The full City Council will vote on Mayor Bill Finch’s proposed budget Monday May 7, according to an email circulated by City Council President Tom McCarthy Monday night to legislative peers that details budget committee schedule and full council vote. McCarthy’s email:
There is a change to the Budget schedule. The full City Council vote on the General Fund budget is being moved from Saturday to Monday. So the General Fund vote will now take place at the regular City Council meeting on Monday. So there will NOT be a full City Council meeting on Saturday. The new schedule is:
1. Budget Committee Capital Plan vote (Monday, April 30, 2012 6pm)
2. Full City Council vote on Capital plan (Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 at 7pm. This is the full Council so everyone has to be there.)
3. Budget Committee meetings every night this week
4. Budget Committee vote on General Fund Budget (Friday, May 4, 2012 6pm)
5. Regular City Council meeting on Monday, May 7, 2012 6:30pm public speaking and 7pm full Council meeting (Full City Council vote on General Fund at this meeting).
Thanks. Tom Mc
Mayor Bill Finch’s spending plan calls for a 2.7 mil increase to help finance $7 million more for city schools. The mayor’s budget will increase the tax bill of the average city homeowner by more than $400.
“… The mayor’s budget will increase the tax bill of the average city homeowner by more than $400.” Well there ya have it, taxpayers. Your spineless representatives on the city council will not have YOUR interest at heart when they cast their “YES” vote on the mayor’s budget–they will cast their vote with their city job or a family member’s city job at heart. It’s a formula as old as politics–we give you a government job and you vote the way we want. The bottom line, taxpayers, is this–every week when you get paid take $8 out of your pocket and put it in a jar marked “Mayor Finch’s Tax Increase.” And you can’t touch it as it grows … $16, $24, $32, … $400 and more! It doesn’t matter at some point during the year you could use that money to buy your child a much-needed pair of shoes, or replace those bald tires on your car, or heaven forbid, stop putting off that visit to the dentist. No, that cash is needed for The Honorable Mayor Bill Finch and his band of thieves to fund THEIR desires, not your needs.
Did you hear about the statistician who drowned crossing a river that averaged 6 inches in depth???
Figures lie and liars figure.
But everyone in the city with any type of PILOT will see no tax increase.
Steal Point keeps on stealing the city’s future and doesn’t pay a dime for ruining what was once a tremendous development opportunity.
Who pays for the upkeep of Steal Point? That’s a lot of grass to cut and weeds to keep out. What are they spraying on it?
Now now, the extra tax money from us is going to the schools.
They said so.
Actually the Mayor has left the impression “the money” from the tax increase was going for education. However, when you consider he has asked for $24 Million and only $7 Million is going for education, a figure of 30% would be more appropriate. Mayor Partial Truth has also confused the amount going to Pension contributions. Not $10.6 Million increase, but a total of $10.6 Million with perhaps a $6 Million increase. However, with Plan B Police and Fire being closed and future contributions going to CT MERF plan with a $2.3 Million budget saving for Bridgeport in the coming year, this may appropriately be considered only a $3.7 Million increase. So even with Lighthouse included the total is about $11 Million. Where would the other $13 Million be spent? Mayor Finch never mentioned this in his public meetings or promo letter. Wonder why not? May be unnecessary.
Eliminate the ghost positions and line items and you have the dollars with no increase. Time will tell.
Maybe some of the extra money can be spent on:
Real police OT dealing with real crime and not bogus amounts paid to friends and family. No OT to Training. No OT to the mounted police. No OT to segways and desk jockeys.
Recruitment of new Chief of Police and termination settlement when we give Gaudett the boot.
Recruitment of new Fire Chief. Choose salary or retirement but not both you greedy bastards you.
*** Will there be Council speeches to justify their usual “YES” vote concerning the Mayor’s proposed budget? *** FORGETABOUTIT ***
Grin Reaper, I agree with your point, how can we TRUST Mayor Finch when the mayor is paying salary both retirement pension to the police chief and fire chief and now he wants a tax increase. GR you spoke the TRUTH when you said, “Recruitment of new Chief of Police and termination settlement when we give Gaudett the boot. Recruitment of new Fire Chief. Choose salary or retirement but not both you greedy bastards you.”
*** Possible Charter Review changes would allow council members to text in their votes from the Dom. Republic or Vegas! It’s out of your hands now, taxpayers! *** VOTE DEMOCRAT, REGARDLESS ***