Friday, May 25, 2012
Letter to the Editor
5/14/12 --- 5-25-12 As appeared in the City journal Edition Today:
The fact that the new Administration in New Britain is inept is shown with every action it has taken in it’s first six months of running the city. Some of its actions are in violation of the Charter while others are in violation of State laws and others are glaring examples of unkempt promises - stop short of calling them lies. Still others are ridiculous actions of the Common Council that add to breaking state laws and violating the NB Charter.
Some examples. Mayor O’Brien has told us that there was a $10.5 M then $11.5M then $30 M budget deficit. This budget was reviewed and voted on unanimously by the democrat controlled council 10-1 last May. First the Mayor took $10.5 M from the Water Dept. reserves to cover the first figure. From where did the other $20 M suddenly appear? What Mayor O’Brien didn’t tell NB taxpayers is that he wants the City to join the State run, very expensive, Health Care plan. In order to join the plan the premium is $20 Million. This would also remove health benefits as a negotiated item from our City labor contracts. Incidentally, this is the plan that is being promoted by the New Britain Democrat Town Committee and Dem. 5th Dist. Cong. Candidate. They also want the BOE to join. We should all hope that BOE Chairperson Beloin-Saavedra will stick to her guns and not agree to join the plan.
Section 5-4 of the NB Charter clearly describes the procedure to be used by the Mayor in any reorganization plan. These provisions in our Charter have been violated clearly and frequently by Mayor O’Brien and his administration and disregarded by the Council. No plan has been presented to the Council, no public hearing has occurred, yet, people have been displaced, budgets of various entities confused and nothing has been questioned by the Council.
Mattabassett. The City of New Britain should oppose vehemently any plan put forth to build a new sludge-burning incinerator. Building this incinerator will cost over $30 million that we don’t have. The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) has stated that it can burn all the sludge that Mattabassett. can provide. Don’t believe the stories that are being peddled by the Exec. Director of Matt. that it is simply too costly. It would cost NB Much less than its share of building a new incinerator. We could pay for years of transporting sludge to MDC with our share of building a new facility.
Last for now; Larry Hermanowski’s folly of spending $25K of taxpayer funds to audit the BOE’s books. The City spends a significant amount of money each year to have an independent, well respected accounting firm audit all City accounts. Mayor O'Brien and the democrat controlled council recently hired a firm with political ties to Governor Malloy. So much for independence. The BOE is not under the control of the Common Council. It has submitted its budget to the Mayor and to the Board of Finance. Both of those entities could have asked any questions they wished of the BOE. The BOE should tell Mayor O’Brien and the Council to make any changes they deem necessary in the BOE’s budget requests. Other than that, the BOE and the Council should not meddle in each other's prerogatives.
Mr. Mark Bernacki & Mr. Louis Salvio
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21 comments:
What is the next step? Is it the Corporation Counsel's position to inform the mayor that he is in error?
If not, who? The Common Council? Several irate, but informed members of the public going to Public Participation? The City Clerk?? A state official agency on ethics?? The Republican Town Committee? Past Corporation Counsels? What can be done?
At the CPOA’s annual meeting the majority of questions were fielded by Mayor Pro-Temp Michael Trueworthy, who provided some insight into the upcoming 2012 city budget, as well as some of his concerns with Mayor Tim O'Brien's proposed budget.
Trueworthy conceded that the Mayor’s budget was sparse on details and that as of yet there has been no formalized plan as to how to consolidate the city departments. While Trueworthy highlighted some efficiencies that could be gained through the consolidation of some services, such as the collection of fines, fees, tickets, and taxes through one office, he also was unable to answer questions as to how exactly department heads would be handled during the Mayor's City Hall consolidation process.
More troubling was Trueworthy’s statement that some of the Mayor’s proposed revenue increases were “inflated”. As an example he cited the recent changes in the O'Brien anti-blight ordinance, which was proposed as possible revenue source for education. “To date,” Trueworthy stated, “It has only brought in $660 dollars in change.” Another proposed change includes charging property owners for police calls in excess of 10 calls per year. And that one of O'Brien plan is to take ownership of buildings when the total fine exceed the value of the property and sell the property to a new developer for the sum of $1.00 dollar.
NEW BRITAIN — After sitting derelict and decaying for many years, the Berkowitz building is on the verge of becoming city property. Mayor Tim O'Brien stated that a New York-based investor appears willing to sell the four-story brick hulk for $22,000 dollars.
