Escanaba City Council Regular Meeting January 19, 23' (A Future Sustainable Economy?)

The Great Fish Market 1603
Jan Brueghel the Elder  

This was a fairly interesting meeting that ranged from city attorneys (legal) all the way over to gardens (aesthetics). Even a new city manager! (It will be important for the city manager and legal experts to work together on many projects going forward.) In this particular case, there was a presentation on the financial condition of the city. So far it looks descent. A few increased expenses but functioning. As the city brings in more revenue from development, taxes, etc... based on local and FDI investments (Billerud and others) it has an opportunity to increase the health and pool of that budget. As an interesting perspective, can we take a rural small town like Escanaba and show that it can be healthy as new development revenue enters into their coffers? (It will still take some time to figure out and much of that has to do with the development and internal decision making. Yet this is a chance to revitalize an American small town and show we can put it on a sustainable path forward. An applied model in a generic sense.) 

Thinking strategically about the budget going forward provides an opportunity to focus budgeting on that which brings the city the highest budget and in turn creates a sustainable growing government function? (See perpetual sustainable development model.)We talk a lot in this country about budget fiscal management and it looks like this city might have an opportunity to do what some of our Federal stakeholders have struggled with. Maybe or maybe not? Let us just think about it and keep that fiscally solvent issue going forward as something to watch from an economic perspective. 

A general word of advice: Seriously discount promises of paying latter unless there is a clear path to increased revenue. If you can't chart that course, then you are dealing with an expense and not an "investment in the future" (At least that is how it sort of works in business. In government, it is possible to improve quality of life and aesthetic brand appeal with the same budget. ...but you cant do that without a good budget. That is soft use of budgets to sort of shoot two birds with one appeal. For example, afterschool programs that teach useful life and work skills or recreational activities that attract visitors and contenders. i.e. sail boat racing, fishing seminars, etc... In other words, if you have an expense then try and turn it into an asset.)The same can be said for cutting fat out of existing budgets. If you keep focusing budgets to balance between the needs of today and the opportunities of the future the overall growth pattern that balances those needs in a sustainable way is set. Just make sure you have a good cushion between overall revenue and expenses. If you get really good you can create pools of money that "endow" certain functions and get them completely off of the expense accounts in a way that reduces taxes and/or frees up future revenue for growth. In the end, society gets the benefit because as towns grow and use their resources wisely they can "endow" public assets in a way that protect them into the future (i.e. endowed park or library.)

(Honestly, there is another City Council meeting today so I want to stay on top of this and what is going on at a County level. As soon as they get the videos up. I will need to check! )

January 19th, 2023 City of Escanaba Agenda. 

A few other random thoughts..... 

Foster Swift-City Attorney: She seems pretty knowledgeable to me and the way in which she views potential legal pot holes. I have worked with a lot of attorneys over the years, of which some of them were interesting cases, and I have met all types so you sort of get a keener understanding by watching how they approach questions, carry themselves, and even correct council. At this present moment I would say you got a good one and she has no problem telling you when you are doing something that seems incorrect! (Its normal and it is not a reflection on anything other then normal course of business. An attorney's goal is to keep companies/government/entities out of hot water and not be your friend {They just need to be cordial}. Although, I think the other attorney had this pin stripped suit I admired. I'm not kidding I used to dress really awesome back in the day but got more practical in my clothing as I got older. Maybe I can find the balance in my wardrobe between serious, active, and fun loving. 🤔😏) Now if you can palate some snappy feedback then by all means go with the higher quality candidate. As Escanaba changes and new money comes into the area (i.e. Billerud, downtown and water development), it is important to have the legal resources to deal with unique issues as they arise. Consider local subcontract if it gets really busy and you need someone day-to-day paperwork legal power of attorney issues.

Financial Audits: It appears they are in compliance and no finding with the audits. That is one solid indication there is no sneaky sneaky with the city budget. It builds trust.