Kutztown Budget News 10-20-09
Today’s Reading Eagle stated the Borough of Kutztown spends $298 for Police per resident per year which is the 4th highest cost in the County. My point is that the only service provided to Borough residents for our tax dollars is the police. We pay for everything else, such as water, sewer, electricity and don’t forget the million dollars Hometown Utilicom loses every year. If the Borough spends $4,200 per resident per year and only $298 for police, will someone explain to me how the Good Old Boys and Girls are spending $3,902 a year and why retired senior citizens can no longer afford to live in the Borough.
This is all 6th grade arithmetic the Borough spends wildly, raises all our rates and fees to pay for it. And then my detractors state they never wrote a check for $4,200. The 7 wild spenders (the Mayor and the Borough Council) write all the checks for us.
Will someone please go to the Borough Hall and verify my numbers and statements and while you are there please pick up a financial report on Hometown Utilicom. There is no financial report, there never was a financial report and there will never be a financial report on HU and the Borough never addresses my charge that HU loses $1 million a year. Jerry
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
17 comments:
Anyone who reads the article below (which you refer to) can plainly see the half truths you tell. What your statement should have been is that the renting population (students) cost the tax payer alot of money.
Study of Berks police departments' per-resident costs finds West Reading spends the most
West Reading chief disputes study's math
By Darrin Youker
Reading Eagle
A study that looked at the cost of providing police coverage in Berks County found that West Reading pays more for service than any other municipality.
The cost of paying for 15 officers - their salaries, benefits, overtime costs and related expenses - tops out at $465 per resident in the borough, the Berks County Policing Study found.
That is higher than any of the other police departments that supplied information for the study. There are 40 departments in the county.
However, West Reading and county officials pointed out that not every department supplied the same information to the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C., firm that authored the study for the county.
The issue of how much West Reading pays for police service came up again Monday at a meeting held at the West Reading Fire Department to get feedback from residents on the concept of merging police departments.
It was a follow-up to the series of meetings the county commissioners held to discuss the results of the study, which also showed the costs of forming regional or countywide forces.
West Reading Borough Councilman James Gallen, who has pushed for a manpower study of the size of the West Reading force, said the cost of policing in the borough is becoming cumbersome.
West Reading has a smaller population, and covers fewer square miles than neighboring Shillington, but still has a larger force and pays more for policing, Gallen said.
West Reading has 15 officers and pays the $465-a-year per resident cost, compared with Shillington's seven officers and $162-per-resident cost, he said.
"Our guys do a great job, but we are bursting at the seams," Gallen said. "I don't know how much longer we can afford this. This is going to put us in the poorhouse."
But West Reading police Chief Edward C. Fabriziani said that West Reading factored in every cost - from salaries and benefits to equipment upkeep - while some did not provide a similar level of information for the study.
West Reading Borough Councilman Kevin Conrad said he pays less than $465 a year in borough taxes, making it impossible that is the true cost per resident for police services.
County Commissioner Kevin M. Barnhart, a former borough councilman who attended the meeting, said 35 of the 40 police departments in Berks that responded to the study recorded their costs differently from one another.
For example, Boyertown's overtime costs for police are paid out of its water fund, but the authors of the study did not include the costs because they are not paid from the general fund, Barnhart said.
Instead, the study looked at the cost submitted by each municipality and divided that by the number of residents, he said.
"When you look at the numbers, they are skewed," Barnhart said.
Among the options presented in the study was forming 10 regional police departments around Berks, including merging the forces in West Reading and Wyomissing.
The study recommended that a merged force should have 41 officers, with an estimated first-year budget of $4.5 million. The cost per resident would be $307, the study said.
Using a countywide force, which is currently prohibited by state law, would cost $245 per resident, Barnhart said.
Berks County moved ahead with the police study to see if residents can save money, yet get better service through a regionalized approach, Barnhart said.
Meetings such as Monday's can help elected officials get more information and perhaps get the conversation started on regional forces, he said.
"We can't dictate to municipalities what to do," he said.
Contact Darrin Youker: 610-371-5032 or dyouker@readingeagle.com.
If the renters (the students) costs the taxpayers a lot of money, THEN RAISE THE PERMIT OCCUPANCY FEES TO THE LANDLORDS!!!!!, don't push it on the taxpayers to make up the slack. This is basic elementary philosophy and makes common sense.
Guess what Marino? I went to the borough hall to verify all your numbers and figures ... once again, Marino blows smoke. None of your baloney holds out! I have a cost accounting degree which qualifies me to be able to say that, so i know of where i speak. I can also recall a year or so ago there was a 16 year old high school girl doing a civics project, and she asked you to publish on your blog, the responses you received from the ACLU, state attorney generals office, the governors office, etc. Your reply was that you would show her this information if she would stop by your house. Imagine, asking a teenager to do something like that. I`m sure her parents were none too happy with that idea. Another case of you blowing smoke. Do you honestly expect us to believe that you have responses that back up your assertions of the borough`s mis-handling of funds, and you will not share that information on your blog? Who are you?
M. Miller ??? I quit smoking August 12, 1983. You have a cost accounting degree. Who did you see at the Borough Hall that stated my figures and charges are untrue? The Borough does not employ anyone with a degree in accounting. Being you are an expert on figures why don't you publish the true figures and deny my charges? Why doesn't any Borough Official challange me? Might you be an impostor.
