Super Vote is Upheld

We will still need four votes to incur debt! This is HUGE! Four commissioners voted no. Dave Brumfield was the only commissioner who wanted to change it to three commissioners needed. Sorry, Dave.

Public Hearing for the Elimination of the Super Vote on Tuesday

OK, Lebo Citizen Readers, the public hearing to eliminate the super vote is on Tuesday. Bill 7-15 is to change the number of commissioners permitted to incur debt from four commissioners to only three commissioners.

Currently, a simple majority of the Commission is authorized to make decisions regarding expenditures, capital programs, budgets, and setting of tax rates. However, the Charter requires a super majority of the Commission to make decisions regarding debt. This ordinance would change the Charter regarding the number of commissioners required to incur debt to promote uniformity in financial decision making.

This amendment requests that the Department of Elections of Allegheny County places this on the Election Ballot for November 3, 2015.

To read more about this, see my May 22, 2015 post, The financial ruin of Mt. Lebanon

Prove the person wrong who wrote: "WHY IS IT SO EASY FOR YOU FOLKS TO GROUSE ON THIS BLOG AND SO DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO WALK TWENTY FEET FROM A CHAIR TO A PODIUM AND TAKE THEM ON?"  This is a public hearing. Don't even bother writing in to say "there is only one sure way to change things and that is through the voting booth" or "vote in new candidates." Now is the time to say something.

Want to make it easier to raise taxes by borrowing money?

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.