EDITORIAL: A Discussion Regarding Wasteful Spending in Salina

By Tom Wilbur

Facts. Over the past three years, the Salina City Commission has approved consultants for nearly every major issue facing our community. I understand consultants being needed for areas outside our expertise.

But seriously, Brad Anderson can’t put together a team of people to make a cultural plan for our city? He asked for $100,000. The City Commission approved it. We contracted with an outside firm for this nonsense for a total of $59,910. Doug Rempp was a hard no. Of course he was.

We spent $21,500 to find a City Manager, walked down the hall, and handed Jacob Wood a cool quarter of a million bucks, annually. For three years. That contract said if within a year, if the City Commissioners weren’t satisfied, the consultants would go find a better candidate. Should we exercise that option?

We spent $30,000 to learn how to care for animals, Wow. And $72,000 for a year long study in history fix homelessness in Salina? Uh huh.

Next thing you know we’ll spend $10,000 to decide if lemonade stands for kids are legal here.

Here’s what taxpayers have funded through publicly identified contracts, just in the last couple of years:

💧 Water Treatment Evaluation? $305,050 Water fixed? Nada.

🚧 Street and Roundabout Design? $420,425 Not needed.

🌊 River Renewal Property Acquisition? $263,460 (amended contract amount) Brad Anderson’s wife, Jane, and Martha Tasker oversee this.

🏠 Homelessness Strategic Plan? $71,899 We’re going to fix homelessness?

🎨 An Arts & Humanities Cultural Plan? $59,910 C’mon Brad.

🐾 Animal Shelter Operational Assessment? $30,000 Answer: Privatize.

👔 Nationwide City Manager Search? $21,500 Good job, boys.

🚦 Transportation & Safety Planning? $199,708 Have no idea.

That’s more than $1.36 million in publicly identified consultant contracts, and that total does not include the fees for outside legal counsel in things like the Cozy Inn, bond financial advisors, solid waste consulting, or other professional services where contract amounts are not readily available. It’s in the millions, folks.

Every consultant may have had a legitimate purpose. But taxpayers deserve to ask:

A. What measurable results did Salina receive for each of these expenditures?

B. At some point, you’d think we would have to stop studying problems and start solving them, right?

Before approving any consulting contract, the City Commission should answer three simple questions:

1) What problem will this solve?

2) How will success be measured?

3) What did taxpayers receive from the last consultant?

Salina doesn’t have a shortage of studies. It has a shortage of leadership, transparency, accountability, and common sense. Salina, I’m appalled by these numbers. You should be, too. Our City Commissioners seem to equate success with spending money. That’s nothing to brag about.

I’m just one vote. I’m just one voice.

But I don’t think anyone is listening.

Or doing anything about it.

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