1994-1995 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Alternatives: Proposals For Local Governments Struggling With Limited Resources
Teacher: Justin Smith

Helena High School, Helena, Montana

1st Mark Stohl       2nd A.J. Thoruilson      3rd Vanessa Picard

1st Patrick Hill        2nd Janet Diane Lay        3rd Emily Greene

1st Bill Cox            2nd Bryan Apple           3rd Lisa Herman

"In the past couple weeks, some of [the] most talented [members of our] senior class faced a challenge. We were to figure out a realistic way to save or raise money for the local government. It took weeks of research and hours of in-class time; however, we came up with an idea. I am very excited about our findings because if our calculations are right we could raise thousands of dollars in just a month."
Angie Siefert, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Mr. Smith's fifth hour class chose to study and write about the possibility of putting [commercial] ads on the vehicles owned by the state and federal governments. At this point the class divided into two research groups to study the feasibility of this project, come up with cost estimates, find the impact on the community, and discuss pros and cons."
Justin C. Trafton, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "In the following essay I am going to attempt to sell you on an alternative for government funding. This alternative is the result of a series of polls and classroom discussions. A total of three classes brainstormed and came up with many viable and unviable alternatives. The final alternative was the result of classroom voting."Aaron J. Thorvilson, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Consolidation of city and county government would be the best alternative for [cutting the cost of] government. It would not solve all our money problems but it would help. We came up with this answer from polls and research, more polls, and more research. Consolidation would reduce costs, increase efficiency, reduce taxes and office space. There would be less paperwork, better communication, and less payroll."
Angela M. Nelson, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Placing adds on State and Federal motorpool cars was the idea chosen. This is a fairly simple idea. Twelve by twenty-four inch spaces will be made available forprivate businesses to purchase on public passenger vehicles, busses, trucks, and heavy vehicles. The size of the vehicle will [determine] the amount of advertising space. Passenger vehicles could hold at least ten signs (five on both sides, businesses will pay $125+ for two signs per car), busses and trucks could hold up to 20 signs, and heavy vehicles could hold a total of 40 signs. The estimated total revenue generated from the use of these signs is in excess of $75,528,000 a year for the state of Montana. The idea of businesses buying advertising space in public and government owned items isn't new. For years some schools have allowed companies to purchase advertising space in halls and lunch rooms. Businesses will often buy rulers for schools that have the companies logos and slogans on them. Even book covers have been [used for advertisements.] This practice is mutually beneficial to both public and private sectors."
Craig Kissinger, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Our [class] alternative was [to combine] fire and police. This would cost money now but save a tremendous amount of money in the long run. Instead of replacing a police car and a fire truck, you would only have to replace one vehicle. We could [at least] consolidate the management to save money."
Jess Mortensen, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "There are those who believe that one way to increase efficiency and lower taxes is to consolidate city and county government. Because many of the jobs are the same, bringing them together could greatly decrease costs and cut out the unneeded services."
Janet Diane Lay, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "My own example as an alternative would be to have more community services [handed out] for misdemeanor convictions. There needs to be more work in elderly homes and charitable organizations. There could be more work on cleaning streets and roadsides. People who break the law should have to give back to the community in some way. This way 'white collar' crimes would be discouraged."
Matt Thompson, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Our alternative of consolidating all city and county government, unfortunately does displace a few workers. According to the employment agency, about thirty-five workers would be displaced. They also said that this would [reduce salaries] which would lower tax income."
Jolene Ann Bruce, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "If our alternative were to be instituted, it would result in little or no job loss. It would actually create jobs, as well as generate a large amount of money. The only possible areas that jobs could be lost is in other advertising markets, Our plan could be so effective that it weakens other marketing mediums [which] could result in possible layoffs due to lack of business. If anything our plan would create jobs among the companies that sold and distributed magnetic signs. There would also have to be people to attach them to the vehicles, another newand necessary job. It's a new and original idea that should be looked at very closely."
Brad Naegele, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "If we were to combine the police and fire departments we would have to [train] policemen in fire fighting and  first aid. ... [We] would be better off sending the firemen to police training. It would be cheaper because all they would have to learn is [one skill.] So you would cut out most of the policemen now working, [in an attempt to cut] costs. Other displaced workers would be the office people who would be cut at least in half because you wouldn't need fifty people to do the work if twenty-five could do it janitors would have one, not two buildings to clean. There may also be some salespersons displaced because the police departments buy cars from dealers and if there are less policemen there will be less need for new cars. This is basically a chain reaction."
Terry J. Gould, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "After being transferred to seven different offices, the county commissioner's office finally answered our questions. They said they would have to consolidate services, like police, fire department, and finances. City court would be doubled or maybe upgraded to justice court. ... After being transferred twice the city commissioner's office finally talked to us. They said they would have to pay off all the cumulative costs, like vacation time. It would have a great impact on the community. The displaced workers could draw unemployment  for a minimum of 26 weeks and a maximum of one year. After that they could go on welfare."Kari Hegreberg, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "What impact would the displaced workers have on the community? Would [revenue decrease and the need for services increase?] The Employment Office said the average cost per person would be $20,000. There would be an average of 35 displaced workers, which means a lot of people out of jobs and more  people on unemployment. Workers Comp said that it wouldn't cost them a dime; they only pay for someone hurt on the job."
Kari Hegreberg, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "If we were to combine the police and fire departments we would have to [train] policemen in fire fighting and first aid. ... [We] would be better off sending the firemen to police training. It would be cheaper because all they would have to learn is [one skill.]   So you would cut out most of the policemen now working, [in an attempt to cut] costs. Other displaced workers would be the office people who would be cut at least in half because you wouldn't need fifty people to do the work if twenty-five could do it   janitors would have one, not two buildings to clean. There may also be some salespersons displaced because the police departments buy cars from dealers and if there are less policemen there will be less need for new cars. This is basically a chain reaction."
Terry J. Gould, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "After being transferred to seven different offices, the county commissioner's office finally answered our questions. They said they would have to consolidate services, like police, fire department, and finances. City court would be doubled or maybe upgraded to justice court. ... After being transferred twice the citycommissioner's office finally talked to us. They said they would have to pay off all the cumulative costs, like vacation time. It would have a great impact on the community. The displaced workers could draw unemployment for a minimum of 26 weeks and a maximum of one year. After that they could go on welfare."
Kari Hegreberg, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

