News release from the Tim Smith for Mayor Committee:
Mayoral Candidate Tim Smith Releases City Management Plan
“What Fort Wayne needs is an experienced business executive in its Mayor’s Office.”(April 8, 2019) – Republican mayoral candidate Tim Smith released his city management plan today (the full plan can be found here). “My plan focuses on three major goals: (1) installing zero-based budgeting and regulation; (2) negotiating contracts that protect taxpayers; and (3) a 20-year capital improvement plan.”
Tim’s plan starts with zero-based budgeting and regulation. Zero-based budgeting means starting every department’s budget at zero dollars and working to justify every expenditure in an effort to save taxpayers’ dollars.
Zero-based regulation is applying the same principle to our city code. Every regulation the city currently has will need to be justified to impacted businesses and residents in Fort Wayne. If the public feels there is not proper justification, then the regulation will be removed. “These steps will make Fort Wayne the easiest city in the Midwest in which to conduct business,” Tim concludes.
The second focus of Tim’s management plan is contract negotiation. “As mayor I will work on behalf of taxpayers to negotiate better and stronger deals,” Tim says. Every dollar that the city fails to protect–by voting for or signing a bad contract–is a dollar that must come from someone’s wallet, a dollar that cannot be spent in the local economy. With Tim as mayor, Fort Wayne will get better deals and will negotiate smarter contracts. We will not repeat the contract mistakes of the Red River Waste Collection, North River Development property, and discounts for public employees’ health benefits that happened twelve years too late.
These process improvements will save the taxpayers millions. “With these improvements to the way our city is run, we may not have needed the three recent tax increases our city officials have levied,” Tim states.
Thirdly, the efficient and successful management of any corporate entity requires vision and strategic planning. As mayor, Tim will define—in coordination with local leaders, both public and private–a twenty year Capital Improvement Plan, a vision for the future of Fort Wayne. Gone are the years of short-sighted, politically motivated capital improvements that our current, lifelong politicians have instituted.
“What Fort Wayne needs is an experienced business executive in its Mayor’s Office who will begin applying common sense business principles to the way our local government is managed.”
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