From the throngs of Plainfield youngsters and parents at Monday's budget hearing, it became apparent at once that more than the Planning Division's fate was going to be commented on.
When time came for the public hearing, first up were representatives of Dudley House, the city's drug rehab program, who are justly worried about the fate of their program, their staff and themselves. The Administration's answer? 'We don't know yet.' And this after I blew the whistle three months ago (see more here), that the program was in danger of being scuttled by the Administration.
Then came the deluge.
In the form of pained, angry and earnest pleas from parents, coaches and youngsters for the Council not to cut the Recreation Division's programs by $75,000 as they were given to understand the Council was about to do.
As I said, pained, angry and extremely earnest.
Except, perhaps, that they had been tricked.
After eight or ten speakers had delivered their pleas to the Council, Council President pro-tem Don Davis took the mike in response.
No programs were going to be cut, he informed the petitioners.
The Council intended to fund the Recreation Division to carry on the programs just as it had this past year. There is no intent to cut programming, and it will not happen. Period.
So, you ask, what about the $75,000?
Turns out that the Recreation Division, as Councilor Davis pointed out, had had unspent monies at the end of the fiscal year -- $75,000 this year, and $125,000 previously, Davis said.
What the Council was doing was reducing the budget requested by the Recreation Division to the amount it actually spends.
If I were a parent, coach or youth participant, would I feel tricked?
And by whom?
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