Is Sidney in fiscal trouble?
The Sidney Democratic Committee held its regular meeting last night and one of the important topics of conversation was prompted by a report from Jeff Strassenberg on the proceedings from last month’s Town Board meeting.
It seems that, in their efforts to re-open the hospital in Sidney, the Board has entered into some fiscally unsound legal agreements with Bassett. Those arrangements call for the Town of Sidney to assume all operating expenses of the facility, while Bassett would pay only for personnel costs. That financial obligation would strangle the town, which does not have the kind of financial resources necessary to take on that ongoing obligation.
Evidently, some efforts are underway to re-negotiate the contract but, of course, Bassett is not eager to get out of such a sweet deal. As for that infamous contract, we can only shake our heads and wonder: what were they thinking?
Plans are proceeding for Conversations: On Town Power, the first of our series of issues-oriented discussions. That gathering is scheduled for December 6th, at 7 p.m. in the Sidney Memorial Library Community Room.
The Committee also welcomed the re-appointment of Floyd Howard to fill the vacancy for Election District 2. Floyd is a former Town Committee Chair and brings a wealth of experience to the Committee that is tremendously valuable.
The next meeting of the Sidney Democratic Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2007, at 7 p.m. in the Civic Center Board Room.