I must question the methodology, and therefore the validity, of the proposed “2010-2014 Consolidated Plan and Program Year 2010 Annual Action Plan” (the Plan)!!!

First of all, the methodology:

The Plan divides the entire city into “neighborhoods”. Every square inch of the city is included inside one of these neighborhoods. Not one housing unit is left out.

Now, I refer you to page 9 of the Plan (page 29 of 252 in the city council on-line PDF workbook). Please note that the “poorest” neighborhood consists of households wherein 83.6% are “Low-Income”. However, throughout the rest of the Plan, whenever any neighborhood is compared to “all” of Middletown, “all” is described as “86.1%” Low-Income.

It is a mathematical impossibility for “all” of a city to consist of 86.1% Low-Income Households if no part of that city contains more than 83.6% Low-income Households and every other part of that city contains a lower percentage of Low-Income Households.

This basic error in methodology is enough to call the entire program into question.

It also begs the questions:

1. Did anyone at city hall even read the study???

2. Did we, the taxpayers, get our money’s worth from yet another consultant???

3. Doesn’t this prove, yet again, that the involvement of mere citizens is valuable to our city, and city hall is derelict in its fiduciary duties in limiting citizen involvement to its friends from MMF???