Mayor Mulligan State of the city
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2830
Printed Date: Nov 27 2024 at 1:19am
Topic: Mayor Mulligan State of the city
Posted By: randy
Subject: Mayor Mulligan State of the city
Date Posted: Mar 19 2010 at 9:16am
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At last nights State of the City address Mayor Mulligan talked about improving our city streets
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Replies:
Posted By: wannaknow
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 5:23am
| Is he saying we need to pay more taxes for road improvement ? Didn't he say the money that had been allocated for street repairs had been given to the general fund? Why can't the general fund reimburse street repair money? Who's to say they won't take the money again? Haven't we already paid for street repairs? |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 7:03am
| As I understand it, to take the street repair money from the General Fund and return it for street repair, it takes being placed on the ballot and voter approval. Back in the 80's, Council asked the voters to move money from street repair to the General Fund to shore up the Fund. After their little General Fund issue was fixed, either on-purpose or because they "forgot", they never asked voters to put it back. Guess we voters will have to take the initiative 'cause they ain't moving on it. As Nick Kidd has always said, the gas tax is suppose to go for street repairs also, but there is a question whether they're using it for that purpose. It appears that Council, over the years, has moved money around from fund to fund to "plug holes" in the old money dike and may have used money meant for a certain purpose on other projects or to shore up weak areas of the budget. Don't even know if this activity is legal. Just hasn't been brought to anyone's attention in Columbus I guess. Correct me on this Mike and Nick if this is not the case. |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 10:56am
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Vet, the city will NEVER alter the ordinance changing it back. They have spent $100 MM of road funds for themselves and other purposes after the taxpayer was stupid enough to all ow city hall to have these funds to be used for anything they chose. Over $5 MM of infrastructure funds were spent on buying land for Doug McNeil at the hopsital, and they have NO intention of modifying it. LISTEN AGAIN to LM's speech. He is using the fact they city council and city leaders screwed the residents and that's why the roads are crumbled to set up another attempt at a .25 to .50 point increase to repair roads.
Do you actually think they are EVER going to rescind this? Get real. They spend every dime they can. By the way, for those not keeping up with CPI, the increases passed by city council, who do absolutely nothing to benefit the citizen, actually gave the police and firemen raises. The .3% has outpaced inflation for 3 years. In 2009, it was 2.1%. Isn't this surreal: council members not treating the city the same way they would their on business! These public safety employees got raises, not inflationary adjustments.
Then, Mr. Mulligan doesn'y mention rescinding the .25 used for intended purposs and diverting $100 MM to other uses, but expects city residents to be duped intp paying more now just for roads. No wonder Middletown is considered the dumbest region in Ohio, and its armpit.
Seasonally adjusted changes from
preceding month Un- adjusted 12-mos. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. ended 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 Feb. 2010 All items.................. .4 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .0 2.1 Food...................... .0 -.1 .0 .1 .1 .2 .1 -.2 Food at home............. -.1 -.3 .0 .0 .2 .4 .1 -1.5 Food away from home (1).. .1 .1 .1 .2 .1 .1 .1 1.4 Energy.................... 3.7 .6 .6 2.2 .8 2.8 -.5 14.4 Energy commodities....... 6.7 1.1 .4 3.0 1.6 4.9 -1.3 34.4 Gasoline (all types).... 6.9 .9 .3 2.7 2.3 4.4 -1.4 36.8 Fuel oil (1)............ 5.0 -.3 2.2 7.4 .0 6.1 -2.4 19.3 Energy services.......... .1 -.1 .8 1.1 -.3 .0 .5 -4.2 Electricity............. -.1 .3 .8 1.2 -.2 -1.1 -.5 -2.7 Utility (piped) gas service.............. .5 -1.5 .7 .9 -.7 3.5 3.9 -8.4 All items less food and energy................. .1 .2 .2 .0 .1 -.1 .1 1.3 Commodities less food and energy commodities.... -.2 .3 .4 .2 .1 .1 -.1 2.5 New vehicles............ -1.0 .3 1.4 .5 -.2 -.5 .1 3.5 Used cars and trucks.... 2.0 1.7 3.1 1.9 2.2 1.5 .7 14.1 Apparel................. .0 .2 -.3 -.3 .4 -.1 -.7 .0 Medical care commodities (1).................. .5 .6 .2 .1 -.1 .7 .8 3.5 Services less energy services.............. .2 .1 .1 .0 .1 -.2 .1 .9 Shelter................. .1 .0 .0 -.2 .0 -.5 .0 -.4 Transportation services .5 .7 .5 .5 .3 -.3 .4 3.3 Medical care services... .2 .3 .2 .3 .2 .5 .4 3.7 |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 12:35pm
