Of course since the Council just threw Abramson a bone to let him know what their focus is on, since he was waiting to see what he could get away with as usual, he sent them a list of FAQ's late yesterday afternoon explaining how they calculated the shortfall.
As I have reported in other posts the "crisis" doesn't add up anyway.
Typical Abramson. He knows where the fat is or will not do what is necessary to trim it. Instead he holds everyone in suspense with threatening layoffs, furloughs, and a whole list of essentially meaningless cuts that will do little to salvage the savings he says we need of $20 million.How so? Attack the workers telling them they will lose 3 days pay right before Christmas. Tell the parents the libraries will close so their kids cannot do the research for class.Threaten public safety by blaming police for all of the budget problems when public safety, police, fire, and ems, have clearly been below budget for years.
This is how Abramson spins us and divides us all every time he wants something. He attacks the heart strings and the people who keep us safe for his own gain. How do we keep allowing this?
More on that here: Louisville News and Politics: ABRAMSON: SPIN IT WELL!
He proposes a sham of budget cuts equalling $3.4 million of $20 million. A far cry short of what he said we needed. These so called cuts are about as short sighted and insignificant as it gets. Heck Jerry give me a week or so to lay out a restructuring plan for the Metro offices and I'll save you double that. But alas your political appointee cronies would probably not like it.
But hey he is Abramson. He can sell ice to an Eskimo but won't see the need to deliver on it because they already have some. Do any of you feel that way?
In this case I cannot let the Metro Council off the hook though. The list supposedly did not show which Council member suggested which idea so they are all accountable for them as a whole. Wish they could stand united and demand accountability and transparency that many of us have been calling for. That would help tremendously.
Some of the suggestions listed in the article are as follows:
Suggested for delay, cutbacks or elimination among the capital projects were: Waterfront Park's phase three, even though it's already well under way; Riverview Park's proposed $33 million expansion; the Louisville Zoo's Glacier Run polar exhibit now under construction; improvements at Louisville Slugger Field; and the Center City mixed-use project downtown.
Operating reductions suggested included: canceling a new police recruit class; eliminating free trash pickup for some nonprofit agencies; picking up recycling every two weeks instead of weekly; cleaning fewer streets; and reducing employee overtime, equipment purchases and personal-service contracts.
Other suggestions included increasing fees for permits, increasing fines for false alarms, raising greens fees at public golf courses and considering the sale of the Louisville Water Co.
Looking at the delay and cutback options I am highly disappointed in at least one project on the list.
The Riverview Park expansion.
The Riverview Park project has been delayed repeatedly, and seemingly abandoned altogether.
This "project" has become well a "project" for the Southwest citizens. The park was functional and not in bad shape though needing a few amenities prior to the announcement of this project by Abramson long ago. It was announced as part of his parks project and then dirt was dumped there and all of a sudden it became a weed infested pathetic site to look at. Many do not even want to go to the park anymore because of the lack of care and unsightly look in the "new" incomplete Riverview Park.
Abramson's lack of delivery on his promises is nothing new to people in the Southwest and it is getting to be a way of life. He lost the library tax he wanted to exploit largely due to the people out here. He will find no friends here, excluding a couple favorite Metro Council members who will undoubtedly approve the changes in the budget in regards to Riverview Park, because of his penchant for retribution against those who oppose him.
I cannot agree with at least one of the operating reductions ideas. Cancelling a new police recruit class. We do not need to cut the necessary public safety venues in this budget as I have repeatedly said. There is a need for new police recruits and we should be preparing them now. By eliminating these classes we are shorting our public safety manpower at a time when police are more essential than ever.
It is no secret, nor does it take a rocket scientist, to know that when the economy goes sour that crime rises. Unemployment is way up and people are hurting. Crime typically rises when this happens. Is this the time to have less police on the street? IS safety compromised?
In my opinion yes it is compromised and this is one area than cannot be.
I strongly agree with eliminating the Centre City Project which in essence at this point appears to be nothing short of a welfare program for Cordish Group. An unnecessary expense to say the least. You can read more here on that: Louisville News and Politics: CENTER CITY: A WASTE OF FUNDS
And of course let's look at other suggestions like increasing fees (another way of saying raise taxes), or even the sale of The Louisville Water Co. Yes I know I have been reporting on the water co and unfavorably at that.
It does not mean it needs to be sold. Does it need oversight? Yes. Should it be regulated? Yes.
While I strongly believe the money from the Water Co is illegally used selling it would be a short term solution that would create short term money but what happens after we get the money and it gets exploited and used to fatten up a few wallets? What do we have then?
In this regard I have more questions than answers.
Abramson open up the books let us see just how top heavy your administration is. Work with the Metro Council from the beginning and be open, frank, and honest for once. Not secretive and manipulative like you typically do.
Metro Council please force Abramson to do the above. And please do better than this with suggestions in the future.
The library receives $16 million in the budget. Jerry knew he was going to be short last year, so he tried the library tax to get the $16 million off the books, and use whatever the tax generated OVER the amount needed to transfer to the general fund to cover losses.
ReplyDeleteAbramson knew last year this was coming, and still continued to line up massive construction deals and spend city money like there was no tomorrow. He continued to keep a huge, overpaid staff.
Open the books and end the fighting.
Of course he did as we all know. In fact, as a candidate for Mayor during election in 2006 while he was promising new libraries, more police, and a whole host of other things he could not deliver on, I was saying he was lying and he could not accomplish it.
ReplyDeleteI have been pushing for streamlined government and accountability since then that could have helped prevent what he calls a budget crisis due to his overwhelming negligence with fiscal responsibility.
Less than 6 months after the election he started pushing a library tax (2007) and we had not even hit the high of the financial crisis that has shook the nation. The current crisis is not the cause of the problems here Abramson's control is.
It was obvious to many yet his ego convinced him he could pull the wool over our eyes as usual.
Glad to see so many woke up and stopped this.
Now it is time we stop even more.
Needing more officers and needing a police recruit class are two different things - HIRE EXPERIENCED LATERALS. It should take more than a few weeks to get a Louisville area officer up to speed for LMPD, and not much longer to get an officer already certified in Kentucky either.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous that is one option for sure. Spending more money training officers when we already fund a State training facility is one other cut we need to look at as well.
ReplyDeleteHow many services are duplicated throughout Metro that inflate the costs?
Thanks for writing.