"Why would people have so much resistance on placing ads on these cars? They say it is because people will lose their jobs, but then we called Workman's Compensation and they said that there was no way that placing ads on cars would put anybody out of work. In fact, it could possible create more jobs for the public."
Heather Braten, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Next as a class we analyzed and interpreted poll one and poll two. Together as a class we produced 89 areas that we felt could possibly be an alternative for funding in government. We spent several days discussing the positives and negatives of the 89 options. After we researched these areas we [narrowed] the 89 options down to the most realistic and vital eight. My seventh period class voted four times before arriving at an agreement."
Jennifer Johnson, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "We encounter conflicts of opinion in government every day. Many people are convinced that their opinion is the right one and all others are wrong. It is not a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of what will work best to benefit the people most. Many members of the public have thoughts and ideas to improve  government. [Through] class research [we uncovered] some of these ideas."
Sabrina Skinner, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Our choice for an alternative might not have been the best, but this process was a good indicator of how things really work."
Phill Balsley, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "In ... checking our research and talking with the Fire Marshall of Helena, Montana we found that the police-and-fire-station combination was tried in Pullman, Washington and also Great Falls, Montana and both tries were unsuccessful. Some of the other disincentives were:

    1. Policemen and firemen would [oppose] the idea.

    2. Police are not certified firemen.

    3. There are not enough people trained for both positions.

    4. There are separate union, and they would not go for it.

    5. Some feel that the job would not get done as efficiently or quickly.

    6. Helena Fire Marshall quotes, "It wouldn't really save money."

    7. Lots of conflict between the two departments. If you combine departments it would create lot of tension.

    8. Jobs would be done by mix-men. A job like building inspector is a full time position.

    9. Some people felt that if they had one agency with different departments that it might work better.

We [also] encountered some resistance within the offices of the state officials that we called. Some of us got the 'run around' and kept getting transferred; ... others talked to people who acted like they did not have time to answer one question. Other forms of resistance would be:

