The greatest challenges Ramsey faces are developing ways to pay for the new Municipal Center that now stands amidst fields of dandelions and dirt, and reviving Town Center.  The building permits that were “envisioned” (and erroneously expected) to be funding the payments for the Municipal Center do not exist.  As a result, the payments for the Municipal Center were not properly budgeted for.  It is essential to make every effort to avoid placing the balance of this financial burden on the residents. In today’s economical climate, residents have enough to worry about without adding the burden of the city’s past mistakes.

We must examine the current restrictions placed on businesses and get real about what elements are critical and what elements are merely part of the fluffed up “vision” the city has created for Town Center [A restaurant may refuse to come to Town Center if forced to design their building with the same "cookie cutter" as the existing buildings.]  In addition to attracting business to Ramsey, we must also look at creative ways to develop income streams.  For example, most city departments could be moved to the second level of the Municipal Center, opening up the main level to be leased out to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, and other government related businesses. We already have plenty of parking.

In the current economic climate, it was irresponsible for Ramsey to approve an increased budget.  It's time to bring reality back to Ramsey! The city must become fiscally responsible and learn to distinguish between wants and needs.  We must reexamine the budgets, cutting what is ineffective or unnecessary, and find creative ways to lower or eliminate costs, giving up as little as possible.  A few ways to move towards these goals:

1)   Use an outside publisher to produce the city newsletter.  The publisher sells ad
      space to pay for the full color magazine, and city content is free.  This would
      put money currently spent on the newsletter directly back into the general fund.

2)      Privatize the Ramsey Happy Days Events, reducing cost to the city and
      potentially having a larger event that draws more of the community. 

3)      Reevaluate the need to keep and maintain property and equipment currently
      owned by the city, and liquidate what is deemed unnecessary or burdensome.

All of this goes back to the underlying mission to bring reality back to Ramsey!