The Bainbridge Street Realty of Staten Island, N.Y., approached the city recently to ask about selling the Berkowitz property. Lawyers are still working on the contract, but the city has reached a preliminary agreement to buy it for $22,000. If the NB Common Council approves the deal, O'Brien plans to complete the sale around mid-June. Afterward, the city would market the Berkowitz to new developers, O'Brien stated.
Well we found 22,000 dollars for the Berkowitz building, are we going to pay to maintain it, insure it for liability, until such time that we sell it for $1.00?
It's great if there is movement on that eyesore, but the city checkbook is empty by all accounts.
Let's see, $22K for this building, $25K each for two "forensic audits", yet this do nothing Council is prepared to allow the Sherwood/O'Brien team to close the New Britain Youth Museum.
Wonderful, great leadership and forward thinking folks!
Lou Salvio
What happened to the amazing idea of blight fine them to its value. Then assume it from the owner for the fines owed ???? Sherwood ???? You folks are all a JOKE
The B.O.E. leadership is way too politcal to break ranks with the New Britain Democratic Town Committee. This has been the case for a decade.
Now the city is going into the Real Estate business, this will only increase our $30 million dollar debt. What happenned to the concept of the fine outweighting the cost of the building? Taxes are on the rise.
Thamks to the EGO of Tom Bozek and Lucien Pawlak O'Brien and Sherwood are Mayor.
With those two running for Mayor Mark Bernaci is not the Mayor. I believ that thet Bozek and Pawlak ran for Mayor with the ONLY OURPOSE was to take votes from Bernacki.
Thanks to both of you I will never support either of you again.
It would appear that Bozek and Pawlak did it for their party even if it is by many accounts what amounts to the local communist party.
I have never heard this said as simply or as well. Class war at its best:
The folks who are getting the free stuff don't like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff.
And, the folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop.
And the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting!
Now... the people who are forcing the people who pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff are being mean, prejudiced, and racist.
So... the people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff and giving them the free stuff in the first place.
We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.
Now understand this. All great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded. The reason?
The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them.
The United States officially became a Republic in 1776, 231 years ago. The number of people now getting free stuff outnumbers the people paying for the free stuff. We have one chance to change that in 2012. Failure to change that spells the end of the United States as we know it.
ELECTION 2012 IS COMING
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!
There are no bigger or more ignorant sheep than your typical Democrat!
Twelve comments ago, I asked," What can we do about it." I have a lot of mouthing off which does not do anyone any good.
Who is going to put in a plan to change O'Brien's proposal. He sounds like a weak man. Most politicians do!
At the CPOA’s annual meeting the majority of questions were fielded by Mayor Pro-Temp Michael Trueworthy, and an area of great concern to us - the proposed layoff of 130 municipal employees. Trueworthy said he hoped that union concessions would be able to reduce that number, but with the blanket rejection of the Mayor’s concession package by local unions the prospects do not look too good.
The Common Council is now left holding the bag with one of the least transparent and detailed budgets we have ever seen. Even municipal employees and department heads do not know where they stand, while the Mayor’s plan to consolidated 21 departments down to 6 gives absolutely no guidance as to how the moneys in each new departments budget are to be allocated between the various functions of the new departments.
In short, the answers provided by Trueworthy only deepened our concerns for this upcoming fiscal year. It appears to us as if this budget, while it looks good on paper with a flat mill rate, is little more than wishful thinking. Departments are consolidated without a strong plan or vision as to how these new departments will function. Money has been allocated without clear direction as to how it will be spent. And massive layoffs threaten vital city services. And we the taxpayers are left to hold our breath and hope for some grand solution before our worst nightmares are realized with more and more taxes on the way?
This statement is found on Wikipedia, the liberal Democrat version of encyclopedia:
During the presidency of George W. Bush, the gross public debt increased from $5.7 trillion in January 2001 to $10.7 trillion by December 2008, due in part to the Bush tax cuts and increased
military spending caused by the wars in the Middle East.
Under President Barack Obama, the debt increased from $10.7 trillion in 2008 to $15.5 trillion by February 2012, caused mainly by decreased tax revenue and higher safety net costs due to the late-2000s recession and stimulus spending.
Time for Obama to move out of the White House?
