When is a city no longer a city?
Maywood, CA has problems.
No, I mean they really have problems…
Maywood, a small working-class community south of downtown Los Angeles, plans to lay off all its employees, disband its Police Department and turn over its entire municipal operations to a neighbor — an action that appears to be without precedent among California cities.
Maywood’s $10.1-million general fund budget has a deficit of at least $450,000, officials said. Beyond that, the city has been unable to obtain insurance because of a history of lawsuits, many involving its Police Department, which also patrols Cudahy. Operating without insurance would make even routine government services highly risky.
Under the city’s plan, the Sheriff’s Department will take over patrols. The neighboring city of Bell will take over other municipal services, including staffing Maywood’s City Hall, saving the city an estimated $164,375 a year, officials said. The changes would take effect July 1.
Contracting with Bell is the most cost-effective way to ensure that residents still get basic public services, Councilman Felipe Aguirre said. “Our streets will be cleaned, our potholes will be filled, this is not affecting any of that,” he said.
“We’re limited on our choices and limited on what we can do,” Councilman Felipe Aguirre said. “We don’t want to file for bankruptcy. We don’t want to disappear as a city.”
I hate to be the one to tell you Mr. Aguirre, but you just did disappear as a city.
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June 28th, 2010 at 3:05 am
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