Link: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090228/NEWS16/902280389

"That would be a substantial drop from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's original 2009 budget, which was released Nov. 15. That budget assumed the city would collect $169.6 million in income taxes during 2009. That figure is the same the city collected in 2007.

The Finkbeiner administration subsequently revised the income tax projection for 2009 to $160 million."

Kinda begs the question, why would our leadership be so short sighted to base budget numbers on 2007, when the recession was noted to have started in 2007.

Ah, maybe the answer is, we are all just being negative. Yup, that's it.

Never mind that people were leaving the city, jobs were leaving as businesses closed up, businesses left the city for burb's, nah, just being negative.

Erect a few more pride signs, go to an overseas sham awards program, while the plywood goes up all around us.

"City Finance Director John Sherburne on Thursday told council's finance committee that current economic trends are continuing and further increases in unemployment will result in a larger reduction in tax revenue."

Really? No kidding. A first year student in economics could make the same statement.

What if anything is the administration doing about the problem?

Shovel ready jobs for the repair, replacement and upgrade of roads, bridges, etc?

What's the plan, if any.