A big tree… like the one pictured above… in the small northern Californian community where my family and I reside, had to be taken down.
Out your way, in Pagosa Springs, some of the pumps, nudging sewage seven miles uphill to your local sewage treatment plant, must be repaired and sometimes replaced, and in these two situations, in our respective communities, money that may not have been earmarked for such different, but pressing, emergencies, must be spent, unexpectedly.
Torrential rain and blustery winds had weakened the big tree, that was close to a family’s home.
Removing a tree costs a pretty penny… actually thousands of dollars.
And from what I understand, considerable amounts of money have to be pumped out of your community’s budget, so to speak, to keep sewage flowing to its uphill destination… also unexpectedly, whenever pumps start acting up.
Emergencies happen.
Along with other trees, in public areas throughout our community, our big tree was being monitored and, when necessary, trimmed and even given nutrients, with annual tree care costs included in our yearly budgets. We were lucky that only one of our trees failed, due to such extreme weather. Trees in other areas, outside our community, were falling over, like pins at a bowling alley.
A small band of elected volunteers, working with others in community management and governance, take, very seriously, their stewardship of the money folks residing, here, pay into the community. I know that, for a fact… I’m one of the elected volunteers.
‘Stewardship,’ in the dictionary, “is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources.”
Spending peoples’ money — whether we’re talking about the folks in our community, or folks residing in your town and county communities – can take a whole lot of stewardship.
For our small community, with a small population, there’s public money in the budget for ongoing operational expenses, and money budgeted for such long-term needs as resealing and repaving streets, and upgrading and replacing streetlights and other community infrastructure.
In some ways, our budget planning may be similar to yours, although I’m sure your town and county budget planning is more complex, and that your local officials are responsible for much bigger budgets, and much more public money.
And, thinking about big city budgets, and state budgets, and the trillions of dollars at the federal government level… Whew, that’s mind boggling! But stewardship is stewardship, regardless.
So, with all the talk, right now, about — what’s it called, the federal debt ceiling? — and all the concerns about various congressional representatives dragging their feet, and, as media are suggesting, “holding the nation hostage”… if debt ceiling issues aren’t worked out, and the many concerns about all the harm this big, flaming imbroglio might cause millions of folks around the country… should various elected representatives in Congress, and elsewhere in government, be boning up on stewardship?
Harvey Radin is former senior vice president in charge of corporate communications and media relations, Bank of America Western Region. He makes his home in Redwood City, CA.