Civic Works Days - (Save tax dollars, build communities)
Think it's time to start looking at combining efforts to create efficiencies in large cities... For example, we currently pay top union wages for street cleanup, park maintenance, etc. Why not work with local council to declare certain weekday / weekend afternoons in the warmer months as Civic Works days, whereby registrant taxpayers help maintain / clean the city, and are granted municipal tax credits for doing so. Businesses that allow employees to participate during working hours are also granted tax credits, and corporate sponsorship of branded events is encouraged (reinvesting Corp donations back into the project, or the municipalities' coffers). In this manner, citizens are encouraged to participate in their communities, are compensated for their time, and budget is saved by not overpaying unionized staff for menial tasks. Side benefits include getting our citizens outside / more active, fostering community spirit, and allowing for corporate PR dollars to funnel directly into stretched city budgets