    1. Laws were a major resistance we faced.

    2. Department policies were another resistance, because they would have to be changed.

    3. State status states that you have to have a paid fire department in a class 1 city. (Helena is a class 1 city.)"
Mandy C. Caretto, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "[Re: Combining fire and police services] The disincentives are numerous ... unions would object, this approach ... would be less efficient, the training budget would sky rocket and the morale would fall. There would also be a loss of jobs, and there are costs associated with any reduction and force. The citizens of the community would resist this change because they would feel that they were getting one-half of a service and this service involves their protection and safety. My guess is that the public at large would not want this change."
Joe Adams, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "We did come up with a few possible disincentives. One would be people might be reluctant to drive the 'sloganmobiles'. They might think they look tacky. The signs on the vehicles might be distracting to other motorists while driving. They would want to look at the cars while they are driving along. The fact that the carsare already 'written' on might attract vandalism. People might just take it as an open invitation to write on them. They will think nobody would notice as easily. Another point discussed was that there would have to be more government control because the type of wording would have to be controlled. This could be time consuming. Our alternative could have a negative affect on some people. It  could hurt other media advertisement which could raise costs for other people. It could also hurt small businesses because larger businesses could afford to spend more on vehicle advertisements."
Roni Graham, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "When people could give us an answer, they couldn't back it up by giving us the numbers. It was always, 'department policy' or MCA code' but nobody could give us the numbers so that we could look up the laws ourselves."
Heather Braten, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "The laws to run these services are different. State statutes say there must be a paid fire and police department in a class #1 city (Helena is a class #1 city). In talking to the Fire Marshall he said, 'Pullman, Washington tried and it didn't work. Great Falls tried it in 1970 and it didn't work."
Jess Mortensen, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "I called the City of Helena motor pool and the man I spoke to there said you need management authorization to place advertisements on the sides of cars. I then called the Governor's information desk, [and was directed] to the highway department, then transferred to the motor pool. [There I was informed of] a regulation that doesn't allow advertisements on motor pool cars. The law  is [part of the] federal advertising code. I called the federal highway administration and they told me to call [the] G.S.A. motor pool. The man that I talked to [simply] said 'you just can't do it.'"
David Vanisko, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Almost everyone they encountered simply said it was Department policy that there were to be no personal ads on the cars, but bumper stickers were all right. This created a conflict that was obvious and curious to the students. Bumper stickers are personal; what was the matter with personal signs? Students were told, that according to a state law, state vehicles could not be used for personal recommendations. The students figured that this law could be changed if it were shown that this alternative could make a significant difference. Most of the resistance was found when students questioned the law. None of the departments [were able to produce] any document stating the law."
James H. Kaczmarek, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "There were a lot of department policies that we ran into, but we were never told what they were. When we asked, no one gave us a direct answer. The Department of Transportation's policy said that only the state/city seal, state/city flag, or bumper stickers could go on the cars. We ran into the code of federal advertising, but was not told what it was. There was resistance on the phone. Everyone would get transferred more than five times a call."
Denise M. Lamb, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "In fact the state motorpool didn't even know how many vehicles were in the state fleet; we had to find this out from the state insurance adjuster. The little  information we did find had to be pieced together from the more than forty different people we talked to while playing telephone tag through department after department. Pardon my saying so, but it was kind of ridiculous to be met with such a subtle wall of resistance while trying to find some very basic information."Justin C. Trafton, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Some examples of funding government this way [combining small town and county governments] comes in the form of Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge. These two city/county styles of government are doing just fine to this very day."
