Mayor Kant: "I Originated Outsourcing"

Mayor Kant has backed off of his prior assertions that all the outsourcing of city services proposals originated from others--and in the Public Works Study Group last Summer.

At a council meeting last October, the origins of the proposal (to have a private company do some right-of-way mowing, garbage pick-up, etc.) was at times heatedly debated by the Mayor, Councilmembers,  City Administrator and Public Works Director--before a crowd of boisterous employees who's jobs may be affected; but at the Dec. 13th meeting Kant recanted a bit:  "I was probably one of the ones who introduced it some months ago." (He went on to say he has come to oppose the proposals to outsource even if money is saved.)

The council ultimately decided to outsource some mowing for next year (savings of $100-200,000); other proposals are still being considered (garbage, trash, recycling, etc.)