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Showing posts with label Municipal Budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Municipal Budget. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Recap Town Council Workshop Special Town Council meeting July 22nd, 2014


RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP   & SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
JULY 22, 2014

At last night’s Town Council Workshop there was little discussion about the budget.  There was a lecture by Chairwoman Ward about how much work the Finance Committee and others had put into the proposed budget.  The Town Manager cut $6,035.00 out of the Professional Development budget of the General Government.  Other than that, the Municipal Budget was penny for penny the same as the previously failed budget.

Councilor Bickford said that he felt it was an injustice to have any bonds on the June ballot and wanted an Ordinance prepared to limit bond issues to the November ballot.  The Workshop was adjourned without the people having an opportunity to speak which is normally done at the end of the Workshop.

Next, the Special Town Council meeting began with Council Orders, Resolutions & Ordinances.  The Municipal Budget passed by a vote of 5-1 with Councilor Pesce voting NO.  The Economic Development Budget passed by a vote of 6-0.  The Catering permit for Hi Style Catering was passed by a vote of 6-0.   And finally, the Community Planning Agreement for Professional Services was passed by a vote of 6-0.



Councilor Metivier was not present and excused.

There was no one to speak during Other Business or Audience Participation & Response.

The meeting was adjourned.

Larry Fillmore

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Great Falls TV: Lisbon Town Council Meeting July 15th, 2014


Council Workshop and Special Meeting‏ July 22nd, 2014

AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP
TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
7:30 P.M.

1. BUDGET WORKSHOP


2. ADJOURNMENT TO SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
AGENDA


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014
 LISBON TOWN OFFICE

1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG


2. ROLL CALL
___Councilor Bickford
___ Councilor Brunelle
___ Councilor Garrison
___ Councilor Lunt
___Councilor Metivier
___ Councilor Pesce
___ Councilor Ward


Town Clerk reading of meeting rules


3. GOOD NEWS & RECOGNITION


4. PUBLIC HEARINGS


5. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION FOR AGENDA ITEMS


6. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESPONSE


7. CONSENT AGENDA


8. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
 

     2014-141 RESOLUTION − 2014-2015 Municipal Budget   Resolution
 

     2014-142 RESOLUTION − 2014-2015 Economic Development Budget Resolution

9. OTHER BUSINESS


10. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NEW ITEMS


11. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO NEW ITEMS


12. APPOINTMENTS


13. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS


14. EXECUTIVE SESSION


15. ADJOURNMENT
 

     2014-143 ORDER − To Adjourn

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Lisbon Municipal Budget Fails To Pass!


FAILED AGAIN!!!!!!

Lisbon Council Chair Lisa Ward



At last night’s Town Council meeting, Councilors Lunt and Pesce stuck to their guns and voted NO on the Municipal Budget failing it again for the second time.  Congratulations to these true Councilors for trying to help the citizens they represent.



During Audience Participation portion of the meeting, I spoke on the Municipal Budget and asked why Chairwoman Ward did not pass any guidance to the Town Manager on some of the suggestions offered by both Councilors and citizens during the previous Council meeting and workshop.



Councilor Lunt suggested not replacing any police vehicles this year saving approximately $10,000.00 dollars via lease agreements. 



Councilor Pesce recommended a Personnel Assessment which could reduce manpower and save an undetermined amount.



Roger Cote asked why there were no cuts in the largest department in the budget.  The Police Department continues to grow every year and is up to $1,387,595.00.  That is correct over $1.3 million and no cuts!!!







I recommended cutting one Detective and at least one if not two of the three secretaries Chief Brooks has in the Police Budget.  The two called Secretaries are part-time personnel but will save at least $20,000.00 (Chief Brooks will still have his Administrative Assistant) and the Detective will save between $60,000.00 and $75,000.00 more dollars.



I suggested eliminating Professional Service this year saving $65,000.00.  Professional Development is still in the budget.



Richard Main recommended cutting the Legal budget by eliminating everyone calling the Town Attorney any time they feel like it.  This could save as much as $20,000.00.



Just the known savings is roughly $170,000.00 and that is not counting all the unknowns.  So every time Chairwoman Ward asks the questions asking for specifics here are some good ones.



Before any cuts can be made the Chairwoman has to tell the Town Manager how much to cut and areas to look into.  However, when Chairwoman Ward asked the Councilors who failed the budget the first time Councilors Lunt and Pesce’s suggestions were ignored.  Chairwoman Ward provided no guidance to the Town Manager after the previous Town Council meeting and provided no guidance to the Town Manager after the last Town Council Workshop.  After last night’s failed budget Chairwoman Ward asked again and neither Councilor Lunt or Pesce said anything and I do not blame them; she did not hear them before so what makes anyone think she would listen this time.