I saw Obrien on the tv tonight, but as hard as I looked, I couldn't find the wires Sherwood must have been pulling to make him talk!
doesn't he shove his hand up the rear end like on one of those wooden dolls?
The quality of the senior workforce in Ct over time will deteriorate. That is the crux of what Connecticut, once a fine state, has become. More and more welfare benefits for those who abuse the system authorized by those who built the system. An educational system that has collapsed. And fewer and fewer tax payers who are leaving as they retire because you cannot survive as a retiree in this state. Even the state workers flee when they retire with their pension and head south.
New Britain Alderman Willie Pabon is the first member of the NB Common Council to publicly announce his support for increasing the NB mil rate, which currently stands at 36.63. Alderman Pabon, who spoke up during New Britain Common Council meeting 05/23/12, said that the Board of Education is severely under funded and that the New Britain Public Library’s budget needs to be fully restored.
A mil rate establishes the amount of property taxes each property owner owes to the city. One mil is equivalent to $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. To calculate the property tax, the assessment of the property is multiplied by the mil rate and then divided by 1,000.
As it relates to NB Library funding, Alderman Pabon said that a lot of people who use the library resources are low-income people and they are the ones who would be affected by the lack of funding.
NEW BRITAIN CT - GOP Alderman Willie Pabon calls for 2-3 mil tax increase in New Britain, CT ?
BRISTOL CT - How structural budget deficit hinders the town of Bristol, CT ? - In an unexpected twist, Republican City councilors in City of Bristol pushed for spending cuts in a proposed $177 million municipal budget but Board of Finance members refused to support the move.
The spending plan for the coming fiscal year won approval on a 9-5 vote that saw four Republican councilors and one finance commissioner argue unsuccessfully for lowering the 6 percent property tax called for in the budget. The majority turned down proposals to slice spending on parks, the library, a contingency account, money set aside for salary hikes and other measures that might have reduced the tax burden a bit.
The fiscal oversight panel, created during the Great Depression of 30's - to put a check on politicians’ spending, said that last-minute cuts would hurt services, weaken the city’s finances and undermine its work during the past few months.
Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said the tax hike will hit the average homeowner for about $240 extra in the fiscal year beginning July 1, an amount he called “minimal.” But Bob Fiorito, president of the Bristol Taxpayers Association, said the City has “a spending problem” that has already created a gap of as much as $10 million between the needs and revenues for the 2013-14 budget. Stop moving the problem down the road, he said, as two dozen supporters in blue T-shirts cheered him on.
Bristol Mayor Art Ward said he is going to create a new task force to identify ways to reduce spending or raise revenues. Its report will be due in October, the mayor said. Rich Miecznikowski said he believes the task force will help make a tax freeze possible next year. Bob Casar, a finance board member who sided with the GOP councilors, said more could be done now by making cuts. He said the City keeps kicking the can down the road, only to find out it’s a cul-de-sac.
City Councilor Henri Martin said the city “is running on fumes. The tank is empty.” He said there is a "structural budget deficit" problem that can only be resolved by slicing spending, particularly given the likelihood of state and federal help continuing to erode.
Mayor Ward said nobody likes to increase taxes. But, the mayor said, it is urgent that we do so if we are to maintain the city’s strong financial condition and excellent bond rating.
The new budget raises the mill rate in Bristol to 28.75 mills, or $28.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Thus a house worth $200,000, assessed at 70 percent of its value, would wind up with a tax bill of $4,025. That’s $211 more than the homeowner paid this year.
Opponents said the city of Bristol has to start taking control of its spending or the future looks bleak. City Councilor Henri Martin said the City would be better off preparing “a soft landing” by making some cuts now rather than putting everything off for major surgery later with the proposed $177 million dollars municipal budget.
The Bristol Taxpayers Association eagerly endorses the idea of finding out whether outsourcing a lot of local government's work would save money. Republican council member Derek Czenczelewski, who raised the idea initially, stresses that the city is just collecting information — if the price quotes show that outsourcing is a financial loss, the GOP won't pursue it, he said.
Municipal unions are predictably infuriated, saying the Republicans are adopting the most radical and divisive tactics of the Tea Party.
Many Bristol City Democrats complain that the Republicans are needlessly attacking the city's workforce and pandering to a small group of strident, anti-tax extremists for political gain. Republicans shoot back that the Democrats are trying to buy votes from their traditional allies in labor.
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