Link: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/view_newsletter.php?newsletter_id=1410223859

March 9, 2010

A reminder...I will be holding a public meeting on Toledo's budget tonight (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. at Grove Patterson Academy, 3020 Marvin Ave. in west Toledo.

I hope you can stop by. Facilitators will work with residents to get their input on the city's budget challenges.

Thank you,
Tom Waniewski
Toledo City Council

Link: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/view_newsletter.php?newsletter_id=1410212523

Read it on-line @ http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/view_newsletter.php?newsletter_id=1410212523

Thursday, March 11, 2010 from 6 pm to 7 pm.
We meet at the Memorial United Church of Christ
located at 1301 Starr Avenue at the corner of Plymouth St, in East Toledo.
If you have any requests, suggestions, or any information regarding the recent crime in our area, please bring information to the meeting and/or call & please let us know,
by leaving a message at 419-697-9975.

We hope to see you there, and PLEASE tell your neighbors!

Link: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100215/NEWS16/2150322

"And the real beauty of the plan, in Mr. Konop's opinion, was that it wouldn't require new taxes; funding for the bond purchase would come by turning down thermostats, switching some county employees to four-day workweeks, and, most crucial, by privatizing some county-dispatched ambulance services."

And;

"Future Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, the former fire chief who would go on to beat Mr. Konop in last year's mayoral primary, sat with arms folded among old fire service colleagues and voiced his own disapproval"

His own dissaproval and yet the office holder now, is faced with difficult decisions, about cuts, city operations, making statements that the city finances are in shambles, and yet, presented with a chance to change, nope, not gonna do that.

Why, bother the present system is working so well, as we head to state take over.

Our Finance Committee Chairman, in city council, reacts negatively to a call for a propose audit to review the finances, and the income versus expenditures.

"At this point, any additional expenditures we need like a hole in the head," Councilman George Sarantou said. "What are they going to do that we don't already know? We have the lowest per- capita ratio of employees in the state of Ohio, so I am not looking for a state audit to tell me that. We already know that."

The firm Clifton Gunderson LLP has for 10 years done an outside audit of the city's finances.

"What they have found is basically fairly clean audits and there have not been any major issues," Mr. Sarantou, chairman of council's finance committee, said. "If we are going to hire the state auditor to go above and beyond what they normally do, we are going to have to have a hearing on that."

Basically. No major issues. Basically fairly clean audits.

Our balance sheet is tipped in the wrong direction and long term Finance Committee chairman, utters the statements, hole in one's head, charming.

We have a hole in the budget, and for well over 10 years administrations and councils have reacted by sailing the S.S. Toledo, on the calm and smooth waters of business as usual.

The past adminstration and the new administration have stated that the revenue numbers are unknowns until the revenue is collected and as we can see, our expenses out weigh our income, but Council Sarantou, who will run for the soon to be vacant County Commissioner seat, assures us that the audits are; "What they have found is basically fairly clean audits and there have not been any major issues,",maybe it is time for the state to review the financial workings of the city, and maybe it is time for Council to get together and do what is right for the city, they represent, and maybe it is time for those that are part of the problem to move on, and let those that want change, lead.