"NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS" bob seger
Attended last nights special council meeting on Road and Safety levies. To say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. Abit nutty.
The meeting was poorly run as well as unorganized. The city administrators provided very few answers, council seemed divided on there support of a road levy. "Lets leave it up to the voters."
I only believe 3 council people are willing to provide the support this road levy would need.
This city regards roads like the National Weather Service views Tornado's? Category #2 #3 #4 #5 and with a chance next year a category #6? In short we have 15.8 million dollars worth of repairs to be made on cat.4 and 5 roads. The PLAN is a 3mil levy to raise approximately $650,000 a year. Do the math how long before you get to 15 million dollars? With lower category roads filling spots above them.
Another fun fact the city is presently sitting on app. 26 million dollars but due to existing state laws can't spend it. Electric Fund money?
The thought of selling a city asset was asked. The water department for example . What is it worth and would the County or Aqua Ohio want to purchase it? Cheap water? Not since the last $8.00 surcharge. Then again if Concord Twp. changes suppliers in the next few years what will it be worth than? I guess my question in the surrounding area who else owns a water department and why?
I did here some council people take the administration on. What besides asking for a levy is the city willing to do for a comprehensive road repair plan? Thank -you Mrs. DiNallo I think you understand there's more to solving this problem than a levy. Councilman Flock wanted to know what presently the total property tax residents pay and a formula as to them being able to understand what these two new levies will cost them.
When it came to the Safety levy. Chief Hager, and Chief Mlachak both seemed to know what their departments needs were and the amount of money needed to fulfill their goals.
After listening to the conversation last night it appears the city workers union's control this city and not the administration, either that or the union's are being used as scapegoats? Look if the city negotiated union contracts the way they have others? Well.
No one can ignore the roads are bad, the solution will not be easy but after years of neglect it don't come easy.
****************************************************************************************
posted by terminator1 @ 7:21 AM
10 Comments
10 Comments:
Thanks,
Sometime during the night the Blog. had it's 200,000 page view. presently we are averaging over 11,000 page views a month.
Look this site only fills a void the media seems to ignore.
You can vent, pass your ideas on, if I agree with you or not. Again thank-you for your support.
Due to Rita and Joes leadership the general fund budget 80% goes to wages and benefits. You cannot possible run a city the size of Painesville using that math. Term, I guess my question is do union contracts stay in place or after the term of the contract . Everything goes back to zero?
Something has to be done but paying all these people for inferior results must end. Seems as if we have to many directing and few doing?
In theory when a contract expires yes it's back to zero. I have been told that the city has even hired outside law practices BB&D to negotiate. I would love to see those contracts.
Look if you don't have skin in the game why worry about the money. Oh, and you paid by the hour for those law firms by the hour from the time they left their offices until they got back.
You are right this city is top heavy in all departments.
I can only hope the new city manager cleans house!
26 million dollars and you can't spend it as you wish? Why have it?
And YOU were one of the biggest opponents of the last road levy weren't you. So why do you still wonder what the problem is? It's you and your windbag mouthpiece.
Last November not even a peep out of me. Never thought it had a chance.
This time? The administration will have to explain what happened to road funds say for the last 10 years or more.
The last thing I would ever do is support a levy without the administration changing some of it's policies.
The problem is I have lost all confidence in this administration, I know what the problem is.
Term are you sure you know what the problem is. Just for information, your fire and police dept. have not had a pay raise for many years. Making them the lowest paid safety forces of any city in lake county. So they have been working to keep costs down. Ohm and I believe the police are one of the highest call to population rates . The small amount of road money has gone into patching all the roads ever year,and that about all they have money for unless they get some outside money,which has dried up. I believe that the employees payment for health care goes up ever year just like other blue collar worker. As does their co-pays.
The waste I see in Painesville is not with lower level employee's. That said I would like to view city employee health insurance family policies.
How is it the cities can not pool together and buy health insurance at a better rate? If I remember the schools did something like that through the consortium but then the superintendents kicked it in the gut. These cities should be able to combine resources to get a good rate. Why Not?
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home