The city of Dixon has an unusual problem: how to spend $40 million. Citizens get their say tonight.
First, there’s no reason for any other town to envy Dixon’s windfall. It still doesn’t make up for the $53-million the city’s former comptroller stole over two decades. But it’s going to help pay off the debts the city incurred while Rita Crundwell moved money from city accounts to her own. Last month, the city settled with its former auditors and a bank for $40-million for not catching Crundwell’s crimes. Dixon mayor Jim Burke says the city’s finance director will talk about debt and other financial obligations at tonight’s town hall meeting.
Then we’ll see if there’s any discretionary income, and I think there’s going to be.
Then the public will get to tell city officials how they would like to see the money used, after years of belt-tightening they didn’t know was being caused by Crundwell’s theft. The meeting starts at 6 in the Loveland Community House.