No cuts to the budget can be made unless the Council makes them or the Town Manager is directed to look into areas designated by the Chairwoman.  Chairwoman Ward has failed to discuss any suggestions brought out by Councilors or citizens and has provided no direction for the Town Manager.



Chairwoman Ward has scheduled another workshop for July 22, 2014.  I guarantee that any suggestions pertaining to the Police Department will be ignored by Chairwoman Ward because she will protect her mentor’s budget at all cost.  The citizens should be outraged at this Municipal Budget and Chairwoman Ward’s lack of concern for the people who have to pay ever increasing taxes.



Chairwoman Ward is stalling until the Council has no choice but to pass the Municipal Budget thus protecting the Police Department Budget for another year and screwing the taxpayers again.



Larry Fillmore   

 

Recap Town Council Meeting July 15th, 2014



RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – JULY 15TH

Last night’s Town Council meeting was lengthy so this recap will probably be lengthy.  I try to keep my opinion out of the recaps but in this case I have to say that I was impressed and moved by the Public Service Announcement shown during the meeting.  The Public Service Announcement was filmed using Lisbon students and parents and showed how one bad decision can ruin the lives of so many.  I encourage every one of all ages to review this moving and powerful Public Service Announcement.

Under Council Orders, Resolutions & Ordinances – The 2014-2015 Municipal Budget Resolution failed again by a vote of 3-2.  There was no vote on the Economic Development Budget Resolution because it is part of the Municipal Budget.  The 2014-2015 Sewer Department Budget passed by a vote of 5-0.  Mr. Dennis Douglass, Code Enforcement Officer, provided a detailed plan for repairing the Public Works Garage.  This plan included floor plans and cost analysis and the Council voted 5-0 to move forward.  The Town Office Holiday and Library Holiday schedules were approved by a vote of 5-0.  The Personnel Staffing Study was turned over to the Town Manager for action.  The FOAA Waiver Request was denied by the Council by a vote of 5-0.  The General Assistance Ordinance and Appendices (1st Reading) was approved by a vote of 5-0.  The Special Council Meeting and the Public Hearing for the Qualified Energy Conversation Bond was tabled.

Under Other Business – The ECD Director provided the Council with a presentation on the Career Center & Healthy Main Street Grants.  The Town Manager stated she was very much impressed with the Moxie Festival and all the hard work that when into the festival.

An additional Town Council Workshop is scheduled for July 22, 2014 at 07:30 PM to have more discussions pertaining to the budget.

Under Appointments – Fern LaRochelle was reappointed to the Finance Committee for a three year term.

Under Executive Session – Once the Council came out of Executive Session, they revealed that loans 4229 and 4522 were to be written off and loan 4467 was to go to collections.

Larry Fillmore

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Difference Between A Budget Advisory Board And A Finance Committee in Lisbon, Explained!



BUDGET ADVISORY BOARD VERSUS FINANCE COMMITTEE

A couple of years ago, this town had a Budget Advisory Board elected by the people.  Being elected, these individuals were completely separate from the Town Council and could provide the Town Council with an objective review of the budget.  However, this Budget Advisory Board, for its last two years, did not support the Town Council’s Municipal Budget.  As a result of the Budget Advisory Board NOT recommending approval of the Municipal Budget they were replaced with the Finance Committee.



This Finance Committee was not elected by the people but appointed by the Town Council thus eliminating any objective review of the budget.  In order to ensure the Finance Committee always supported the Town Council’s Municipal Budget the Council loaded the seven members with five (5) previous councilors.
 

This has worked out well for the Town Council but has hurt taxpayers because there is no one to look out for them.  There is no separation between the Town Council and the budget process because the majority of the Finance Committee members are former councilors. 



In this year’s budget, the Finance Committee recommended a total of $65,650.00 tax dollars be spent on Professional Services.  This is in addition to Professional Development.  The Town Engineer alone will receive $53,600.00 tax dollars in Professional Services.  Look below for their recommended cuts:



INSURANCE - $25,000.00

ASSESSING - $22,000.00

FINANCE - $14,590.00

TAX COLLECTOR - $16,200.00

TOWN CLERK – $9,489.00

PUBLIC WORKS - $58,400.00

PARKS - $600.00

POLICE DEPARTMENT - $0.00



The Police Department has a $1,300,000.00 plus budget.  That’s right over $1.3 MILLION of our tax dollars and the Finance Committee could find no areas to cut.  I do not need to continue to repeat some of the areas I found with just a quick glance.  These former councilors have dedicated their time on the council protecting Chief Brooks' budget for numerous years and now they continue to do it.



It is imperative for this community to survive that there be a group of individuals, completely separate from the Town Council to ensure there is a check and balance system in place to protect the taxpayers.  This is NOT present at this time.



The Town Council needs to take action to reinstate the Budget Advisory Board ELECTED by the people.



