To the editor:
Citizens for Responsible City Management, (CFRCM) has just passed its second month of being in existence and the membership is growing steadily. CFRCM members spent the month of July knocking on your doors and stopping you on the street to ask for your signature on a petition that would not only amend the city charter to require that Caribou use a zero-base budget format, but also put it out to the voters for approval. The response we received was really more than we expected. Over 99 percent of those asked signed the petition. Many of you invited us into your homes, eager to speak with us regarding this issue and other issues that might be on your mind. Many wanted to know just what CFRCM was about, and what its long-term goals were. And, many, many of you joined the organization. For that, we heartily thank you! Having people walk up to CFRCM members in restaurants, stores and various places and ask “Can I join CFRCM and come to the meetings? “ is the best compliment we can get.
The following notification was sent to CFRCM on Aug. 3rd by the City Clerk’s office: “This is to certify that completed petitions were filed July 30, 2009 in the City Clerk’s office by the Petition Committee. A sufficient number of signatures to proceed with the petition process was determined to have been gathered from registered voters of Caribou.”
As time goes on, we will be talking about zero-based budgeting and other issues CFRCM intends to look at. The next project is getting our Web site, caribouwatch.com, up and running. That should be in the very near future. This Web site will give you insight as to what the organization is all about. You will be able to contact CFRCM with your questions, and join if you would like, among other things.
CFRCM’s next meeting will be held at the Van Buren Road Lodge at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12. All are welcome to attend. A big thank you goes out to Kate at the Lodge for letting us use her facilities.
In the meantime, know that we are doing all we can to make Caribou the best that it can be! And again, thank you one and all for your support.
Citizens for Responsible City Management
