Towns Get Creative To Save Cash

(CBS)  These are tough times for state and local governments. Many are facing big budget gaps, none more than California, which leads the way with $21 billion in red ink.

All over America, officials are looking for ways to save. And, as CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports, they've come up with some bright ideas.

How much would you pay for all the quarters in all the parking meters in all of Chicago, for the next 75 years?

One company paid close to $1.2 billion to the cash-strapped city to take over the meters. Good deal for Chicago, which had a $469 million deficit for just this year, but a bad deal for parkers - rates will double in some areas.

"I ended up putting seven quarters in the meter," said one Chicagoan, Dan Skinner.

Another, Mayer Freed, chimed in: "We don't have to like it. But maybe that's all they have."

Cities are getting creative - looking to raise or save as much as they can, wherever they can.

The Palm Bay, Fla., police weren't really thinking about money when they began a pilot program to use paragliders for search and rescue, but they sure are cheaper than helicopters.

"It costs like $2.50 an hour to have these in the air," said Lt. Joe Eakins of the Palm Bay Police.

Hempstead, N.Y., town supervisor Kate Murray had an even more unusual idea - Nigerian Dwarf goats. They're just babies now, but they'll soon be grazing and grooming a city park. It's a solution that's both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than human groundskeepers wielding hedge-trimmers.

As Murray put it, "No housing costs and as employees, you don't have to give them health benefits."

That's one reason the town supervisor says she's bullish on these goats. It's all in how you look at things. A pile of stolen and abandoned bikes in Ewing Township, N.J, may look like junk, but, "I see money. I do," says Mayor Jack Ball.

He auctioned them off at GovDeals.com, a sort of EBay for towns with a surplus of stuff and a deficit of dough. He got $1,700 for them - that's found money for a struggling town.

The last thing mayors want to do is raise taxes in tough times. So if trash can be turned into treasure or quarters into billions even a goat knows it's worth looking into.

[jamesr962]

It's also worth checking out www.municibid.com for government auctions.

Municibid.com, the municipal auction site, is a web based government auction platform designed specifically for government entities to effectively facilitate the sale of vehicles, equipment, machinery, furniture and any other confiscated, surplus, or no longer needed items.

Municibid.com works just like the leading Internet auction sites, with several key differences to accommodate regulations most government entities are required to follow when putting items up for public bid.

For one low annual fee (no other fees, commissions or buyer premiums) municipalities and other government agencies can hold as many auctions and sell as many items as you would like. Only government entities can sell, bidding is open to the public.

[inketolstoy]

Goats groundskeepers, parasailing search and rescue? Chicago selling parking spaces for 75 years to a private company who immediately ups already high parking fees? Selling stolen bikes to pay for police? If this was an article in the Onion I would laugh, but instead I want to cry. This is what passes for government creativity when times get tough. (O.K., I like the goat idea, but only because we can eat them if they don't do their job.)

Since we are all drinking the coolaid now, here are my suggestions.

1. Methane collectors for city office buildings. Probably get a green grant from the feds.
2. Monkees for high level government offices, gerbils for mid level government offices, parrots for low level. (Until they unionize with the goats)
3. Tax water. (Including rain water)
4. Rent our national parks to the Taliban so they can train there.
5. Give government the right to sell organs from our dead bodies.
6. Give government the right to sell organs from our living bodies.
7. Rent space on the U.S. and/or state flag for advertising. Kind of like government owned stadiums
8. Use students in school to do free piece work instead of "learning" all day (it will prepare them for competing with China)
9. Sell our children and their futures into finacial slavery so we can live a little longer the way we are (Oops, already did that one).

There, am I government material or what?

[ddaryl1]

here comes the lets make crap up brigade....

gotta love the comments below.. they show exactly what is wrong with this country... everyone wants cpaitialism to survive but they are all unwilling ot fund it... LMAO

[mrs_trepidatious]

An unholy alliance of Socialist Democrat politicians, Unions, and Illegal Aliens supporters are feasting at the trough of tax payers paid benefits while taxing & regulating business and the tax paying public into poverty.
Posted by american_11-2009
=----------------------------------
I am insulted that you lump us business owners who employ the services of undocumented workers with liberals and unions. You have made the baby Jesus cry with your statement.

[mrs_trepidatious]

Hooray for privatization! Now lets let market forces determine the cost of parking spaces.

[american_11-2009]

California the Golden state, is fast becoming the poster child for an bankrupt third world State!

An unholy alliance of Socialist Democrat politicians, Unions, and Illegal Aliens supporters are feasting at the trough of tax payers paid benefits while taxing & regulating business and the tax paying public into poverty.

The pandering of Left Wing Democrat Politicians to their constituency of Illegal Aliens, open border supporters, and unions are driving business and citizens to other states & countries, while leaving the parasites & welfare leeches in an increasing bankrupt, dysfunctional state!

For years California has ignored economics 101 and imported poverty, Criminals and uneducated Peons from Mexico, while exporting business and educated working tax payers. Like all Socialist & Marxist States the results have been an lowing of living standards & bankruptcy.

Failure to abide by our Constitution against invasion & enforce our Immigration laws and constraints on wages and benefits for public employees will result in turning the Golden State into MexiCalif and the end of the California dream!

The policies of Obama and Wash. DC Democrats are intent on following Calif. policies and are resulting in the same creeping socialist process across American. Amnesty & Citizenship as a reward for their invasion of the USA, will result in the rest of the USA turned into a Spanish speaking third world cesspool, modeled on Mexico and follow California into a polluted, over populated, Spanish speaking third world Nation of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, & Misery! This will result in a population depending on Welfare and the Democrat party, thus assuring the lock on power for the Socialist Democrat party of the United States of Mexico!

[Libertarian1776]

We are being TAXED TO DEATH!
Our elected Criminals look for ways to keep milking the Cow!
America has become a nation of wimps!
Stand up and yell.."we're not goinig to take it anymore"

[geminispyder-2009]

Respect for religion must be reestablished. Public debt should be reduced.
The arrogance of public officials must be curtailed. Assistance to foreign lands must be stopped or we shall bankrupt ourselves.
The people should be forced to work and not depend on government for subsistence.

- Cicero, 60 B.C.
Posted by ScaredVet at 5:35 PM : May 20, 2009

In other words:
If Israel has a problem with the Obama Administration's handling of Iran/Palestine, US should stop funding them.

The US should also stop funding the UN.

Welfare checks being handed out should decrease over time down to nothing/or be eliminated altogether.

If unions feel like they are getting shafted by their parent corporations, their members should save some of $70/hour they get and go back to school to get a better job or start their own business.