'ISN'T LIFE STRANGE" moody blues
It's getting stranger by the minute.
As most of you realize I am hardly the fan of the city's proposed almost 6 Mil levies that will cost the $100,000 homeowner in Painesville an extra $175.00 a year for Safety and Roads. What a Grinch I must appear to some of you?
Well in Baseball there is a play called the squeeze play. I am finding this is also true in politics.
While Painesville residents seek to find answers to our general fund budget dilemma the boys and girls down in Columbus might just be planning to tighten the screws a little bit more on us.
As Council-President Hada and others have told us the present Republican state administration has in the last few years decided to cut Painesville City's state funding by 24%. This has put quite a burden on our general fund. So we have to ask residents for levies.
Now news out of Columbus suggests the GOP held senate and house has a NEW plan for Ohioans.
Think about this;
They want to decrease income taxes by 10% WOW!
They want to increase sales tax from 5.5% to 5.75% ( I guess lake county sales tax will go up to 6%?)
Reduce taxable income for some business owners by $125,000
And the one no one is talking about
ELIMINATE the 12.5% discount on property tax.
What will be the effects of this on your property tax bill?
Whichever form of government Federal, State, and Local they have no idea how to save money only how to increase the tax load on citizens. Where is the Tea Party on this one?
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer the state of Ohio will brag how they improved the state budget.
You will see your taxes increase and little of value for your sacrifice.
Maybe it's time for a little bit of Brazil down in Columbus?
posted by terminator1 @ 7:15 AM
21 Comments
21 Comments:
On another note.
Stopped and had breakfast at F.A.T.S. on St. Clair St. this morning.
Had a cheese omelet and hash browns with toast for $3.49 Very good as well as the service. Love the new re-modeling.
FYI, Lake County Sales Tax Rate is currently 6.75%
so does this mean our sales tax will become 7%?
Well, if you read the papers, every community and school board is up against a wall. Yep, Gov. Kasich did a great job with the state's budget at the expense of every local governmental body out there.
I see that South Euclid is looking at laying off 2 policemen and 4 firemen. However, if their proposed tax levy is passed, that might not occur. I am puzzled by their math though. The levy will be for 3.25 mills which will amount to $1.161 million. Unless their safety forces are much better paid than anywhere else, that comes to about $194K per employee. Really?? It would seem as though they use fuzzy math in South Euclid too.
I have long felt that we have far to many layers of government. In the end it takes x amount of dollars to run y amount of government. That doesn't change except as the governmental entities keep growing (and the amounts always go UP, never down). My thought is that we give 30%, 35%, 40%, or whatever to run ALL forms of government and that is it. They get NO more and how they divide it up is entirely up to them. My thought is that, in this case, the State wants to withhold monies from local authorities, they should be picking up the costs of the programs affected. After all, the costs didn't go away, they were simply moved.
On a related note, why do elected officials receive a PERS pension? This applies especially to trustees and council people. They chose to run for the office they hold and they can stop at any time. They are compensated for their time. Does anyone really think that a possible pension is the biggest reason they ran for office? Remember that there is a cost for this and the tax payers are footing the bill.
3:38 It's called a 'cushion' Lets make this levy work for us for afew years?
I love it when they tell us no one received a RAISE except for 'steps' and longevity. Look if you worked the same amount of hours that you did last year and you grossed more money you received a raise. That's how it works in the real world.
They want to INCREASE the money not divide it up better.
Again where is the Tea Party on this issue?
PERS No I don't think anyone going into it for that reason. But you can believe many stay that extra four years to make sure they collect it. Look it would be interesting to know what 16, 20 30 years gives you for PERS service?
You pay 10% of your wages that goes with funds from the city after 15 years you ghetto collect your money at a set rate , set by the governing board under the watchful eyes of the state gov. Now at 500.00 a month that would be 6,000.00 a year times 15 that would amount to 90,000.00plus city money. Now go to pers on the Internet and you can figure out what very small amount they would get. Oh ,if they have already retired once from a public pension their money goes into a account then pers takes 1/3 of that for admid fees. You get what is left. Trust me it is not a lot of money when you break down all the extra time they spend in meeting at no extra pay. a
11:29 Along with your 'ghetto' payments. Want to also clue us in on health care benes?
After reading the changes the state wants to make in taxes, I can't believe it will benefit anyone but maybe special interests.
Changing sales tax affects wealthy as well as the poor.
The change in property taxes seems to not help wealthy landowners?
The News-Herald ran a survey last week and 73% of the responses were leave it the way its is.
The audience can't be 73% of one party or the other.
Term ,that was get to. Part time does not get health care, only full time
Term also you want to divide that 90,000.00 by 10% together total employee contribution yo pers
Divide all you want, Look if your not going to pay people a rightful wage to run this city, make it without any pay?
Zoning, planning do it.
Make it so only 25 people in a Ward need to sign your petition, 50 in an at-large.
I don't even know why if your a part-time council person you would want to be part of PERS?
I think the whole story isn't being told here.
Some one from council should, take the time here, to explain why we spend 3 million dollars, for health care, on the city employees. WHY don't we pay each employee's house payment it would be cheaper. what say you council???
I believe our city employee's are blessed with a very good health care plan. ( They might not think so) I can tell you it's far better than 90% of the health care plans the rest of us have. Let's not even talk about retirement programs.
The government spent our trust fund on wars, and anything else they wanted to spend it on. Now they tells us the system is broke? Yes we know that. We also know who broke it. Ever wonder why government workers can retire after 30 years? Because no government body had their hand in the kitty, Then again government workers benefited from the funds in our trust.
Maybe at the end of contracts we can cut them all lose to join the affordable healthcare act? The city would save a ton of money by just paying the fine.
To post 9:47 This is only one example of the waste of general fund dollars. 3 million dollars, for health insurance, you heve to be kidding. No wonder we don't have money for road's. council, council, council, council, members what is going on here???????. YOU want us resident's to VOTE FOR A ROAD LEVY?????. Because our general fund doesn't have any monies for road's." Ahhh what."
7:13 Just to be clear. Painesville City is self-insured. Why I have no idea?
SELF INSURED, Holy cow , another waste of money. IT GOES ON AND ON. mercy, mercy, mercy. I really can't belive it self insured ???? ----------- vote for the levies they need more money to waste.
12:05
It is apparent that you have no idea what "self insured" means.
The company I worked for was self insured. Know why? Because the premiums for the number of employees and the number of vehicles was beyond belief.
I certainly haven't crunched the numbers (and I am no fan of our City administrators) but I have to believe that someone has done so. It must be less expensive to be self insured than to pay premiums to an insurance company.
How is this a waste of money?
10:42 Here's what is apparent Painesville is to little to be self-insured. Say 350 employee's? Lake County has over 1,200 in there program. The County even asked Painesville to join with them. Can only guess the answer.
They both have the same agent representative them.
Painesville had a very large liability this past year.
My guess is you work for a very large company. It makes sense then.
In the next budget someone should have to show council this is the best way to go.
Term,
No disagreement here.
I was merely pointing out that there are good reasons for self insuring.
I have no idea what the break off point might be and it is likely something that should be looked at each and every year.
Good or bad in the past doesn't equate to good or bad in the future. It should be addressed. However that might mean additional work for some of the finance director's people and he might not like that.
I agree completely with you. This should be proven to council as they go though the budget process.
Proven with FACTS not 'I believes.'
We have had to many I believe running this town.
TO post 9:02 I totally agree, we have had to many I believes running this town. However do not expect it to change with the current council, Again the people in town can vote new leaders this Nov 5 2013. Please do not re -elect the same ole same ole. WE can do so so so much better.
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