|
There was an article in Dogtown Wire about the resignation of the NLR Electric Dept. Director Joe Gertsch and buried in the last half of the article was very bad news for taxpayers. Due to the high water level levels on the river as shown below, the NLR Hydro Plant has been generating very little power for the City since February. At last report by the Mayor in about April, the City was about $600,000 below planned budget income for the Hydro Plant. Since then the Mayor has been very quiet about the Hydro Plant. Prior to that, the Mayor was reporting on the income from the Hydro Plant at practically every Council Meeting.
Click on the Read More button below for more of the post
So the City is probably running well over $1,000,000 in the red on planned revenue from the Hydro Plant. But the news gets worse. The Hydro Plant was damaged as a result of the flooding and one of the two generating units was damaged and both require serious dredging to clean out the intakes. Untill that happens, the Hydro Plant will generate at best, only 50% of the planned power levels and revenue needed.
So what is the City to do? First the City could tap the Electric Dept, Reserve and Contingency Fund, however that fund would eventually have to be repaid out of the City coffers. A second option would be to tap the $15 million loan program approved by the City earlier this year. This loan program is truly amazing, as the Council approved the Mayor borrowing up to nearly 25% of the City's annual budget of nearly $65 million dollars. While this money can presumably be used only for the Electric Dept shortfalls, the Mayoir uses the Electric Dept for his projects like the RV Park, hanging banners, providing temporary power for events and all without tracking the costs and backcharging the appropriate departments or parties. As an example, there have been several Electric Dept. trucks and staff working at the RV Park for weeks. These are costs for the Electric Dept, that contrbute to shortfalls.
So how does the City repay the either the Contingency Fund or Loan program. This would be a very good question for someone to ask Mayor Hays. In January, Mayor Hays told one alderman during the budget discussions that there was not enough money in the budget to add $50,000 to the City Beautiful Commission unless the alderman wanted to cut something else. So where is the money coming from? If the City has to borrow several million dollars from the Loan Fund the interest will be several hundred thousand dollars per year and with the Contigency Fund we should rebuild that fund so we are not short in future years? So where does the money come from to repay the principal on the Contingency or Loan Funds? Where will the money come from to repair the flood damage to the Hydro Plant and dredge the silt from the channel?
All this money needed from a City that just a few months ago that couldn't afford $50,000 without cutting something else. The City cut most of the Ward money and sidewalk money last year to balance the budget. The City is also not funding serveral police positions to balance the budget. It would be nice if Mayor Hays was as forthacoming with the information about where the money will be coming from for these Hydro Plant issues as he was in January before the flooding when he was regularly reporting to the Council on how well the Hydro Plant was doing. So where is the money coming from and what else will be cut? Police? Employee Pay? (oops, the City still hasn;t given it's employees raises this year), Fire, Ward money? Public Works?
Fire him
Written by darkcrwler, on 05-07-2008 10:11
It's time for the "mayor" to move on down the road. He is not taking care of the citizens of NLR and is now only pursuing his own interests. A perfect example of being in office WAY too long (how many terms had he served - six?) Power hungry, self serving, etc. Bad traits for a politician. Enough red flags for voters yet? |
Written by One Who Cares, on 05-07-2008 11:08
Time to go, Mayor. You are not the only person, who knows how to run a city. There are plenty of able minded people, that can do a better job. You need to retire and spend some time with those grand-kids. |
Walk the Plank!
Written by dumblonde, on 05-07-2008 11:45
Reading this article just infuriates me to no end. Why doesn't the Mayor just refinance the city's budget with the next loan? Our city employees deserve the raise; however, our illustrious leader has apparently spent those monies on his new little RV park, which probably won't generate the enough to pay back any of those loans; is thinking about if not already taken money out of the reserve funds to buy a vacant, nondevelopeable piece of land on the river; and now the news of this story breaks. I understand that someone on the City Council has made the motion that the Mayor receive a raise. I'd like to ask just where the heck is that money supposed to come from. Riddle me this...who will our NEW Mayor be, because I sure as heck will not be voting for this one again. |
Im pissed!
Written by Levy Goddess, on 05-07-2008 23:29
All I can say is NO MORE PET PROJECTS, it is not fair to the citizens of this city. Yes there is a time to progress but now is not the time. Buckle down and take care of infrastructure, that is what we are all having to do. If you cant give employee raises and keep the trained officers we have or hire more when we need them, then no more boats, submarines, destroyers, rv parks and damn it people are starting to get really pissed. Every time something is said about money we have been told there is none...so tell me where the opening in the sky that money falls out of when there is project? |
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved |
Comments (4)
