it drives me NUTS. My first thought, after realizing my phone was unlocked, was to check to see if I had made any outbound calls. Luckily, all I have to show for my carelessness is a silly video, half a dozen photos, a few random text messages (saved as drafts) and a nonsensical Facebook status that never got posted. No harm done.

This was a doughnut I ate the other day. I don't know why I took a picture of it.

And these are some pictures from our most recent trip to Disneyland at the beginning of May. Splash Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers are probably two of my favorite rides. My heart died a little the day my Annual Pass expired, especially considering Disney raised their ticket prices AGAIN. It's really a little ridiculous. This time last year, Steve and I bought our premium annual passes for $500 apiece. As of today, the very same pass is $669. Ack! I don't know that we'll ever be able to afford annual passes again...but it was magical while it lasted.

And this is me hard at work in my dispatch center keeping the citizens of Orem safe blah blah blah...actually this is me wanting a picture of my hair today because I curled it and I think it looks cute. Deal with it.