Infrastructure Funds

Can someone explain the jist of what happened to the infrastructure funds in Middletown? Was an ordinance passed to allow the funds to be moved to the General Fund and why and what is the ordinance?

Thank you accuro, do you know how much money we are talking about each year?

Pacman,

Pacman, I'm sure Paul has it correct. I don't recall the language of the ordinance as to what % was set aside for the roads. Of course, the city's constant tactic is to let the roads be left untouched thinking the citizens will pass another levey. I lay odds it will be 60-40 the 1.75% tax increase will be defeated and reset at 1.5% if not lower (which the voters should demand). The council and city has really blown the maintenance, the problem is so huge now, it was forecast it would take I believe 37 years to repave the orad with a 2.25% tax rate. Middletown and its leadership has killed itself and pulled down the citizens with it. Its an aggregate effect now, when new residents to be look at the roads, the decay, the lack of effort to take care of infrastructure, they simply turn and go to another community. Unfortunately, city hall doesn't understand that. This would be an excellent initiative for a city council member to embrace and run on in the fall. And the voices of the citizens knowing this occurred 22 years ago, are still silent. Staggering isn't it!   

$26,862,122.00....wow!

  I will admit that I never dreamed it be that much, but it does show the Problem. We probably need that much!

NICK -

I thinmk pacman and Mr. Kidd (and Mr. Self) made some excellent points. Firstly, Pacman was spot on, and a brilliant depiction: the city works for 400-500 not 51,000, how eloquent and sadly, true. Mr. Kidd illuminated some other aspects of funding that has been reallocated. If I understand this correctly, then, is gas, the lights, and mowing funds may be/ have been reallocated outside the legal ordinance?

Well, lets think through this logically. It would be easy I believe for Clark, Schaeffer, and Hackett to account for funds, but would they not also have to know the state laws for appropriation? In other words, as certifed accountants, they would have to know under Ohio law, funding for the items Mr. Kidd stated would have to be accounted for as an asset or cahsflow in on the balance sheet that matches Street Repair/ Infrastructure. If not, they'd bear the same consequence as Accenture/ Andersen Consulting in the Enron shell game. I'm not implying that, as I am just trying to make sense of an assumption I'm reading.

Therefore, would it not make sense to contact C,S, & H as have them address the questions as they did the auidt, did they properly account for the funds taken in from the state to the city, which would show under the street heading? If I understood Mr. Kidd correctly, the ordinances for these services did not change, whereas the street ordinance did change in 1987, correct? And if they did not change, there is a suggestion over 22 years, money could have been diverted out of the fund in spite of state guidelines and city ordinances into the general fund or enterprise fund that is the big pot?

Maybe I have this wrong, but if correct, it would appear on first blush, CS&H should be contacted to affirm the proper accounting was made based upon their knowledge of state law and city ordinances. If city council didn't even know they authroized Section 8 vouchers, I doubt if they would have any idea, funds were moved from an asset that was reqwuired by law into another area such as the GF or EF.
  

Vivian- How can the accounting office downtown not know where funds are or when money is transacted from one fund to another? Actually, this is another way to tell inquiring minds that they don't want to reveal their secretive money handling "magic" for the city's finances. Isn't it time we "encouraged" an independent audit of the city books by the state or the federal folks? Perhaps a phone call or official request on the theme- "we have reason to believe that we have financial corruption in this city". How about it Smokey? Is it worth doing? The city keeps telling us that the books are correct and it is confirmed by the local accounting firm they hire, but what about a real in-depth audit by a group with no local ties to Middletown? There has been alot of "money movement" to various "funds" over the years that the financial folks either can't explain or won't share with the general public. That "General Fund" seems to be a cesspool of mystery money in/money out that no one in the general public can monitor and follow. Questions from some of our posters here about that General Fund have gone unanswered or are answered by "evasive comments".

Mike do you know what the ordinance  is that related to Middletown Infrastructure Funds?  Did they just change the ordinance or did they repeal it altogether and it has been removed from the books?

Clark, Shaeffer, and Hackett have to certify the records to be accurate to submit to state, so yes Ms. Moon, the accounting firm MUST know Ohio law and statutes. I remain befuddled; if Mr. Kidd is correct as I read it, there is money flowing out of a ledger that is not comport to a city or perhaps a state ordinance and statute. Vet---CS& H IS the independent auditor, so the question would logically go to them.

My question to those that are running for City Council:
Why can’t you and or department heads answer some of these serious questions if we requested them in writing two weeks before the City Council Meetings?
Are you willing to change City Council Meetings to respond to questions from the public?

VV- I am not disputing the seriousness of what appears to be allegations which may be inferred as ignoring the city ordinances or the state statutes. The point was the city wouldn't give answers (if I understood the jist correctly), and if that is so, a logical step would be to call CS, & H and ask how they would be assured there was no moving from funds that were dedicated (or could they?). If they then state, its an unknown, that the city could move funds from one fund into another, that becomes another issue. Then, from that position, how would the citizens know whether accuracy and transparancy is assured by the city? These are not only serious allegations, but the impact upon the property owner should not be ignored: if indeed $ Mm in funds dedicated for roads has been diverted, that impacts the quality of the road system, and property values, because the roads are a basic maintenance expectation. I'm looking for a solution, not a blame. If these paths are folowed, with no answers, then how to get answers? Think about this VV: CS& H would have to lnow what % of taxes were provided back to the city from the state- they would have to know the state law associated with the funds. They would have a responsibility to account for those funds- cash in goes where? 

Pacman, I believe you are absolutely correct. The voters passed this as a short-term situation which did not expire automatically after 3-5 years, and council never changed it, and the voters sat idly and said, so what? So, we now have roads a mess, the city spending previously dedicated monies or giving it to Perry Thatcher and the Atrium instead of having your street and my street repaired. Disgusting right?

To Mr. Kidd's point: I believe the analysis becomes twofold. Firstly, how all encompassing was the ordinance change, ie- did it include gas, and taxes in the whole ball of wax (like you, I haven't taken the time to pull the ordinance but it should be easy to find electronically as the online ordinance is gotten through the city link), or did it pertain just to funds dedicated for sewer. On first blsh, I will assume it was "all encompassing." So---nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, the citizens got screwed! And by themselves for stupidity, Forest Gump lives here.

To your point: it would make sense topetition to have this put back on the ballot to be voted upon by November. THIS IS A CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT THAT WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF RECLAIMING YOUR CITY AND TURING THE DIAL NORTH TO YOUR PROPRTY VALUES (or simpply continue to play the role of Forest Gump, now into its 22nd year).