Contrasted with the last month and a half, Tuesday’s Bossier City Council agenda meeting was about as relaxed as it gets.  About the only reminders of the last several weeks of budget contention were mention of two ordinances to be introduced at next week’s regular council meeting.  

One will provide technical amendments to the General Fund Budget; the other, predicted to be set not in stone, but soft concrete, is a freeze on hiring, promotions, and pay for 2010.  We really don’t know what the next year holds for the city and what impact the lay-off of city workers will have in the face of any unforeseen challenges – but the coming year’s City Council activities will bear close watching.

That “watching” sentiment was expressed a couple of times by members of the public during the council’s budget discussions, all evidence to the contrary at Tuesday’s agenda meeting.  Perhaps people are busy with holiday planning and work schedules.  On the other hand, city residents may not understand that the council’s agenda meetings are as informative as the voting meetings – sometimes more informative than the voting meetings.

The agenda meetings provide a week’s advance notice to council members about issues on which they will be casting a vote at regular meetings.  Often these agenda meetings include discussions about those issues, and that discussion provides citizens an opportunity to become better informed about city ordinances, plans, and problems.  Moreover, it gives interested citizens the opportunity to keep up with the continuing weekly conversation that constitutes city government.   

And that’s the point of “watching” government, because government at every level is a continuation of what occurred yesterday, last week, last year, and in years past.  Whether agenda or regular, the Council’s weekly meetings are an integral part of the continuing conversation.

And a case in point is this year’s budget deficit.  Many folks attending the council’s budget meetings seemed to have one of two questions to Council members:  How did the city suddenly discover a $6.5 budget deficit, or why did the city wait so long to correct a train wreck in the making?

Anyone who kept up, over a couple of years, with the City Council’s annual General Fund Budget discussions at agenda and voting meetings would know that the second question was the relevant concern.  That was confirmed when a speaker at one of those meetings asked why it took so long for the council to address the issue.  

District 1 Council member Scott Irwin responded that the council could have addressed the issue year before but it was addressing the problem now.

This crisis-in-the-making could have been derailed and given seriously attention year before last when the budget shortfall was $1.5 million.  Or, it could have been addressed last year when the deficit was $4.7 million, and the train engine heading toward the cliff.  But we waited until the train engine was on the cliff’s edge.  

Before we build the political stake burning bonfires, however, it’s notable to mention that until this year, Council budget discussions occurred in an echoingly empty council chamber.  Many of the people who attended the last two months of budget discussions were likely there for the first time.    

Bossier City’s 2010 General Fund Budget problem is a new revelation only to those who didn’t pay attention to the continuing city government conversation over the last several years.

We pay attention to the work and results of those who do our plumbing, who ring up our groceries, who manage our investments and bank accounts, who sell/repair our cars, and the list goes on.

But we don’t pay attention to the work and results of those who manage our tax dollars, those folks who we elect.  
Kind of gives new meaning to the old adage that we get the government we deserve, not the one we want, doesn’t it?

Marty Carlson is a columnist for the Bossier Press-Tribune and has been covering local issues for more than 10 years. She may be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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