Scott Sutton, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "We did find out that you could put a bumper sticker on your state car if you were driving it. Isn't a bumper sticker a form of advertising? I see a contradiction."Justin C. Trafton, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "The positive aspects ... outweigh the disincentives by a long shot. For a short period, of course, things wouldbe more costly and confusing. In the end, however, the one department would run cheaper and more efficiently than the two previously separate departments. Once laid-off workers quit collecting unemployment, ten to twenty fewer salaries could save tax payers $200,000 to $600,000 a year. Buying new cars would at first cost more, but in the end there would be fewer cars needed for less officers when they have to be replaced. A new facility would have to be built in order to house both departments; however, both of the old departments could be sold to private individuals or organizations for business or other purposes. A single facility would also take less money to maintain. [I therefore conclude combining] Helena police and fire departments is a feasible way to save Helena taxpayers money while still providing them with safe, quality service."
Bill Cox, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "As you can see, there are equal pros and cons to this situation. More research should be done on this to work some of the disincentives out and to provide more incentives. I believe this is a very effective idea and is worth [having] the people in power look into [it]."
Emily Greene, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "In conclusion there would be a lot of barriers to overcome for our alternative to work. Lots of hard work and open mindedness would also be a big factor. It would be easier in a community that would be just starting out, or a smaller community. For any alternative to work people have to be willing to compromise or it will be impossible to change the government."
Bryan Apple, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Now it is up to the [voters] and the legislature to make a decision and decide if the financial [savings] overcome the risks. Combining the police and fire department does not have to happen [all at once]; one agency with different departments is a milder alternative that also [would have] positive effects on the county's budget. In spite of the different opinions that exist about this proposal, an evaluation should be considered, in the best interest of the people."
Piotr Stipa, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "In my opinion I do not think there is any way a combined police and fire would ever work. We need trained policeman to protect each person and keep traffic in order. We need trained firemen when our house catches on fire. As the fire marshal said, 'When a bank robbery is in progress and a house is on fire how do we decide who will go where?' Let's just leave it the way it is; there is nothing wrong with how these two departments are currently run. ... Even though there might be a 25 percent savings the efficiency and quality of services would get worse. The cut back in 10-20 positions would leave people unemployed and put more people on welfare. No matter how the idea is looked at the outcome always seems to be negative."
Coletta Vonada, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "I found that by researching this alternative that it just wouldn't be safe. The alternative is a good idea but I just don't think that we would be getting the savings we hoped for and there are better alternatives out there that [may] save us more money. Saving money is what the people want and I just don't believe that this [alternative] is going to [do it]."
Amy Evenson, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "Insurance analyst, George Harris, was a big help. He gave us exact numbers and figures. We asked him how many vehicles were in the state motorpool and he told us that there were 1,628 passenger cars, 38 buses, 2,067 trucks, and 1,010 heavy trucks. When we called these places: the Department of Commerce, state and city motorpools, the Motor Vehicle Department, and the Office of Research and Information, we were told that the law in Montana [declares] a state vehicle will not be used for personal reasons. Then we called Sign Works in Helena to get an estimate on what a pair of 12" x 24" signs would cost. They gave us a price of $125 to make a pair of these advertising signs to put on the cars. Then we did some more research and found out that it costs $1,500 to rent a billboard for one month. We would only have to charge $200 a month for rent. If we could put 4 signs on each passenger car, bus, and truck (we are excluding the heavy trucks) we could make $75,528,000 in revenue a year. [This would] only cost the people $325 a month."
Heather Braten, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

 "If you take every passenger-vehicle the state owns and put one-thousand dollars worth of ad space on each vehicle, the state would make $1,628,000 a month. If you put fourteen-thousand dollars worth of ad space on each bus you would make $532,000 per month. If you put two-thousand dollars worth of ad space on each regular-truck you would make $4,134,000 per month. If you put eight-thousand dollars worth of ad space on each of the states heavy-vehicles you would make $8,080,000 per month. That's $172,488,000 per year for the fleet. This would pay the cost of maintaining the vehicle [and leave] money [for the] general fund. Please keep in mind that these figures are our projected figures and would vary from month to month. Even if you only [leased space for a month, you would earn] $14,374,000 which probably would pay the maintenance cost for the fleet. Business people would like this because they would only have to pay $325 for the first month and $200 for each additional month. That's very cheap advertising compared to a billboard which is $1,500 per month, and can only be seen if you happen to drive by it. Everybody knows that TV is not cheap; neither is print. So this is a cost-wise way to advertise."
Justin C. Trafton, Helena High School, Helena, Montana

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