Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Cities to Face Real Costs of Paramedics

Not to worry, Your Mayorships. Taxpayers will pay for it either way.

Municipal leaders throughout Milwaukee County voiced fears Monday that they would soon be saddled with paying the full cost of paramedic services, either through restructuring county government or through county budget cuts.

..."You'd better be prepared not to have the (paramedic funding) from the county," Oak Creek Mayor Richard Bolender warned fellow mayors and village presidents at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council. "I think it's just going to die. . . . I have a bad feeling about this." Bolender said he expected the cash-strapped county to cut off funding for the service within a year or two. Others, such as Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, were concerned about what would happen to paramedics and other services if state and county officials dismantle or revamp county government.

Let's see if I get this straight. County TAXPAYERS fund some elements of paramedic services. Municipal TAXPAYERS (who are County TAXPAYERS) fund other parts.

So when the County stops SPENDING MONEY (and taking it from TAXPAYERS), then the municipal TAXPAYERS have to make up the difference.

But wait! There's no difference to the TAXPAYERS--either pay the County or pay your municipality. Same money, right?

The Mayors have been playing "hide the cost-weenie" and the County's been facilitating that behavior. Now the Mayors are in a cold sweat because the actual cost of those services will show up in THEIR budgets.

IT'S THE SPENDING, STUPID!!

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