When John Marshall Lee speaks, a number of City Council members experience that sinking feeling. The financial watchdog will take a bite out of council members in his quest for answers about the city budget. He had a whole bunch of questions Monday night addressing the legislative body during the public speaking portion of its meeting.
Let’s talk about City finances, a favorite topic of mine. Did the City have a budget surplus or deficit in 2011? What happened in 2012? What document reliably tells you Council people and the taxpayers you represent the answer? The City of Bridgeport used to have a financial internal control function in the person of an Internal Auditor. As recently as one year ago, that’s what the proposed budget announced. Was it true?
Council President McCarthy told the Charter Review Commission that we had not had one for years. Why not? What are internal controls? Why does the external auditor who produces the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report direct special attention to internal controls in the City of Bridgeport? What does the Management Letter specifically address? What is the City response?
I have attended many Budget and Appropriations Committee meetings. You have adopted a formality of reviewing City monthly reports at each B&A as a standing agenda item to perform some level of fiscal analysis. Do the minutes of meetings of B&A show any analysis? Any drilling down of Line Items that are overspent? Or are failing to meet Revenue projections? Have you spent any time getting a seemingly cooperative Finance office to re-format their report to give you what you need to perform what the taxpayers expect you to be doing? Of course if on October 1, you have only received one monthly report, for August, 2012 that show no variances and detail that you are used to, you can only share responsibility for failing in your duty.
Return for a moment to the CAFR-2011 that was issued in January 2012. In the footnotes you were told that the City’s largest taxpayer has been paying 90% of its assessed burden under protest since the second half of 2007. The City has received tens of millions of dollars from Wheelabrator Bridgeport LLC while fighting them in court in New Britain. No comments appear in Budget & Appropriations minutes for 2.5 years. Why not? What if the City were to receive no tax payments from Wheelabrator for a year or more because they convincingly win the tax case and apply overpayments to current, because the City cannot refund the overage? What is the risk? Why it is not discussed? There is more that can be done to be a better part of check and balance process for the City. We should talk. You should be questioning more than you do.
Where does your Stipend Ordinance stand. It was tabled without discussion last Tuesday evening. How does one view a copy of your prospective Ordinance?
Finally, Trustworthy Information for Public Safety. The idea was shared with Chief Gaudett in late June. One thousand envelopes are out with another 1,000 on order. President McCarthy praised this program the last time I spoke before the Council. How many of you will join with the “little people” in the community to learn about the program, promote it in the press and visual media and tell your local members about it? Talk to me. Tell me you are interested. I will send you an email tonight. Please respond. It will be simple. By allocating $1,000 of your “Other Expense” budget you can extend the program for months to come all by yourself. Here is an opportunity to collaborate. Time will tell.
*** It’s like searching for the pots of gold at the end of a rainbow or Captain Kidd’s secret buried treasure on Charles Island would be easier to find than figuring out the city’s yearly budget, no? *** FORGETABOUTIT ***
Mojo,
Just saying the Mayor has the ACCOUNTABILITY for the financial state of the City currently. Does anyone know whether we ended the 2011-12 year with a real surplus or another deficit? Did anyone on the City Council wake up one day and say, “Where does the City stand financially?” No one is talking about prudent spending. No one is asking about the funding level of Pension Plan A and though the City pays for an actuarial report each year, the results are not shared with the public. When our Council persons attend National Municipal Conferences do they bring back any useful ideas to incorporate into their regular performance monthly? Why not? Taxpayers fund the stipends for those using the money and the Council does not share Who spends How Much on What items in the pursuit of better governance. Why is the Council above a TRANSPARENT process with results OPEN to all? Do you care as a taxpayer? What do you think about Sikorsky Airport that operated with revenue balancing expenses until the Finch administration where it is now running losses of several hundred thousand dollars per year? Who benefits other than the employees? And the Capital Budget continues to find new items on which to spend more bonded funds. Is all of this so hard to understand? If your Council person cannot tell you what is going on, what is their excuse for continuing to VOTE YES to support all City financial requests? Time will tell.