That is what will happen if we, the voters, approve a change in the Home Rule Charter. Today's Trib outlines the Change in store for Mt. Lebanon.
The easy one is to make the Home Rule Charter gender neutral. Kristen Linfante thanked Home Rule Charter Chairman Bill Matthews for that change. That is not important to me, but evidently it is to Kristen.
The change with the biggest impact to Mt. Lebanon is the one which eliminates super votes, that is bond issues only require three votes, instead of four. The commissioners absolutely loved that one. I think Kristen forgot that the voters still have to approve these changes. This would be after the Commission approve the changes. The presentation is the first item on the Municipal video.
How I interpret this particular change for incurring debt is that every four years, when Wards 1, 3, and 5 elections are held, the potential to control Mt. Lebanon are during those elections. Only three like minded candidates would have the power to do anything they wish. In addition, when the commissioners voted on the Rec Bond, for example, the three commissioners who are spending our undesignated funds for toxic turf, would have been able to stick it in the Rec Bond. They would only require three votes, instead of four, to issue bonds and ultimately raise our taxes.
A positive change to our Home Rule Charter would be to change the tax increase cap from 2 mills to one that does not exceed a 20% increase of the prior year's real estate tax levy. In 2013, 20% = 0.90 mills. Based on 2013 millage rate, the 2 mill cap now allows a 44% property tax increase without voter approval. (2 mills/4.51 mills = 44.3%)
Here is the link to the Ad Hoc Home Rule Charter Study Committee Final Report. Our Home Rule Charter is our Constitution. We will be asked to change the way we have been governed since 1975.
43 comments:
Hopefully, When Ward 3 comes to vote for their commissioner there will be a smart, independent, young Democrat that can help move the direction back to reality with rational thought.
Gender neutral, why of course. Things like "all men are created equal" and "one small step step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind" need to be spelled out for some people that phrases like these are all inclusive and gender neutral.
What bothers me with the Home Rule Charter revise is it doesn't address anything regarding recall or redress for elected representatives that lie or engage in deceptive practices, like claiming a board endorses turf or prints literature claiming the high school project should come in far below estimates.
Also there should be something in the code that if a commissioner or school director presents evidence or claims in a public meeting on a subject they should be required to present that evidence otherwise its just heresay.
The point about doing away with super votes is well taken. If the voters fall for these revisions they deserve everything they get.
I'm betting we should get an unbiased report on the revisions from the community magazine any day now.
Correction-- hearsay.
I would be happy if there was something in there about commissioners or staff members paying their taxes. The phrase, "I'm so and so and my taxes are paid" stems from a time when elected officials (and even some staff members) could not make that statement. But all the community input was submitted at many public meetings, so I kinda missed the boat on that one.
Elaine
That's a good one.
If you don't pay your "dues" you shouldn't be a member of the club, let alone a club officer or employee.
Of course they want to get rid of the super vote!
Once Wildcat/Middle is turfed, 3 votes is all it'll take to float a bond for the TOD, the McNeilly project and the deer cull.
Bingo, 12:22 PM! And that will also free up the overtax money, I mean unassigned funds, to be used to fund any other pet project. Spend, spend, spend!
Elaine
From the Trib article: "Commissioner Dave Brumfield liked all the committee's proposals. “I don't know which of these I can look at and say, ‘I don't think we need to do this immediately,'” he said."
That cinched it for me... run as fast as you can in the other direction. Isn't this the same guy that endorsed spending $150 million on a new high school?
Oh, they want to make it so they can raise taxes easier as well? I bet they ALL were excited about that. "easier to loop them" I'm sure was the collective response.
(and yes, "collective" has multiple meanings in this case)
I think that it should be a super majority to pass a $50m operating budget as well as a bond issue to increase the debt obligation. Think about it!
Constance Spicuous Consumption
Now people... Just get it through your little heads that democrats like Dave Brumfield know what's good for you. Soon your pay checks will arrive at his house and he'll decide whether you deserve any of it. CONTROL... Don't believe me? Ask yourself if you would ever believe that YOUR government would listen and record ALL your phone calls. Keep all your email and search results. And now they (YOUR government) has been forced to admit that they have accessed US Citizen's webcams without the owner's knowledge. The computer geeks telling you to put tape over the webcam wasn't a conspiracy! We are NOT Dormont we are the New East Germany. And do NOT thing for a second that "certain" commissioners aren't using these new "technologies" to their advantage.
