BENCHES FOR DOWNTOWN RIPON

There has been a considerable amount of attention paid to the proposed purchase of two benches for downtown Ripon, each totalling $12,500. The money for the project would have come from the Welcome to Ripon signage fund, which has been built up over the past four years, to the amount of $30,000. This money has come mainly from budget surpluses, with some general tax revenue. The idea is to replace the current Welcome to Ripon signs, and add some more to the incoming roads to the city. During the course of the discussions, the idea for two benches, to be made from solid granite, and measuring more than 10 feet long, would be located in the Village Green in downtown Ripon. One bench would say "Welcome to Ripon College", the other "Welcome to Downtown Ripon". The college would have paid for one bench, the other to be paid for by the city.

As anyone who read last week's Commonwealth would have noticed, one of our city employees came forward to express her opposition to this expenditure. Am I mad at her? HECK NO. I give her credit for meeting with me prior to the Council meeting, and then coming forward to give her opinions before the Council on January 13th. I give her more credit than those people who complain but do not come forward. I would even say I have more respect for her as a resident and city employee since that meeting, and I am proud to have her working the City of Ripon.

At that same Council meeting, it was revealed the Ripon Area Fire District (RAFD) was running a budget deficit of roughly $26,000. The next day, I learned the figure had grown to more than $40,000. Rather than dip into our overall reserve fund, which stands at more than $1.1 million, or cut from our general budget, I issued an executive order to take the money from the signage fund and transfer it to the RAFD to prevent any cash flow issues.

At this week's Council meeting, the city agreed to pay our pro-rated share of the 2008 deficit, which is slightly more than $25,000. This entire amount will come from the signage fund. I also asked the Council to dedicate $15,000 from our 2009 contingency fund, which stands at roughly $21,000, to apply toward any RAFD deficit this year. The council did agree to that part of the proposal as well.

I have been proud of where the City of Ripon has gone fiscally. We have had budget surpluses each year I have been mayor, and we have had small, and, sometimes, no tax increases since I was sworn in. I have worked hard, and so has our city staff, to get the most bang for the buck. Perhaps the benches were too "rich" for the times, but I remain committed to improving the overall appearance of the city, through signage, improved aesthetics, and tougher code enforcement procedures. We will move forward with the other signs we have been discussing, as well as the downtown beautification efforts that have been recently proposed.

I know some people have contacted City Hall to express their concern about the proposed bench expenditures. I appreciate that they took time to express their opinions. If you have any questions or concerns, please share them with me. I look forward to your comments.