Over the last four years, our county and municipalities have faced huge drops in revenue and property values. Wellington staff has cut more than any other municipality, at the amount of over $30 million of budget expenditures during this period.
The staff has looked in every nook and cranny, instituted every operation possible, and with great effort tried to keep layoffs and job eliminations to a minimum. While other municipalities and the county have cut back on levels of service and reduced maintenance on simple things like aesthetic appearances in most areas, Wellington looks as good as ever. Our highways, medians, swales and canals look as good as ever, and in many cases improvements have been added to most parts of the village. The village has kept up its level of service in all areas, including leisure services, public service and community development.
As a member of another municipality staff, which has had to cut back on all levels of service, I find this amazing, and especially when the reserves of the village has actually increased, and capital improvements are actually still being conducted throughout the village. Wellington should feel very good about what has happened over the last four years as it has continued its first-class standing, while most other communities in the county have moved in the opposite direction. Our newly elected council has spent countless hours looking to micromanage the budget but have found nothing that they or any other person would have not done.
Mr. [Paul] Schofield, Mr. [Jim] Barnes, Mr. [John] Bonde and Ms. [Francine] Ramaglia have done an outstanding job moving this village forward. I would strongly suggest that if the newly elected council persons were interested in saving money for the village, they would start by not getting us involved in lawsuits… Since they have been elected, we now have seven lawsuits that will cost the village over $1 million to defend, and who knows how much if we lose. I guess the Wellington Super PAC got its money’s worth!
Hang in there staff, we all appreciate your great job.
Steve Haughn
Wellington
