Sunday, April 20, 2008

Open Trench on West Main St.

Open trench on west main street 4-20-08
I have made the following complaint to the Department of Transportation today.
Complaint location: 300 and 400 blocks of West Main St.
Complaint: during construction there is a trench about 10 inches wide and about 4 inches deep approx.1500 feet long on both sides of West Main St. It is dangerous and there are 2 churches, several businesses and about 300 people living on the street. The Borough has not announced when the trench will be paved. Thank you.
Reference Number 20080420-D5-7DVN9Q
In beautifying Main Street with a State Grant of $632,004 the Borough has allowed the contract for 25 street lights to disrupt the Borough for 7 months and it is still not completed. The contract is not completed because the Borough does not know how to write a contract. There should have been a time limit, safety provisions, sidewalk and street closure provisions, a schedule, procedure and more written into the contract.
Today was a disgrace the Grace Church and the Trinity Church held services and the parishioners, children, seniors and handicapped, had to cross this trench.
The Borough Council, Mayor Green and her Police Chief, Sergeant and Corporal have never approached the Light Contractor for any reasons such as Safety, Street and Sidewalk closings and protecting the construction site or even just to introduce themselves.
I think it is time for our Elected Officials to get out and meet the public and explain the Borough’s Finances, the Borough’s direction and they should also explain their votes. Isn’t it strange that there are no residents at the Council Meetings?
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
e-mail kmayor@ptd.net

Thursday, April 17, 2008

chaos II at the borough

Chaos II at Borough Hall April 13. 2008
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 W. Main St.
Kutztown, Pa 19530
Website www.marinoreport.com
e-mail kmayor@ptd.net 610-683-7977
Mayor Sandy Green and
The Kutztown Borough Council
Dear Elected Borough Officials,
In my letter to you titled “Chaos at Borough Hall” dated April 9, 2008 I criticized you for appointing an interim Borough Manager from an outside firm rather than from our Borough Employees. The Reading Eagle article by Michelle Park dated April 11, 2008 validates my statement. There is no doubt that there was some controversy surrounding the resignation of Mr. Woglom from the Borough of Quakertown. When Keith Hill, remember him, resigned Borough Secretary Bonnie Bray filled in satisfactorily as Interim Borough Manager and it was a lot cheaper. I repeat you do not have the ability or courage to make positive and responsible decisions for the future of the Borough and you put the borough’s future in the hands of outside firms. You did not thoroughly research or investigate the qualifications and character of the candidate and when you found out about the controversy you did not have the courage to admit your mistake and reject Mr. Woglom. The Eagle article states that on Thursday several of you said they knew Monday that there had been controversy in Quakertown, but they defended their choice. Council President Eidle’s quote, “We feel this is a good man, and we’re going to hire him” simply sums up and explains away all the controversy.
Your actions in this case are just another step by you toward the complete bankrupting and destruction of the Borough. You are concealing our finances, falsifying the Budget, publishing fraudulent reports and not reporting any finances or statistics of HU. In the past 2 years you have more than doubled our Real Estate Taxes. You also raised our electric rates to 80% more than our surrounding areas. You have raised rates and fees on services and permits and created new taxes and fees. You have also depleted all of the Borough’s reserve funds. You are also moving and transferring funds illegally into and out of different Borough Departments.
With all the confusion at the Borough Hall I think it is time for you to explain and demonstrate to our residents the details of our finances and the direction the Borough will take to solve these problems. We are all looking for your wisdom, experience and knowledge to solve the Borough’s financial problems and debt. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Gennaro A. Marino P.E.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

