Top 10 things City Hall could have bought for Ruth Bates' settlement amount

Fri., Jul. 24 2009 @ 1:15PM

Now that we've had a few hours to think about the city's $550,000 settlement offer in Ruth Bates' discrimination suit against Mayor Mark Funkhouser and the city, we couldn't help but wonder what else we taxpayers might have done with that kind of money. Off the top of our heads, we coulda...

10. Paid for one study to help us decide whether we need a new convention hotel.

9. Hired 5.5 chiefs of staff for the mayor.

8. Increased housing for people with AIDS by 58 percent.

7. Paid for 10 more full-time employees in the mowing and weed abatement program.

6. Operated the Plaza Tennis Center for three more years.

5. Doubled the subsidy for the American Jazz Museum.

4. Paid salaries and benefits for two Domestic Violence Court programs.

3. Restored 65 percent of the funding cut from the streetlight maintenance program.

2. Collected 2,200 tons of recyclables

1. Hired two city managers. Wayne Cauthen has a long-term contract will pay him as much as $246,497 annually plus a 10 percent bonus if he meets certain performance measures.

(Items 8 through 2 based on figures in the city's Adopted Activity Budget, 2009-10.)