My blog is about wild spending by Borough Officials and I get 2 comments. One about Police Depts. and one attacking me. Please address my blog. Thanks. Jerry Bachelor of Civil Engineering Brookln Polytech 1957 and former Mayor of Kutztown
Shut up or prents the facts M. Miller.
You might have quit smoking, but you are still blowing it.
Just love the mis-spelled words your followers continue to use in their comments. Hmmmmmmmmm.
cinse wen duhes the word misspelled hav a hypen in it?
Mr Marino:
As usual you have nothing but your own personal assessments. You criticize residents for paying water, sewer, electric and telecom services, WHICH PAY THE FREIGHT RATHER THAN TAXES. If you did not write your payment to the Borough, where would you? That's right, you are in favor of funding other communities, MAKES PERFECT SENSE FROM A Lunatic’s PERSPECTIVE!
You are a misguided idiot. If you are so in favor of eliminating the utilities from Kutztown, then how do you propose the Borough pays for Police, and Code, Parks, Pool, etc ? You NUT, you are proposing TAXES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS to pay the FREIGHT!
If you are so sold on this idea, WHY DID YOU LEAVE NEW YORK! TAXES FOREVER THERE. If you FAVOR this environment, WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY?
MOVE TO ANOTHER TOWN AN PAY FOR YOUR UTILITIES TO ANOTHER TOWN AND PAY FOUR TIMES THE TAXES YOU CURRENTLY PAY.
What a fool.
Why doesn't the Borough challenge you? because you have NEVER OFFERED A SINGLE STATEMENT THAT PROVES WHAT YOU SAY.
Hometown Utilicom loosing a million a year. You have been saying this since 2000. How can that be possible? So ask again why people, such as the Attorney General, ACLU, FBI, CIA don't take you serious?
You still falsely identify yourself as the Mayor of Kutztown, What a farce, what you should do is tag how you failed to go more than one term and how you received less than 50 votes to remain in office.
How embarrassing can it be. You have ruined the MARINO name and embarrassed your family and you want SENIOR CITIZENS TO PAY MORE TAXES by elminiating the Utilities?
I am a Hometown Customer and damn proud of it! Both the Television and Internet are amazing services and WE HAVE ENJOYED MAJOR DISCOUNTED PRICING DUE TO THEIR EXISTENCE! Million Dollar losses per year, what a fool!
Some very good points and questions.
Why are you living in Kutztown if you don't support the community by paying for services owned and operated by the Borough?
Why are you living in Kutztown if you don't agree with the residents paying lessor taxes and purchasing Borough operated utilities and services?
Why are you living in Kutztown if you want to pay more in taxes?
Why are you living in Kutztown and when asked to produce proof to support your claims, you cowar and only offer excuses?
Why are you living in Kutztown?
I know you may possibly be confused because the current Borough Financial Report indicates Hometown Utilicom shows revenues approaching 1 million dollars in 2009. Are you Dyslexic?
This Marino Character is right!
Why should you people in Kutztown have more than the rest of us?
Why should your taxes be lower and why your Cable and Internet rates?
Kutztown should get rid of the utilities and Regionalize the Police Department and collect taxes, just like the rest of us.
Yes Marino, WHY ARE YOU LIVING IN KUTZTOWN? You have nothing good to say about our community, so just leave, PLEASE.
Marino: Where do you get your figures from? HU is growing by leaps and bounds, and is making money, not losing it as you want everyone to believe. If you are doubtful of my remark, please feel free to publish proof instead of just saying it is so!
I agree
Come on Mr Marino, print something that supports your claims.
The financials are on the web, available at the counter at Borough Hall it shows HU closing in on 1 million dollars in revenue proving you wrong.
It doesn't get any better than that.
NO WAY! DO NOT RAISE MY PROPERTY Tax!! Your recommendation only inflates the housing pricing and benefits the landlords, which you are one of. DON'T DO IT KUTZTOWN OFFICIALS.
Can any of you Seniors imagine what the cost of living would be MINUS THE UTILITIES AND HOMETOWN?
There is NO WAY those of you on a fixed income could suvive. Why does MARINO support this? becuase he and other landlord investors want YOUR PROPERTY for STUDENT RENTAL INVESTMENTS.
DON'T FALL FOR THIS TACTIC!!!
What are documents you looking at Marino? Share it with the rest of us.
Talk is cheap Marino.
Also, stop asking little girls to stop by your home so you CAN SHARE YOUR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS. YA RIGHT!!! I also remember and have a copy of that POSTING.
Mr. Marino: I believe that now would be a good time to print the proof of your accusations against the borough. I say this because, if , and that`s a big IF, your accusations have any merit, or truth, certain elected borough council members could come under investigation for indictment of no less than an attempt to defraud. This is a serious business. Show us what you got! NOW!-
Sir: I reluctantly have to agree with the last few remarks posted to your blog. I have been behind you to this time, up to a point. Now i too would like to see some of your evidence. You have folks in this town who are not part of the good old boy network, myself included. Help us who are not as wise as you in ousting the so called scoundrels in office.
none of the brainiacs who hate mr marino have answered this:
"If the Borough spends $4,200 per resident per year and only $298 for police, will someone explain to me how the Good Old Boys and Girls are spending $3,902 a year and why retired senior citizens can no longer afford to live in the Borough."
but they sure can talk a lot of shit for senior citizens.
Post a Comment