Open Discussion Session (Room C)
6:20 P.M.
1. Unassigned fund balance:
a. Tentative list of designations
b. Date for capital investment discussion hearing – July 22, 2013
Last year, we had spent $1.3 million in unassigned funds. This year, we have available for more indiscriminate spending by the commissioners, approximately $840,000. That represents 2.39% of extra money in its cash reserves, after the normal 10% held in reserves.The vultures are circling.
What do the commissioners want to do with that money? See my post, Mt. Lebanon weighs surplus spending
In the Trib article, nothing was mentioned about what our president, Matt Kluck wants. He has been advocating all along to give the money back to the people.
Funny, I don't see anything for Outreach, or any other drug programs.
In fact, at the February budget retreat, Kelly Fraasch was the only commissioner concerned about a drug task force. Remember how I was the only one covering that retreat? That was when the PIO was writing about Noah's Ark on Facebook. Here are the commissioners' priorities from that February budget retreat.
Hey, Commissioners? How about a reduction in our taxes? Do you have that much money that you need the school district's help to spend our money? We all know that the Sports Advisory Board (SAB) will want turf SOMEWHERE in Mt. Lebanon. As The Trib reported in my July 1 post:
School board President Elaine Cappucci said the district has no plans to put turf on any fields. “So that would be a new expense. Nobody from the commission has approached us about the proposal. … I can't tell you what the board would feel about it.”My guess is that the SAB, a.k.a., Turf Board will come back to turfing Middle and Wildcat Fields again. The date for the hearing is July 22, 2013.
Get in line, SAB. You will be up against the deer cullers, the Outreach people, and the people like me who just want the commissioners to stop overtaxing us, and give us our money back.
How about since they are supposedily updating the Home Rule Charter they add a provision that unassigned funds over the normal cash reserve gets refunded to taxpayers unless a referendum approves spending it a new project.
ReplyDeleteAlso regarding the Home Rule Charter put some damn teeth in it so it actually has some teeth.
You see the municipality is under the impression that $840,000 is their money to do with as they please.
ReplyDeleteThey don't consider that it is really ours and we believed they needed to run our community.
There was an ordinance introduced by Kluck to require any unassigned funds over 12 percent to be returned to the residents. Apparently it did not gain any momentum. Are you surprised?
ReplyDeleteNope!
ReplyDeleteWhy not just reduce (!?!) the millage?
ReplyDeleteAren't municipalities supposed to be break-even (as opposed to profit-making) entities?
ReplyDeleteIt's the influence all of that $$$money-money-money$$$ that just pours out of the purse of our PIO!
ReplyDeleteYes, municipalities, by law, are revenue-neutral. So they cant sit on overpayments to save for a rainy day. The commission is creeping toward dangerous legal waters.
ReplyDeleteSure they can 1:14, they're going to use the money to install turf so they can still play on rainy days.
ReplyDeleteFrom reporting in the Trib on the unassigned fund discussion:
ReplyDelete"Commissioners John Bendel, Dave Brumfield and Kristen Linfante — a majority of the five-member panel — later voiced support for putting some of the money toward the advisory board's recommendations, though Kelly Fraasch and Matt Kluck had reservations about doing so without a clear plan for the improvements."
Based on the municipality's track record on sports initiatives, such as buying Twin Hills and McNeilly properties at far above current assessed values can anyone disagree with Kluck's and Fraasch's reservations and calls for a clear and well-defined plan.
The two properties cost taxpayers approximately $2 million and no one has a clue what to do with them. Except create some doggie walk paths at one.
We still don't know the facts on the YSA/SD/Muni Fields Joint Maintenance Agreement that was not renewed.
Now 3 of our commissioners are gung-ho to jump headlong into more sports spending.
Incredible!
If anyone from ward 2 is paying attention, they should know that Jack Doyle is the best choice to take Kluck's seat for this and other reasons.
ReplyDeleteHow about Brumfield? Who is running against him?
ReplyDeleteThen we have Birks and crew on the SD side running pretty much unionized.
Dave Brumfield is running unopposed. The R running against him dropped out after Krista Harris lost.
ReplyDeleteElaine
is an "unassigned balance" the same as an overtax surplus?
ReplyDeleteThe "unassigned general fund balance" represents the cumulative amount of "surplus" funds from general fund Commission-approved budgets for a given year and over time...leftovers so to speak... that have otherwise not been assigned or allocated for specific alternative capital or operational spending.
ReplyDeleteVarious bond rating agencies reportedly recommend that unassigned general fund balances be maintained at between 5% and 15% of total operating expenditures for favorable bond ratings and as a cushion for unexpected or emergency expenditure requirements. The Mt. Lebanon target policy is 10%. In some rare cases, budget millages have been set to purposely derive a surplus to achieve the target.
This and related budget and financial information, much of it detailed, is available in CAFR's on the Muni website. Why don't you and others who have such questions, look the information up yourself ?
In the 100 year history of MTL has an unassigned 10% fund balance ever been insufficient to cover any unforeseen emergencies?
ReplyDeleteThe point being that if you've never used why proper raising to 12% as proposed by Mr. Kluck. Maintain at 10% rainy day if historically it's been enough and rebate the rest to the taxpayers.
Or hold a referendum for instance - we have an unassigned fund balance in excess of the 10% that amounts to $810,000.
Do you approve spending $500,000 or whatever the cause du jor is that year.