| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Masterful1
Senior Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2007 : 10:28:07 PM
|
I have been watching these posts with interest. Most of the time, I couldn't stomach what was going on here. Ie. identities doubled, people trashing each other and so on. I am proud of the moderators that we now have..Kudo's to all!!!
Lou, c'mon now. You have to be kidding, right? Hanlon has done in less than 2 years what you say it took Ragucci to do in 8 and McCarthy to do in 12. This has got to be some kind of record for Guinness, the only Mayor to MESS UP everything in one term. The Domino's pizza guy will get my vote before Hanlon would. |
 |
|
|
Masterful1
Senior Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2007 : 10:30:55 PM
|
Hey Lou,
do you know what "the Peter principle " means? It means that Hanlon should have stayed a clerk....Oh,wait a minute, Mike Matarazzo does it better than John ever did...
|
|
|
|
turk182
Member
88 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2007 : 10:36:05 PM
|
Hey Lou I don't know about you but I am for slashing the budget by 25% not the 2.5 they are looking for. Why is it taxes are going up, we are making money from the parking program and City Services are decreasing? Where is all the money going? How about the proposed 8, 9 and 11 % pay raises in the new budget for selected individuals? Where is all the money going?
******************************************************************************************************
Money Flew, Taxes Grew, Sludge Too, Hired a Few, Hanlon Knew, We got screwed,
Hired a few more now there is 104, What do we do?
Turk 182 |
|
|
|
Masterful1
Senior Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2007 : 10:43:29 PM
|
| Turk182, I'm with you..Hanlon knew and we got screwed...Why is it that when Ragucci was in office, we never heard anything about the retirement fund? Now with all the geritol users at PITIFUL hall, they are so set in rectifying the problem? RIIIIIGHT, they have to up their pensions just a little bit... |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2007 : 09:08:24 AM
|
| Turk, I agree with you. We have to get below the Prop 2.5 levy, and then cut into that $6+ million increase or the tax payers are going to be hit hard again this year. Then we have "Walking Eagle" last Tuesday night, without blinking an eye tell us our taxes are going up and he isn't willing to make any cuts. Yeah, he cares about Everett. The only thing he cares about is his group of "AARP" hires. |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 08:48:26 AM
|
| The next round starts again tonight. Do you think the Administration will come back with anything to help. I doubt it. The mayor seems to have dug his heels in. If he thinks by forcing the City Council into making the cuts is going to help him politically, then he really doesn't have a clue. The people are not that dumb. It is "HIS" budget that needs to be cut, the City Council did not prepare it, but they are certainly going to have to fix it. I am curious how many of the elected officials will be present tonight. |
Edited by - massdee on 06/20/2007 09:02:56 AM |
|
|
|
Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 09:24:29 AM
|
If I understood the last meeting correctly, the Mayor will not be making any cuts. He's standing by the claim that it's his job to prepare the budget and the city council's job to work the budget so that it fits. Technically, he's correct. It's his job to present a budget to the City Government. What he has done, which to my recollection no mayor before him has ever done, is to submit the most IRRESPONSIBLE budget in the history of this city.
The Mayor was requested to come back tonight with a list of projected revenue sources, I believe. However, in speaking with some folks who have worked closely with municipal budgets and municipal finance law, it seems that it's folly to put together a budget based on contingencies -- i.e., free cash and the potential sale of city property. We won't know what is certified in free cash until the fall. And there's certainly no guarantee that the Devens School is going to be sold in fiscal '08. Just because the mayor claims to have a potential buyer for $800K (which by the way, sounds like a bargain for the buyer) doesn't mean the sale will go through.
And I'd still like to see the official assessment papers for the Devens School provided by a certified outside assessor, which the city is required to have before the property can be put out to bid. I'd like one of our elected officials to ask for that document. |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 2:53:00 PM
|
| I'm off to work, won't be home until after 7:00 PM, if anything of importance happens at the budget hearing, please post so I can catch up. |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 7:25:33 PM
|
| I just got in, what did I miss? |
|
|
|
tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 8:06:12 PM
|
| Believe it or not, the mayor made some recommendation for cuts. Haven't been accepted or voted on; will be as they review the budget for each department. One recommendation was to take $1,000,000 from free cash. Pretty much have accomplished little so far. Only on third department head (Personnel). All I know is that I have a headache from it. Sorry for not posting earlier but I'm having problems with my internet connection tonight. |
|
|
|
massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 8:50:53 PM
|
| 3% off the top was not nearly enough. All that does is gets them below the prop 2.5 levy. We are going to get hammered once again in taxes and if they give the homeowners exemption back, people like me are really going to be hurting. I own a home I don't live in any longer and live in a home I don't own. We moved into a 2 family home so my elderly parent wouldn't be alone. I pay rent here and I will get killed in taxes at my home that I own. This budget is probably going to force me to sell. Our plan has always been to go back to our original home but that probably won't happen now. Then on top of everything else, we will get smacked with capital gains tax to boot. Great city we live in. These yo yo's at city hall are going to be hurting a lot of people. Watch the for sale signs go up. I am really upset, we will probably end up moving from Everett when possible. |
|
|
|
the penguin
Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 9:04:02 PM
|
| what is really scary is that this administration does not look past the next election. For if they did they would be looking at how next year our city can afford to maintain the present services. 2 1/2 once you reach it as Hanlon has done the city revenues can only grow by 2 1/2% which means that the most we can get soaked for next year is 1.8 million dollars. Someone should ask how do you give the pay raises to the unions and still pay for increases in health insurance, gasoline, heat etc with only 1.8 million... This city is in serious trouble and I don't think any one realizes it...this scares me. And don't give me the BS that its Ragucci's fault like the independent is trying to convince people of. That paper contributes nothing to this city...they only take about $25,000.00 a year in ad money from our tax payers and put it in their bank in Revere. When the independent starts paying a tax bill in Everett maybe I can believe them until then they should just report the news and stop trying so hard at being hanlon's campaign managers. |
|
|
|
Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 9:56:20 PM
|
| Oh Josh, your integrity comes cheaply. You're giving it up for a mere $25K a year? How...pathetic. |
|
|
|
FrenchFries
Member
23 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2007 : 11:52:08 PM
|
| $25,000 is only $500 per week. I'd bet they receive a lot more ad money from the taxpayers than that. If you include ads from the school dept I'd say more like $200,000 for the year. |
|
|
|
justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
 Posted - 06/21/2007 : 06:39:28 AM
|
You're right massdee, 3% is just the tip of the iceberg but it's better than what mr honesty & integrity came up with! I'm not sure why the man insists on digging holes and jumping in. (One of these days we should just throw the dirt in & leave him there!)He insisted he'd make no cuts then last night presented his "recommendations" for cuts. These included not adding the $500k earmarked for the stabilization fund and taking a million from free cash. Personally, I don't see those as cuts, but I can't help but wonder why he didn't offer these concessions a week ago?
He's got 10 days to cut 3% and I don't think the CC & BOA need to do anything more for the budget to go forward. They had better be prepared to ask for monthly updates on spending or when the new administration takes over in January, they'll find the budget has been overspent & we'll be in the toilet! |
Edited by - justme on 06/21/2007 06:40:57 AM |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Budget
