Today both The Reading Eagle and The Morning Call had articles about Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law. If all Boroughs, Townships and Cities published their records as required by law we would not need a Right to Know Law? We need the Law because our municipalities and legislators do not want the public to know what they are doing. A good example is the Borough of Kutztown’s business venture Hometown Utilicom. There has never been a complete financial report on HU since its inception in 2002. The number of subscribers and the amount of revenue from this venture, which is not a utility, should be published every month. If the Borough published all the information about HU everyone will see revenue and subscribers are not rising and like I have been saying HU loses 1 million a year.
The Borough should also update the Budget monthly as they did a few years ago. The Borough does not even publish the Annual Budget 90 days after the end of the year as required by the Borough Code.
The Borough Solicitors Barley Snyder and the Borough Auditors Long & Barrell are both well aware of what is going on and permit these Borough Code violations. The Solicitor, the Auditor and the Borough have been together for a long time. Jerry
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Prove it Marino, Prove what you say.
"Like Santa Clause we believe in you Mr Mayor".. WOW does that say it all!
Hey here's your chance Genny. Prove the Borough has not published a financial report on HU? Prove HU loses $1m per year? Prove what accounting world updates the BUDGET ... monthly? I do believe you are a bit confused.
Proovide Proof Marino.
No Names please call the Borough Hall and ask when there was a report published on HU and if there was one I will get it and post it.
HU does lose $1 million a year because !,000 subscribers can not support a telecommunication system. Last year the Borough borrowed $1.3 million to finance HU. And now after 7 years the Council is forming a committee to study the operation.
I will gladly meet any one or group of No Names at the Borough Hall and show you Borough Documents that prove HU loses $1 million a year. Please e-mail me at kmayor@ptd.net for an appointment. Sincerely, Jerry
I am entitling this blog item as “FAT” – Required spending b LAW.
Marino recently writes about the Right to Know Law and how great it is and the purpose to expose Government. Hiding information. First the Law pertains to more than Government, it pertains to ANY State or Federal Entity including Universities.
This Law was spear headed by the News Paper Industry, no surprise. As you can see only the Reading Eagle accepts Marino’s write in and prints them as well.
Bet you did not know when Marino makes a request to the Borough under the Open Records Law the cost associated with the request is paid for by your Utility Monies. Bet you did not know that. Under the Administration Expense Budget Item of the Borough is the location where funds are for paying for these types of expenses. So what expenses am I referring to? A request may require research, may require information from the Borough’s Solicitor, Engineers, Information from Code, Insurance carriers, copying documents, the list goes on and on and on. All the while YOU the Borough Resident is paying for Marino’s request. The cost to Marino, nothing more than copying fees, the cost to you, the hours of gathering information based on the request. Most of the time it is information already distributed or available via the web and the request points to the web for the answer, other times it must be copied and returned with the request.
Bet you did not know about some other FAT, once again brought on by the News Paper Industry. All BIDS must be advertised in the News Paper, SPECIFICALLY THE NEWS PAPER. Guess how much the cost is per AD? Minimally $300. Each BID must be advertised, by LAW, two times. So the Borough, sorry YOU THE RESIDENT pay for this, once again from your Utility Monies. Marino advocates this. Its not effecting ONLY MARINO THE COMPLAINER it has an effect on all OF YOU.
Now for the sake of argument lets say there are no utilities available to the Borough to pay these fees, where would the money come from? THAT IS RIGHT! TAXES!!!!!!!!!! Your tax rate in Kutztown would increase to the level of other communities that do not have Utility Services.
Marino fails to describe the value of the Utlities, and for those of you complaining your electric rate is higher than PPL and METed, that will CHANGE IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. How would you feel today if you received the latest letter from PPL saying the rate for Electricity will increase by 35-45% in the coming year? AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TRANSMISSION FEE which adds another 15-20% on top of this. Marino is not telling you the entire story.
Ask a neighbor on PPL or METed to show you their recent letters, then take a look at what your utility is doing for Kutztown!.
CONSUMER RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Marino, you are lying to the people once again. I was interviewed for a position on the Hometown Utilicom Advisory Board. The Board is created to have a voice in the television and internet services offered, I suggested this a year ago and they decided to follow through. It was created to provide customer intake to help with future decisions such as type of DVR units, TV show content, Internet Movie access, advertising campaigns, marketing. I was there, asked the questions and support the decision to allow customers to have a voice in the product I purchase.
You don't like the product, don't use it. I do and want to help with the future direction. The money stays in the community.
Marino why don’t you tell people in Kutztown about the $25 credit to every Kutztown Only Customer offered by Servie Electric? People, do you realize the undercutting tactics of Service Electric? The special handling of landlords to keep HU out of apartment complex’s such as Garden Apartments? Do any of you know about the Kutztown University selection of Service Electric over Hometown and the game they played? The $25 credit you enjoy at home is a direct result of the Borough having a competitive product. Remove the competition and you people enjoying the $25 credit will lose out. Then What? You should be appalled that Service Electric can get away with this undercutting. I remember the problems in town before Hometown and the lack of service or attention we had. Continuing to use their product and enjoying the credit is not helping this community. Want the Utlity rates to go down, then use your head and change to HU so the profit can stay in this Community.