| acclaro- IF...and it's a big IF.....a group of citizens started a ballot initiative to have the General Fund money meant for the streets, returned to the street fund, and IF the measure was approved by the voters, the city would have no recourse but to return it, wouldn't they? How would they keep it off the ballot? And....what if a group of citizens, at the same time, circulated a recall petition to remove certain members of city council and the school board and gained enough signatures to go to the ballot? Are none of these doable? Seems like the giant hurdle here is getting the signature sheets and enough people to help gather signatures to take back down to Betty McGary at the Board Of Elections in Hamilton, right? No one, to date, has tried it yet. Anyone have time to run down to determine how many signatures we would need and pick up the proper amount of signature forms? I'll volunteer some evening time and weekends to go around my area (3rd) and get signatures. We could also publish some sign up locations around town for this. How about including the reduction of the city income tax from 1.75% back to 1.5% or less while we're at it? Probably find alot of people who would go for that. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 1:32pm
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IMO-one at a time Vet.
The return of the road improvement-related funding would be the perfect beginning because virtually everyone supports that concept. If filed/listed correctly, it would sail through, also creating a felling of accomplishment/unification within the city.
The rest of your concerns/issues may well fall into place after this success.
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Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 2:41pm
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One would have thought AJ Smith. Mr/ Lambaugh, or Ms. Smith Jones would have seen the logic in this course of action but they apparently are predisposed with emergency legislation and dilatory tactics the others are making accusations.
I would not hesitate signing a petition nor circulating one. I will not hesitate signing a petition for removal of a council person(s), once one is defined, and the rationale for the action properly, factually, and objectively defined.
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Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 5:41pm
Apologies...Anita Scott Jones, not Smith. Too much caffeine. I think this is sad to have the Journal do this and don't understand why the family would not want their privacy invaded.
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 6:44pm
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acclaro I believe the infrastructure fund was around $850,000.00+/- a year, from what I have been told. If the ordinance was changed in 1985+/- even with Inflation how do you arrive at $100,000,000.00? Are you including funds from another source?
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Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 7:54pm
| Pacman, I was told by a CPA the funds since the 1988 change I believe, not 86, was nearly $5 MM. If that figure is wrong, I am relying on an audit source. If it were $5 MM over 20 years. would that be $5 MM used that could have supported the streets? I recall the $5 MM given to the hospital was conveyed directly by Ron Olson at the time, it came from the infrastructure funds, but that may have been amortized (taken over 2-3 years). So, should these funds continue to be used elsewhere or put on streets. Recall...the city indicated just a few years ago it would be nearly 50 years before the roads could be taken care of. If it was $25 MM, is that too much? The point is moot, the funds redeployed have created a mess in the city which is decades before it can be repaired even at at .5 increase. Wasn't it 27 years or > if .5 was approved? |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 8:16pm
| I am not disputing the fact that the city leadership over the years has made a mess of the cities infrastructure due to neglect and alternative uses of funds that should have gone to keeping the infrastructure maintained. I am just wondering how you arrived at your $100MM figure. I agree the fund should be re-instated. The first question that will come out of the City Hall at the first hint of a drive to get it on the ballot, is how are we going to pay for the fund if it is re-instated? |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 8:34pm
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Pacman, I am just speculalting as I was not in Middletown in the years of the eighties, but I suspect the ordinance allocated a % of the general fund or funds to roads and sewers. I agree, the city won't rescind theordinance, they want to spend the money as they have for 20 years while the taxpayer bears the brunt of diminishing return on property values. I travel frequently, and I have to be honest, I have never been in a city in my life that the infrastructure and lack of pride is so poor as in Middletown. I mentioned LM's plan: pass a .5 increment to pay for roads---that won't pass, and I certainly would be against it.
I assume about 1/2 of city hall could be cut without missing a beat to help offset some of the $$$, but another---"not in our lifetimes".