12:55 Years ago Dave B was at a local event talking about how the new High School needed a indoor sports complex. When asked he said an indoor football/soccer/lacrosse field. That is about the same time they were pushing that huge swimming pool crap. An older man said something about that evil word "Money" and "Funding" and Dave become really upset and replied that soon it wouldn't be an issue. So here we are! And why should residents believe that the Home Rule Charter will be followed? I seem to recall that if officials don't like or agree with laws they just ignore them. Sort of like the High School mess... Just fudge the numbers. You can just add them on later!
12:05 PM, this will make your blood boil. Watch the Discussion Session video from January 27, 2014 and see Dave Brumfield, Susan Morgans, and others give reasons why public boards and authorities meetings shouldn't be recorded, either videotaped or with audio recording devices. My adopted commissioner, Kelly Fraasch, wants them all to be recorded.
Elaine
Forgot to throw in Kristen Linfante in the mix of those who are discouraging transparency. This is the same woman who took down her blog at the start of her presidency this year.
Elaine
Guess Dave doesn't want people to know that he stacks the boards with friends and neighbors. The company I work for closed down one of their offices in Atlanta and transferred about 45 employees to our office. Not one moved to Mt Lebanon. I asked a couple of the newbies and all said that they were told Mt Lebanon was old, tired and way over-taxed. Most bought in Peters and SF.
Isn't this the same woman that, while you were excercising your right to speak at a school board meeting, made comments and snickered from the audience, Elaine?
Yes, 3:12 PM, it is. Our current commission president even blogged about it here. My Mother Taught Me Never To Lie.
You can hear the whole thing on my podcast,
4/19/10 School Board Meeting.
Also, the same woman who lied about the ESB being on board with artificial turf.
Elaine
The problem with residents voting on changes to the Home Rule Charter is probably half have no idea of what a Home Rule Municipality is.
Then the 'offical' propaganda magazine will be working overtime to promote the changes and convince residents elimination of super votes and ability to float more bonds is in their best interest.
Lebocitizens will hace to be extremely diligent in getting the truth and facts out.
WE, Lebo Citizens, will have to be extremely diligent in getting the truth and facts out, 5:20 PM.
Elaine
Absolutely!!!
If TPP is approved then there won't be a blog! They will claim piracy and remove you from the Internet.
The entire review was requested by a former commissioner who requested refinancing existing debt made easier and less expensive. It was never intended to make borrowing nor the passage of the operating budget easier! A 3-2 vote for both is a huge mistake!!!
Constance Spicuous Consumption
Yes, CSC, a HUGE mistake! And yes, 5:20 PM, there will be a nice video explaining how it will be good for the community. We might hear words such as "cooperation, communication, and collaboration."
Elaine
Cooperation, communication and collaboration.
Oh yeah, sure.
Lets have a review of some of the more famous comments made by our elected officials.
"Associate with people that think like you"
"Don't roll your eyes at me"
"File a right to know"
And my favorite: "What the kluck!"
Yeah, these are the people that are going cooperate, communicate and collaborate.
You elected them folks and now they're pushing to raise debt and therefore taxes and they want to do it by only convincing 3 instead of 4 commissioners.
70% of residents won't even vote.
10:52 I voted and I wrote in a name rather than vote for the failed ambulance chaser Dave Brumfield. I watch as MY kids activities receive NO help while Dave's kid's activities get millions. But Mt Lebanon has changed. It's no longer a community of educated people looking towards a better future. It's all about NOW. Who cares if the community can't afford it.
4:17, was your comment "It's all about NOW." intended as a double entendre?
As in the National Organization of Women?
Correction: National Organization for Women (NOW)
a very important public service to publicize another property tax increase scam...why not just condemn the whole town and rent our homes back to us since are are mere share-"owners" now anyway? shame on Bill who struggled so valiantly agains the wasteful and unwise school "renovation"....linfante must be very rich as she seems never to be concerned about what things cost--maybe she will buy groceries for my family.....
