Feline advocates criticize Elk Grove for frivolous junkets, discretionary purchases while claiming no funding for additional animal services
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2023/05/feline-advocates-criticize-elk-grove.html
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| Speaking to Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her four city councilmen, Elk Grove resident displays some of the curious purchases made with taxpayers' money. | |
As they have during the last two Elk Grove City Council meetings, feline advocates continue pressing Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and her four councilmen to increase funding for animal services. The comments have been made during public comment, most recently during the Wednesday, May 24, city council meeting.
The advocates are pushing to include hiring a new veterinarian in the fiscal year 2024 budget, which will take effect on July 1. The additional veterinarian is needed to control what they claim is an out-of-control feral cat population in Elk Grove, which they say has not been adequately addressed.
Comments from Katherine Medoza pointed out some of the curious expenditures made with taxpayers' money, including $2,900 for LED sunglasses and over $24,000 for airline tickets for Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen's entourage on a recent visit to Washington, D.C.
"You guys took a trip to D.C., which costs twenty-four thousand, seven hundred fifty-five dollars and fifty-four cents," she said. "That is only a fraction of what I see being in the spending."
During her comments, Kimberly Mendoza also emphasized more discretionary spending to highlight her arguments there is money available for more animal services. Mendoza also questioned a pet project of Singh-Allen, the multi-hundred million dollar relocation of the Sacramento Zoo to Elk Grove in the context of funding for animal services.
"How are we considering bringing exotic animals to Elk Grove when we don't allegedly have the funding for a second vet to care for animals already in Elk Grove," she asked.
The entire commentary from Katherine Mendoza, Kimberly Mendoza, and portions from Stacey P. can be seen in the video.
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Others can fact check me if I am wrong, but I seem to recall that the City had been previously contracting with the County for animal control services, and these so-called "thrifty" animal advocates stacked the City Council Chambers and persuaded Mayor Gary Davis and his four go-alongs to approve issuing a bond (using City Hall as collateral) to go it alone and build our own animal shelter and hire staffing.
The previous City Manager warned our "leaders" that we can't afford it, but since when do politicians listen to staff when they have a packed Chamber of potential voters. The City Manager then pulled a rabbit out of the hat, put animal control under the Police Department, and then as a "police service", was able to pass on the cost of the facility to the homeowners residing within the Laguna Ridge CFD supplemental tax zone.
The Animal Shelter has been losing money since Day 1, but thanks to the generous homeowners and their supplemental tax dollars, the City has made the bond investors whole and Fido and Fifi get to enjoy one of the fanciest animal shelters I've ever seen.
So these so-called animal advocates are going to complain about a few sunglasses and a trip to Washington seeking federal tax dollars for Elk Grove? I would say they should be lucky that their boondoggle ever got built and the large pool of homeowners in the City will continue to keep it solvent.
Quit while you're ahead.
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