We have been told, and promised many times that changes will take place, and they have but not for the better of our community.
Most city governments try to build and thrive for the future. Most cities try to gain population but we are decreasing to a dangerous low and are going backwards. If all but a few major business leave our city there is much in store for our tax paying citizens. With less revenues and high utilties and lack of companies and jobs what will our future be?
The city has to maintain a budget to run the city, without the larger factory in-put we the tax payers will be responsible for the lack of fund (taxes) brought in run this city properly. I don't understand how our city thinks we can fill this hugh gap. You have to maintain a proper working government in order to have susfficient reserves.
I'm sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Even our children have commented that there is no future for Keokuk, some feel our town will turn into yet an even smaller community.
It is time for a change. We need someone who wiill seek out American born companies who are interested in utilizing our town in the groth process. We need someone who is more interested in building our community back up as it was many years ago. Our city govenrment needs to realize that out-sourcing in not an option, and U.S.A. workers standards are!
We need to protect and preserve our community, not China, Korea, Finland, France, or any other country that neels a temporary parking for their companies. We need solid U.S.A. backbone companies not foreign ones.
It is a well know fact that most of the companies in Keokuk are not U.S.A. ran. For this reason the survival of Keokuk and the families of the employee's are not top priorty on the employment list.
Ferro-Sil was such a company a few years back. A spoksman for the company admitted that Ferro-Sil was nothing more then a small part of a bigger picture. The main company had no interest in keeping Ferro-Sil alive for our Keokuk workers, and that they had to accept Ferro-Sil as a condition to obtain the bigger asset behind the buy-out. More later on this.
We lost Shopko due to insfficient consumer buying. Kamrt was for the same reasons. Not enough purchases to maintain the the business. The cycle being, not enough jobs to supply the out come of existing.
Closing, more jobs lost.
The only reason this factory exixts here is because France has stricter EPA laws and health issues.