This Budget is what each department feels they need finances to do their job.
We don't agree!
We suggest you go through each department and see how your tax dollars will be spent.
We here at Freedom Of Speech do our homework. We want to educate you the taxpayers, and give you the information that our current administration doesn't want you to know.
When local government has something to hide they always end up on the front page of our local newspaper with some type of "feel good project" like a new water park, so that you will be distracted from hearing the real truth.
The first column is the 2008 Adopted Budget. Please remember these have not been certified. The second column shows the 2009 proposed budgets as department heads have turned them into the Controllers office on Form 1.
2008 Adopted Budget------2009 Proposed Budget
Departments:
Mayor's ....... $113,975............$137,960
[3% raise]
Controller.... $136,850...........$137,373
[ 3% raise]
City Clerk.....$77,008.............$99,062
City Council..$145,660...........$150,507
City Attorney...$114,110.........$125,630
Board of Public
Works & Safety..$893,125......$977,460
Animal Shelter..$66,050.......$69,750
Cap Outlay........$412,145.......$453,338
Weights And
Measures..........$36,265........$37,550
Plan
Commission.....$255,764.......$263,815
Building
Commission.....$210,173........$217,329
Police
Department.....$5,830,830....$6,738,320
Police Merit
Commission....$34,950..........$37,100
Fire
Department....$6,971,761.......$9,267,127
Communications
Department....$669,290........$715,900
Fairview.........$187,862.........$182,460
West Haven.. .$44,703..........$45,672
General Fund
Total Expense..$16,134,471...$19,586,603
Source: Controllers Office
Our opinion is that based on the numbers, the current adminstration is not looking out for the best interest of the taxpayers.
What we mean by this is:
1. Our 2008 Budget has not been approved by DLGF.
2. We need to look at the various violations listed in the 2007 Audit and take steps to correct them.
3. Review and decide the real needs of each citizen as far as city services.
4. Stop placing the blame on previous administrations and do the job we elect city officials to do.
5. Freeze hiring, freeze raises, make cuts, provide only necessities to keep our city going until solutions can be found.
6. Put all campaign promises and pet projects on hold until we can afford them.
7. Stop borrowing money we can not afford to pay back.
Gasoline prices are up, milk, bread, and eggs have gone up. Utilities have gone up. Rent is going up to cover increased fees. Our homeowner and car insurance is going up. We are paying more and getting less service.
We run our homes on a budget.
Our city does nothing but TAX and SPEND.
"It's time this administration stops sugar coating by pretending we have no financial problems when our city is on the verge of bankruptcy!"
So: City Council members we say this:
If the 2009 budget proposed is not to the liking of our council members, then, they should all VOTE NO.
Where is it written that the executive branch is immune from being told by the legislative branch that they won't pass into law ANYTHING that doesn't pass muster as truly representing the will of all the citizens of New Albany instead of a selective few?
If a city council majority were to simply say to the mayor, department heads and controller:
"Your proposed budget is shit!"
Get your happy asses back to work and try again.
Have all your rocket-scientists to figure out how to reduce the budget so that we can REDUCE TAXES by at least 10% across the board.
We don't care how you do it, we are not going to do it for you. You need to be able to prove you're not cutting ANY essential services. You should cut only the immense fat, and waste.
Further, you WILL provide every last bit of verifiable information to back up your claims of having reduced this city's budget by not cutting one single service that the citizens depend upon!
Until then, our opinion is NO on all your budget actions.
What could the mayor, controller and department heads do about it?
If these gutless wonders, our legislative representatives, want to treat our pocketbooks as blank checks, we suggest that they all take out THEIR checkbooks, sign every check, leaving everything else blank, and pass out their checks to random citizens.
No need to concern yourselves, councilmen and councilwomen, as to who those checks will be made out to, how much each check will be for, or what the money garnered from those checks will be used for.
All of you council members, mayor and controller don't care about the answers to the above questions when it comes to OUR money paid in taxes.
Why should any of you care about the answers to the above questions concerning your own money?
Haven't any of you council members ever heard the word accountability?
Are you all as clueless as the mayor and controller want you to be?
Taxpayers of New Albany, how did you like that big dose of TRUTH?