You can do the math, but the net present value (NPV) on a $ MM today would be far > than .X 1987 $$$. And so it goes. Are residents or businesses inclined to walk from Middletown before giving it conisderation, or will the schoool system drive them away? That's the mess the city caused. Inflation going up in 10, we'll be hin hyper-inflation the next 2 years, and interest rates will go up substantially.
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Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 9:13pm
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acclaro I have lived in many cities from Maine to Florida to California to Europe, little cities of 10,000 people to Cities of millions in my 50+ years. I too have never seen a city which has made the decisions that Middletown has over the last 10-20 years and then still sits there and does nothing to correct them. They sit there now watching the city implode upon itself and still tell us how wonderful Middletown is, what a great future it has, how many wonderful this and wonderful that we have....and I sit here and ask if they live in the same city as I do. Yes we have MUM, we have the library, we have parks, but it is what Middletown doesn't have that is destroying it and you people at City Hall don't get it.
Middletown is falling apart and the leadership is in denial of that fact to the nth degree. I look at Middletown as a city that is divided into several groups of people:
You have the poverty group who are just trying to get by and many will do nothing even if they can to improve.
You have a large elderly population that is living here and has for most if not all of their lives, who are most likely going to die here and they just want to live out their lives with no bumps in the road.
You have a select group of people who have the right last name or the right amount of money or who are making a huge salary from the city, who basically make the decisions here and seem to be content with how Middletown is progressing in their minds, as long as they pulling the strings, while in our eyes the city is falling apart.
Then you have the last group that sees the problems and wants to see change for the better but either can't get it together or don't have the power to effect change in this city. Why I don't know. Could be they are out numbered, out spent and also due to the fact that the first 3 groups have their heads in the sand and keep telling themselves "Middletown has a bright future".
I am with you I don't understand the first 3 groups in this city, those who chose to watch the city crumble rather than make some hard choices now and try to ensure.........That Middletown just has a future.
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Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Mar 28 2010 at 9:53pm
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Pacman, I agree with your assessment completely. I too have been an ex pat, lived in Zurich for 3 years, Wyoming, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Harrisburg (Pa), Richmond. DC, and Atlanta. I've driven in the absolute poorest communities in many states, and nothing tops Middletown.
You are spot on regarding the segments. I think the biggest problem Middletown has and always will have is simple. Its never been a city which had an influx of people like a major metro city, with lots of new people coming and going, transferring from career position to career position. It therefore is insular, guarded, and horribly "self centered." It had AK and a few others, and used to be a decent city that sons and daughters with JD's, CPA's, and MD's would move back, enjoy a nice city with tremendous charm. I went to school with the head of physical therapy at MRH's daughter, a great tennis player that played at Miami at Oxford, and it was such a different city.
What you have know are mainly older retirees and city leaders, wrapped in an entitlement cocoon, just hanging on to get what they can as long as they can. One on one they'll tell how the city is destroyed, and by whom, part of it when the Armco executives left to move to Pittsburgh, then the lack of leadership and guidance was never fixed. Because of its insular nature, those inside are too ignorant to recognize they know nothing, and jut want to live as if time has stayed still. Its too bad Middletown was never a transcient community, where alot of bright people came in and out. Most view those people as a threat, and a small band has totally destroyed the city in all facets.
No one has escaped this, even those that live on Thornhill or off Penswood in their quaisi private cul de sac. For every $500,000 home, there is 1-2 buyers, for every $250,000 home, maybe 5 a year. The city is destroyed, but yet the ones responsible for its destruction live the illusion by knocking down a few buildings and floating these unrealistic levies, times are going to get better. Every bit of development teh past 10 years, has been a company determining to move here, not any development by ED. The schools are in shambles, although new, as all this was wrapped up in a warped plan that North meets South (Dayton and Cincinnati). With gas about to climg back up to $3.50/ gal soon, and companies leaving Ohio, the midpoint reincarnation will never occur. So, we wait while the shoe is ready to drop.
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Mar 29 2010 at 4:42am
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We need to force the gas tax issue to the ballot box ASAP. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Mar 29 2010 at 7:02am
| Vivian the Gas Tax and Infrastructure fund are two different issues. You need the right people in Office to see that the Gas tax is spent properly and you need to bring the Infrastructure Fund to the ballot box to have it re-established by the voters, as the city is not going to voluntarily re-establish the Infrastructure fund. |