Is Ottawa borrowing too much money? The three candidates for mayor answered that question at a candidate forum at Central School tonight. Robb Hasty says yes. He says there’s been a rush to spend money.
Mayor Dan Aussem says the city is handling debt responsibly, as shown by its high credit ratings. He says the city borrowed money at a low interest rate to get things done that will cost more if the city waits.
Len Newell thinks debt is best paid down fast. He believes that’s as valid a philosophy for a city with a budget in the millions as it is for him on a $40,000 per year wage.
Hasty says the city shouldn’t outsource work. He says it destroys employee morale.
Newell expressed a similar feeling at the candidate forum last night. He says you want to be responsible with the city’s money, but you also want to preserve employee pride.
Aussem says the city lost money on special events, so it turned them over to businesses. And the city outsources work to save money. He says the city has never sought to cut its directly hired workforce through outsourcing.
Newell says he wants the potassium permanganate stored at Southtowne Mall gone as soon as possible. Aussem and Hasty say the process through which the city approved a conditional use permit for storage there was open and above board.
Hasty says the city needs to keep its industrial tax increment financing district, for sure. He says take all the others case by case when the time comes to ask for an extension. Aussem says TIF’s are an important economic development tool. Newell says maybe they’re right sometimes, but maybe there are too many.
All three mayoral candidates agree that a lot of thinking must be done about the rewatered Illinois and Michigan Canal. It’s been swampy at times. Hasty says stop everything in the canal until a plan comes together for what it will be used for. Newell says don’t put money into a bad plan. Aussem says it was a failed experiment and maybe it should only be filled for a couple weeks leading up to a special event.
Hasty and Newell are critical of Ottawa Visitors Center spending. Hasty says it needs branding and a lot of marketing for the amphitheater coming to the riverfront. Aussem says OVC got a $60,000 funding cut because of the pandemic. With little hotel-motel tax money coming in, the city didn’t have as much to provide.
The Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce arranged for the candidate forum. You can watch the entire event on the Chamber’s YouTube channel.