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Date Posted: Wednesday, October28, 03:41:pm
Author: Concerned Citizen
Subject: Re: City Budget
In reply to: Sometimes 's message, "Re: City Budget" on Wednesday, October28, 02:04:pm

Response to both "Reader" and "sometimes": While both of you were quick to respond to my post, neither of you said anything regarding what should be done about the restricted access to City Hall. You can see an overview of the manager's budget online which is his powerpoint presentation to council. It does not give anywhere near the information pertaining to specific line items. Try and find any municipality around here that posts their entire budget online. If I need to know something regarding the budget or any other information, I will check online and then check other sources to find out what is accurate. To say it costs $.25 to make a copy of each individual page is just an excuse...no one needs an entire copy of the budget and that is why Newburgh, along with most municipalities post a general breakdown online. It takes some legwork to get answers when it relates to any gov't budget, but to use excuses and not do anything is not being pro-active. Talk to your elected officials and interim manger if you want the entire budget available in more locations. As to the tech dept, they can only post what is given to them by the departments. As to this being one of the few places to get City information, I agree, but the question is the accuracy of the information and that is what is needed. Talk to ANY elected official here and see if they worry about being elected OUT of office based on what is said here. Hell, they don't even care what is written about them in the newspaper. For anyone seriously caring about the budget, here's a tip...go to the library, take a notepad and pencil and go through the entire budget and look at the following:
1. Budget request from dept head
2. Budget recommended by the manager
3. Expenses to date
4. Estimated actuals for current year (if included)
5. Actual costs vs budget approved for previous years

After sorting through all that material, you will have the information needed to show where department heads, manager and councilors have padded the budget for the previous several years. In some cases, elected officials NEVER look at what was expended the previous 2 years, but look at what the overall increase was over the previous years budget. After doing this work, you will now have the accurate information to go to a council meeting and speak to the facts. The irony in this is that if you did the same for every gov't budget, you would be able to show where actual cuts could take place.

There was recently an article about how the money given by the feds for various infrastructure upgrades was vastly not needed when the bids were actually received, or the work completed. It said how it was due to getting reduced costs by contractors in this economy. In reality, it had little to do with that and everything to do with the amounts requested by local, or state governments. All municipalities learned that it is easier to give back unspent money than it is to come up with additional local funds when putting in their requests. This time they got lucky and were told by the feds to use it for other "worthy" projects, rather than returning it. Do you think anyone will complain about that at the municipal or state level? I doubt it. The sad news is that this process continues next year for the so-called "shovel ready" projects. A better term for this would be local wish list projects.

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