Larry Fillmore

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Lisbon's 2014-2015 Municipal Budget‏

LISBON’S 2014-2015 MUNICIPAL BUDGET

As all of you are aware, the 2014-2015 Municipal Budget failed last month with only Councilors Ward and Bickford in favor of the budget as it stands to date.  According to Chairwoman Ward at the last Council meeting, if this budget is not approved by the last day of July, our taxes will go up over 7%.  Can any of us afford a 7%+ increase in our taxes?  According to an article by Joe Hill at http://www.lisbonmaine.net/2014/07/is-lisbon-trying-to-commit-financial.html
our taxes are already higher than everywhere else.

Joe Hill has done his homework and in his article http://www.lisbonmaine.net/2014/07/lisbons-high-property-taxes.html is an excellent representation of where we are in Lisbon.  He also offers a list of suggestions to correct the situation and put Lisbon back on the right track.  Our Councilors should study this article before July 8, 2014 and try to implement as many of these suggestions as possible.  The Town Council needs to take immediate action to reduce the 7% increase in our taxes.

I have also made several suggestions to reduce the burden 7% is going to put on the citizens of Lisbon.  I have challenged Chief Brooks to eliminate one of his Detectives, eliminate his part-time secretaries because he already has an Administrative Assistant, eliminate replacing police vehicles this year and reduce the raise the Communication Center personnel are scheduled to receive.  Implementing these changes will save the taxpayers approximately $150,000.00 tax dollars.  Cutting the pay in half for the Town Engineer and the Fire Chief until such time as they receive the credentials required for their jobs is another saving of approximately $60,000.00. You add these changes to Joe Hill’s suggestions and you are talking close to a mil reduction ($465,000.00) in our taxes.

I understand Chairwoman Ward does not want to make any of these changes this year but there is no way a 7% increase in our taxes is feasible for our citizens to pay.  A lot of our citizens are on a fixed income and they are struggling to pay their taxes right now and adding 7% increase will make it impossible to pay their taxes.  Each and every Councilor needs to review Joe Hill’s suggestions and my ideas and force management to take the necessary steps to reduce this 7% increase this year.

The July 8, 2014 Workshop and the meeting on July 15, 2014 will be an important workshop and meeting.  What our Councilors do during these events will determine how much your taxes go up this year.

If you care about your taxes going up this year, you need to attend these two sessions.  You cannot speak during the Workshop but you can at the end of the workshop.

Larry Fillmore

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Hey Lisbon, How Come We Cannot Vote On The Municipal Budget That We Voted On Telling The Councilors We Wanted To?



WHY CAN THE PEOPLE NOT VOTE ON MUNICIPAL BUDGET?


Councilor Roger Bickford


A review of the minutes of September 6, 2011 reveals some interesting facts that need to be addressed by the people.  Please go to the town web site  (http://www.lisbonme.org/vertical/sites/%7B23BCC392-4131-4737-99E0-6C6FCE7FB2A2%7D/uploads/09-06-2011_Final.pdf) to read what the council discussed pertaining to the people having the right to vote on the Municipal Budget.  It starts on page 9 and continues on for several pages.  Councilor LaRochelle stated in there he has heard about this for the past three years.  That means, the people have been trying to vote on the Municipal Budget since 2008.



It is truly disgraceful when the people, whom these Councilors represent, have totally dismissed the wishes of the people.  The Council decided to put a Referendum Question on the November 8, 2011 ballot to determine if the majority of the people really wanted to vote on the Municipal Budget.   

The results were 2025 Yes and 514 No.  From this point on, it should have been a no-brainer but instead the sitting Councilors at the time ignored the wishes of the people and took no action to provide what the majority of the people clearly wanted their representatives to do.   

How much plainer could the desires of the people have been and yet the sitting Councilors did nothing?  Councilors Bickford and Lunt are the only remaining Councilors.



Now according to Councilor Bickford, the people will vote in June on a Charter change to lower the requirements for a “people’s petition”.  This is yet another delaying tactic by the Council.   

Lowering the requirements for a “people’s petition” was never voted on and has absolutely nothing to do with the citizens of Lisbon voting on the Municipal Budget.  Council Bickford knows perfectly well what the desires of the people are because he himself collected signatures from the people to vote on the Municipal Budget by Department.   

Why is Councilor Bickford doing this to the people who elected him?



Why should it take six (6) years for the people to get what they want?   

Since 2008, the sitting Councilors have been doing everything in their power to deny the people the right to vote on their Municipal Budget by Departments.  It is time the people speak out and demand these current Councilors honor the wishes of the people.



Lowering the requirements on a “people’s petition” is NOT what the people asked the sitting council to do.  The people expressed their desires to vote on the Municipal Budget by a majority of votes 2025 to 514How much clearer do the people have to be?



Let’s put an end to the delaying tactics and give the people what they want.  Six years is enough to wait for the right to vote by Departments on the Municipal Budget.



Larry Fillmore