I used it only as a metaphor for “nice to have” spending, in comparison to “have to have” or “don’t really need” spending. Of course, I certainly agree with Scott that there is more than one way to weigh cost/benefit analysis.

Maybe my point is better summarized as such:
If you ask people “would you like a new Gizmo?” they will say “yes, of course!”
If you ask, “would you like us to fire the math teacher so you can have a new Gizmo?” the answer will usually and rightfully be “no.”
(I won’t even ask this question “Would you like a new Gizmo, or $10 of your tax money back in your pocket?” I could go on for hours.

It’s simply my hope that (if we don’t already) we evaluate all city purchases in this context.

Again, on the whole, I think the city does a responsible job with small, low impact purchases like this.

The only way to determine is something is the “best” thing we can do with taxpayer money is to determine the priorities it should be measured against. Pure cost is not the only one. I’m not claiming any particular expertise in this matter but, off the top of my head, I can think of issues like:

> The previous trash cans there were often overflowing, which presents an, albeit small, barrier to downtown patronage. People don’t like trashy sidewalks, especially when our retailers are often competing against professionally manicured malls for business. In lieu of a compactor, we could do more frequent trash pick-ups, but that comes with a labor cost. Perhaps the receptacle pays for itself over time?

> The solar compactors do double duty as PR devices, building Decatur’s reputation as an innovative, environmentally minded town. Whether you agree with this identity or not is immaterial. There’s no denying that it is a significant part of what draws people here, meaning it contributes to property values and retail survival.

There’s probably more but that’s enough to give our Solar friend a fighting chance in this brutal character assassination!

Interesting how when we’re going through the city budget no one says a thing about budgeting, but a couple solar-powered trash compactors get people questioning the city’s entire process.

The city has a large reserve fund to mitigate economic turmoil and is pretty hardcore about it’s budget. If your problem is too much government spending, just make that your question. “Do you believe Decatur taxes are too high for all residents?”