Editor’s note: We have discussed the troubles of Lincoln before — a city that decided to shift into “full growth” gear at the wrong time and the unfortunate fallout. The Bee has a Page 1 report:
“Close to the city of Lincoln’s downtown, Fire Station 33 sits in suspended animation. A gleaming ladder truck parked inside has never seen service. Rows of lockers for firefighters’ gear sit empty,” the Sacramento Bee is reporting this morning.
“The station on McBean Park Drive, which closed in 2010 after only a year of operation, is as good a symbol as any of the fiscal crisis that beset City Hall in this Placer County town. After four years of cutting its staff, slashing expenses and squeezing services, revenues still are falling and there are few signs of recovery anytime soon.
“Bad timing also added to the city’s debt burden. At the height of the population growth, the city decided to jump ahead with several community projects.
“The city commissioned two new fire stations, including Station 33, at a combined cost of $10.6 million. It contracted for the four-story City Hall, at $21.7 million. The idea was that development fees would repay those costs.
The rest of the article is here.
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So, to reiterate, what do these communities have in common? At least two things immediately spring to mind. At least 80% of them were led and run by “the severely conservative” in California government who have and had enduring and abiding love for all things Grover Norquist. Which led to investment “portfolios” like Washington Mutual, Wachovia, J.P. Morgan, Real Estate And Never Ending Redevelopment Dollars. Which they happily and repeatedly used to guide “Their hated government sector of the moment” into almost irreparable harm. Not exactly a well diversified example of community mindedness. And now, in further abuse of the constitution and government systems in general they scream at and obstruct the very people, like Governor Brown, who are charged with cleaning up their hateful droppings scattered up and down the length of California and our country. So keep voting in these red county toddlers and they’ll finish doing their business all over these communities one more time. Those who know not of history are doomed to repeat it.
Lincoln just got in over their head. Very poor city management.