Brainstorming ways to cut city expenses

Diane Lenning

In response to Tim Geddes (“All input is important to government”

Jan. 30), I appreciate the nuance for dialogue rather than argument.

In the interest of cutting expenses in the Huntington Beach city

budget, it is important for various ideas to be heard. Interestingly

enough, even though results show in personality tests I am an

analytical thinker, and I am somewhat known for my analytical

writings. The referred to article I wrote about ideas for reducing

boards and commissions was presented in the forum of “brainstorming”

ideas, hoping for others to contribute further to this concept. I

also wrote it to help develop some alternatives for reducing expenses

in the city budget, without cutting essential services such as police

and fire. (I think we all know a complete proposal cannot be written

in the small context of the “Sounding Off” portion of the local

newspaper.)

It was not my intention to portray the idea of “losing boards and

commissions.” It was intended to suggest consolidation of boards into

possibly two boards, streamlining government and reducing expenses. I

don’t consider my “observations” that the City Council sometimes

disregards the findings of commissions to be cynical and

supercilious. These are sincere observations that merit consideration

of options for reducing expenses. It’s time to evaluate and audit

every aspect of our budgetary expenses. We can sincerely cut expenses

if we ask ourselves, “What we can seriously live without?”

I appreciated Assemblyman Tom Harman’s article about Californians

demanding the same kind of fiscal discipline most people practice at

home. It’s my sincere hope that Assemblyman Harman leads the

restraint Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson who wants to increase our

taxes through the vehicle license fee that would force the average

driver to pay $103 more to register cars and trucks.

As I have stated before, I contend business growth will help to

offset the deficits and allow us to continue with most, and perhaps

all of our favored services.

DIANE LENNING is a Huntington Beach resident. To contribute to

“Sounding Off” e-mail us at [email protected] or fax us at (714)

965-7174.