On "gender neutral" -- I guess that is important if you don't have any money worries, but it does strike me that if we are to be consistent, just as the new head of the Federal Reserve wishes to be called "Chair" not "Chairwoman," which is her prerogative, shouldn't we also stop using the sexist term "woman" at all? After all what kind of a joke is it to call adult females any kind of "man" - "wo" or otherwise. The solution seems quite obvious, we should now refer only to men and wo's (the product of deleting the inappropriate and sexist "man" from the antiquated "woman"). Does anyone agree?
to 5:20pm: you are right, a 21st century education ought to include a course on civics, don't you think---oh, is that not in the curriculum of our progressive school board?
5:55 PM, that isn't fair what you said about Bill. He was presenting an unbiased committee report.
Elaine
well, Elaine, were I Bill (not that talented here), I would not have signed or presented such a report on grounds of principles, moral and civic....but i understand the dilemma he was in...i also agree that Bill is a heroic and noble civic activist...but as all of us who have been married know, you can never agree all the time with anyone...no disparagement of Bill intended, just editorial disagreement....I would certainly apologize if he took my remarks otherwise...
Damion (11;11am 1/30): we should hope for a smart, independent, and community-minded young candidate---it is far less important if they are a Democrat or a Republican than if they care about the effect of local government on all of our residents, and on the future (as a young person ought to be)....
An Old Fox
Thank God, we have someone like Bill keeping tabs on things. Wish there were more like him!!!
Well Old Fox, I'm not a Republican, so I had to say Democrat.
I think terms should be 2 years long instead of 4 with term limits. Not only would more citizens be willing to take on the task of the office, constituents would be able to break up "commission gangs" and vote out the bad ones.
12:29 good idea and I think the current Home Rule Charter allows us to petition to have that change incorporated into the the Home Charter and code, if I'm not mistaken.
Its under Section 1202 of the Home Rule Charter.
It takes only 5 registered voters to file to circulate a petition to change any codes or ordinances passed by the commission.
Deringer (2/3 9:07)--in response to your "shot" --- we have only Democrats, and Demo wannabes in office here now, so maybe you should consider more possibilities
5:22PM, there was no "shot", whatever that may mean. I was talking about myself, I apologize if that wasn't clear enough to everyone. I won't consider changing parties, sorry Republicans and Libertarians. I have the utmost respect for Republicans and Libertarians and actually agree and believe in some of their principles.
Jan 31st at 12:05 pm:
I am very interested to know which commissioners are taking advantage of what is basically "spy technology". Please do tell! What kind of information are they
looking at? Tracing IPS addresses? Are you suggesting
they hack personal info? I know attorneys can find out a great deal on the prothonotary website.
Damion at 9:22 and all;
As I have said many times, the current commissioners are registered Democrats yet their plans have nothing do to with being a Democratic Party. If so, I think there would be programs called "Free to Play" rather than "Pay to Play.
Growing up, and being part of the military I have always been in the minority as a democrat.
This commission is all about personal agenda. I believe they are merely using their political affiliations as a ruse and many are falling for it. Don't fall for it!
Like you Damion, I would not consider changing parties. I also have great respect for Republicans and Libertarians and also agree and believe in some of their principles.
Many republicans I know today get angry when I tell them President Lincoln would most likely be a Democrat or even a liberal today. Think about it! Stop using political party as an excuse for our poorly run town.
Personal agendas, power and indoctrination are at play here. Indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology (see doctrine).[1] It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned.[2]
Sound familiar?
Yes, 7:31 PM, this commission majority is about personal agendas.
I maintain that it doesn't matter who is in office here in Lebo, because we have some pretty crappy R's and some pretty crappy D's. An R told me that we need more R's in office. I responded, "Like Remely? Like Kubit? Like Clueless Joe from a few years back?"
I want the elected officials to be honest and fiscally responsible with our tax dollars. I don't care if they are R's or D's. Which goes back to the Old Fox's comment on February 3, 2014 at 6:50 PM.
Elaine
Post a Comment