Do you have any idea how much money has remained in Kutztown due to the $25 credit to each Kutztown customer? Last reported, over $1.5 million to date in savings. WAKE UP before people like Marino ruin this community.
GK
I notice that some of the comments to your blog are signed, and you still refer to them as NO NAMES. Why is that? You can`t run and you can`t hide. Give it up.
Marino I had an interesting conversation today with a friend from Reading. How true is this, I was told you write to the Reading Eagle every day and they have REFUSED TO PRINT your poison. I also heard you DEMANDED THEY print your poison and have threatened them by contacting the State Right To Know Officer.
So, you are now DEMANDING that a private company must bow to your DEMANDS!!
BULLY for the Reading Eagle in resisting your attacks.
So, Marino how true is this?
Happy Holidays Jerry!
Seems odd, all the research and legal maneuvering the Borough must do just to fill an open records request from a tax paying citizen.
Certainly makes one feel like they're hiding something.
Lets put the servant back in public servants.
Good solid reporting Jerry. Keep it up!
Hometown Utilicom loses $1 million a year which is about $80 thousand a month, the payment on the Borough debt is about $100,000 a month. How important are the $25 charges you mention?
It costs the Borough nothing to make existing records public.
I repeat utility revenue can not be used for anything utility expenses except Electric revenue.
My only contact with The Reading Eagle is my letters to the Editor and I appreciate them for printing them. Thank you Reading Eagle Editor. I never defended the Right to Know Law what I said was we would not need a Right to Know Law if the Municipalities made there records available to the Public as is required by Law.
What money stays in the Borough all the Borough employees with the big salaries live outside the Borough. More Borough Money goes to HU to buy TV and iternet services outside the Borough.
When electric rates are raised by PP&L and Met Ed when the caps come off their rates will still be lower than Kutztown's.
The people that sign their names are No Names because no one has mentioned or accepted my challenge to e-mail me for an appointment to meet me at the Borough Hall where I will show them with Borough records that ALL my statements are true.
Yes I am hiding at kmayor@ptd.net
Yes I am hiding at the Coffee Shop.
Yes I am hiding on W. Main Street.
Yes I am hiding in my Red Corvette.
All you nickel and dime artists who comment do not want to admit the Borough loses $1 million a year on HU and has a Debt of $14 million and all Borough rates for Services are out of control. Not one of you has the Courage to go to the Borough Hall and get facts to refute what I say.
I am really enjoying this Holiday Season. My Mom used to say every Knock is a boost. Thank you all. Yours truly Jerry
Funny Marino that you publish "your own facts". When was the last time you attended a committee meeting? Council Meeting? a Public meeting? You hide from this becuase the facts are presented but your "absentee" is purpose to avoid being shut down. You challenge someone to go to Borough Hall to meet you, Why? Why don't you attend a Council Meeting so it can be shown on television to all the Kutztown Residents? Speak about hiding, who's hiding, only you!
Stupidy abundant, it does cost money to answer a right to know. Ask any entity that must prepare one. That's idiotic to think there are no costs involved. How would you know anyway? you never worked for a Government or creditable firm. What experience are you speaking from?
Marino, you have all the right to call for a PUBLIC MEETING, why Haven't you done so? Borough Hall is at your disposal, I am sure the Reading Rag will advertise the meeting for you, it is your right, WHY HAVEN't YOU CALLED FOR SUCH A MEETING? You know as well as I do, you would be embarrassed and your supporter would be put to shame with fact and support for Hometown.
You have NO RIGHT to speak for me or any other Borough Resident. I enjoy the service, love the TV content, know WHAT POOR INTERNET AND TV SERVICE was all about before the Borough built its own service.
The rest of us don't support you Marino, SO CALL FOR A PUBLIC VENUE and LETS MEET PUBLICLY not PRIVATEY
To all the hometown supporters out there: Jerry will never attend a council meeting. That would take guts. He boasted that he would attend EVERY council meeting after being ousted as mayor. He has attended none. Why not question council with his so called facts at council meeting on TV for all to see? No guts. As for the Reading Eagle. He writes them at least 3 letters a week. They let one slip through every now and again by mistake. Remember when governor Rendell was in town at council meeting when Jerry was mayor. Rendell warned council to keep that nut away from him. Jerry even followed him out trying to grab onto his coat tail for attention, but he was shoved aside by security as he left. There is much more sordid stuff i can tell you about the gutless one, but i will rest for now. Yours truly,
The latest comments are from Borough Officials, Borough Lackeys and Borough Shills and in true fashion do not have the courage to identify themselves. e-mail me for an appointment at the Borough Hall it will not be private you can bring all your No Names with you. I copy the Mayor and the Borough Council with almost all my blogs. They do not have the courage to reply to me so they have No Names attack me personally.
My e-mail is kmayor@ptd.net
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