chaos at Borough hall

Chaos at Borough Hall April 9, 2008
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 W. Main St.
Kutztown, Pa 19530
Kutztown Mayor Sandy Green &
Kutztown Borough Council
Dear Elected Officials,
Besides the Borough debt being about $29.3 million, Hometown Utilicom loses about $1 million a year and you raised our utility rates, taxes and fees Councilman Dr. Brendan Strasser and Borough Manager\Treasurer Vettraino have resigned.
Dr. Strasser stated that he is tired of putting money into HU because it is a losing business venture. It does no marketing and has no Business Plan. Mayor Green agrees with him and threatened to but did not have the courage to veto the $1.3 million loan and settled for a proposed Business Plan. Not one of you has addressed Doctor Strasser’s derogatory remarks about HU because they true. You have decided to give the Business Plan to an outside firm because you have no faith in the ability of our Borough Employees to develop one. I know the Borough has employees capable of developing a Business Plan.
According to the Reading Eagle you have appointed an interim Borough Manager. Again you do not have faith in the ability of our Borough Employees. This is great for the morale of our dedicated Borough Employees. I know our Borough Employees can fill the temporary position. I also hope you tell Mr. David L. Woglom the interim Borough Manager, who was a Borough Manager for 22 years and I am positive he is more than qualified for the position, that the Borough has special rules and laws that vary from the norm such as:
1) The Borough does not have a Budget available to the public and hasn’t had one for over a year and that the 2006 and 2007 have not been published at this time.
2) The Borough falsifies the Budget and publishes fraudulent reports.
3) The Borough has not published any statistics or finances on Hometown Utilicom for more than a year.
4) Our electric rate is 80% higher than the surrounding area and that our Real Estate Tax more than doubled in the last 2 years from 1.2 mils to 2.6 mils.
5) Borough Solicitors Mooney and Dietrich and independent Auditor Long & Barrell Ltd. Are aware of the above.
6) The Borough has not had an internal audit for at least 14 years and does not employ an accountant or a CPA.
You have also voted to have an outside firm search for a new Borough Manager because you do not have the ability or courage to do it yourselves.
Why do we have to have outside firms come in and dictate who our future employees should be and the direction the Borough should take? You were elected by the residents to conduct Borough Business.
At one time or another over the past 6 years, in my letters to you, I have documented the above 6 statements and more and you have never answered any of my charges. Our finances are a disaster.

Sincerely,

Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
Website www.marinoreport.com
e-mail kmayor@ptd.net
610-683-7977

Monday, April 7, 2008

Questions for Information Technology Director Caruso

Information Technology Director Caruso Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 W. Main Street
Kutztown, Pa 19530
Kutztown Borough Council & Mayor Green
Kutztown Borough Hall
Dear Elected Officials,
I think it is about time you looked into what Information Technology Director Frank Caruso is doing as a Borough Employee and as the head of Hometown Utilicom and ask him:
1) Is he going to add subscribers by advertising and marketing HU?
2) Is he going to finalize Automatic Meter Reading?
3) Is he going to complete our wireless internet?
4) Is he going to bid for HU services at Kutztown University?
5) Is he going to produce a Business Plan for HU?
6) Is he going to produce a Budget and Financial Report for HU?
7) Is he going to produce and publish his past projections for HU?
8) Is he going to publish statistics and revenue totals for HU?
9) Is he going to explain why HU loses about $1 million a year?
10) Is he going to rejuvenate his old website to speak for you?
11) Is he going to announce when the Borough will have combined billing?
12) Ask him how many HU customers will be added by his remark that landlords will be renting rooms instead of apartments?
At one time or another Mr. Caruso has stated that all of the above services will be installed by the Borough and HU and as far as the questions about HU business and finances they are all public information that should be published periodically.
And after you ask Mr. Caruso these questions you should also ask yourselves (Mayor Green, Council President Eidle, Council Vice President Seyler and Councilmen Schlegel, Snyder and Gangewere) a few such as:
1) When will you make the 2006 and 2007 Budgets available to the public?
2) When will you address ex-Councilman Dr. Brendan Strasser’s remarks about the finances of HU?
At this time the Borough is in a financial crisis and Borough Manager\Treasurer Vettraino has resigned. You gave him everything he asked for in running the Borough and you also voted him astronomical salary increases. Despite this he claims to be leaving to be closer to his family. Where was his family when he accepted his position with the Borough?
I suggest you walk around the Borough as I do and take notice of all the “House for Sale” signs and there are many. Mr. Vettraino will be adding one more. Maybe Mr. Vettraino is leaving because even with a salary of about $104, 000 he can not afford the high rates of Real Estate Taxes, Water, Sewer, Electric and the addition of new charges and fees. It is ironic that Mr. Vettraino requested all of these increases and with your approval will not make the Budget public because it is embarrassing.

Sincerely,


Gennaro A. Marino P.E.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Pa. Officials Please Make Kutztown Budget Public

Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 W. Main St.
Kutztown, Pa 19530
610-683-7977
April 4, 2008
Governor Rendell, Attorney Gen. Corbett, Auditor General Wagner,
Sen. Mike O’Pake, Rep. Mantz, District Attorney Adams, Borough Solicitors
Dietrich and Mooney, Borough Auditor Long & Barrell, Reading Eagle Editor, Morning Call Editor, Patriot Editor
In the past I have notified you that the Borough of Kutztown is violating the Borough Code by not having a Budget available to the public for over a year. The 2006 Budget has not been made public and the reason that was given early in 2007 was that the Borough was changing its method of bookkeeping. As of this day it is not known if it was audited or advertised in a local newspaper. As per the Borough Code the 2007 Budget should have been audited and published within 90 days after December, 31, 2007. As of April 2, 2008 (the 93th day) Assistant Treasurer Samilo stated he did not have the Budget for me to see and he did not know if it was published in a local newspaper.
I have also notified you that the Budget was falsified, the Borough publishes fraudulent reports and the only replies I have received from some of you was that it was not your jurisdiction. NO ONE has ever stated that the Borough’s actions were legal or even proper.
I can not believe that the Borough is deliberately violating the Borough Code and there isn’t a State Office or Agency that will order the Borough to produce the Budget or some type of financial report.
The Borough is intentionally concealing and distorting the revenue of Hometown Utilicom, a Borough business venture that loses about $1 million a year, by intermingling HU revenue and funds with the Electric Fund.
It seems that the only way for a resident to have the Borough open our financial books and records is to take the Borough to the Court of Common Pleas which requires an attorney. A resident having to spend money for an attorney to have the Borough of Kutztown comply with the Laws of the Commonwealth and protect its residents is beyond my comprehension.
Will any of you send someone to the Kutztown Borough Hall to ask to see the 2006 or 2007 Budget? For further information enter www.marinoreport.com

Sincerely,


Gennaro A. Marino P.E.

e-mail kmayor@ptd.net
website www.marinoreport.com

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Good Luck Jaymes Vettraino

4-1-08 Vettraino’s Resignation
Gennaro A. Marino P.E.
409 W. Main St.
Kutztown, Pa 19530
www.marinoreport.com 610-683-7977
e-mail kmayor@ptd.net
Borough Manager\Treasurer Vettraino
Kutztown Borough Hall
45 Railroad St.
Kutztown, Pa 19530
Dear Borough Manager\Treasurer,
When did you apply for a position in Michigan? Was it after you received your big raise, or was it after you raised our taxes and every conceivable fee and service and realized there is no way out of our financial disaster? You also created many new fees and taxes to finance Hometown Utilicom which loses about $1 million a year.
In your five years here you have never published a financial report on Hometown Utilicom or had an internal audit on our Borough finances. In fact there is no Budget available for the public at the Borough Hall for 2006 or 2007 at this time.
The newspaper article in the Reading Eagle by Michele Park dated March 12, 2008 titled “Dissonance in Kutztown” states HU has 1017 customers paying an average $49 a month which is about $50,000 a month and about $600,000 a year. The article then goes on to state that the Budget for HU is $1.1 million. How can the Budget be $1.1 million when revenue from the subscribers is $600,000? The article also states that the venture brings in enough revenue to cover its day-to-day expenses, and in 2007 it realized an operating profit for the first time. That profit was $80,000.
If $500,000 comes from within the Borough of which $250,000 is a transfer from the Electric Fund, how can there be a profit of $80,000? And if the venture covers its day-to-day expenses, why does the Borough need a $300,000 loan for operating expenses? Note: You originally asked for operating expenses of $300,000 from the loan.
The article also states that the Source was Jaymes Vettraino Borough Manager and not the Budget or Financial Report. Mr. Vettraino you should produce the backup for your figures.
When ex-Borough Manager\Treasurer Keith Hill resigned and you became Borough Manager\Treasurer there was no internal audit and you continued the illegal bookkeeping of Treasurer Keith Hill. Keith Hill, the Borough Council, Borough Solicitor Timothy Dietrich and Independent Auditor Long all vehemently stated the Borough did not need an internal audit even though it is common practice in the corporate world to have an audit when a Treasurer departs.
Mr. Hill was Treasurer for at least 10 years and you have been the Treasurer for 5 years which means no independent CPA, accountant or any government agency has examined the Borough’s internal bookkeeping for at least 15 years, of course with the approval of the Borough Council, Solicitors Mooney and Dietrich and Auditor Long of Long & Barrell Ltd, the Boroughs Independent Auditor.
I have noted in my many letters to you and the Borough Council that the Budget is falsified, many reports are fraudulent, contracts were illegally awarded without public bids and funds were transferred illegally within the Borough. I have never received any type of response to my accusations, charges or comments. Again I repeat there is no Budget for 2006 or 2007 available to the public at this time which is a clear and arrogant violation of the Borough Code.
Please open all of the Borough’s books and financial records to the public before you leave because the website of the City of Rochester Michigan includes their entire Budget. Good Luck.
Sincerely,


Gennaro A. Marino P.E.