Rick (“Mr. Transparency”) Pollitt has reached a new, higher level. Today he will ask the County Council to approve a budget amendment, but refuses to put it before the citizens for comment until then. We won’t know what he wants until after the fact. This is from today’s Daily Times:
“On Tuesday, Pollitt is expected to introduce a budget amendment to address the $6.3 million imbalance between revenues and expenses. At the last council meeting, he pulled the bill off the agenda days before the meeting. "It's on there right now," County spokesman Jim Fineran said late Friday.
Fineran said he could not share any details of the budget amendment.”
Let’s hope than it won’t be necessary to go after any more of those twenty dollar pens.
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He needs to cut the pork no matter how it hurts his good ole boys circle. then have a salary reduction in his and his good ole boys like he enactson county employees. that should save more than his expected request in his budget ammendment. i would like to see how much is being requested for the whiny teachers who feel they should be exempt from any penalties others are mandated to suffer in this economic down turn.
ReplyDeleteFor about the 100th time those pens did not come from the county's general fund.And they went to people who spend countless hours working for the citizens of the county with no compensation.
ReplyDeleteIf that's all you can come up with as an example of the "government waste" you and your cohorts here continaully blather on about,then maybe Pollitt is right about modifying the ill conceived revenue cap you all continually defend.
What I suspect you will see today is a budget that involves deep cuts..cuts that will curtail needed services to citizens.Perhaps when Wicomico becomes the poorest county in the state with no one living here other than those who can't get out,you will see the light.
It's bad enough that nobody can really explain to us when and how we take these furlough days but to top that off our supervisors are mad that we even want to take them instead of working for free!
ReplyDeleteNow, there are going to be more cuts?!?!
I say we get rid of those lazy ones (despite seniority and title) that don't do any work. The ones that just sit around reading the newspaper, having personal conversations on their cellphones, walking from office to office gossiping and complaining, the ones that are outside smoking every half hour, that use the county's time to do all of their socializing! That would wipe out most of the debt right there! Start at WCDC and we won't have so much debt!
And just what kind of cuts are those that private contract getting? NONE! They can be private contractors because they work in different departments in the county and get paid the same amount as usual and not cut a penny. These are usually some of the highest paid people anyway! This budget cutting needs to be looked at in a more realistic way. Step back and look at reality. We have way too many people stealing from the county- let's cut there first!
You can cut those positions of the useless code enforcement officers who drive around all day finding private property to walk up on to get photos of grass more than 12 inches tall or vehicles without tags being worked on by the owner. Cut some of these Gestapo tactics and their related costs and you wouldn't have to furlough those positions that are REALLY needed. Like law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteHes scared to let the public see this because of all the up-roar on this blogg the last time.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't want the public to see because the cuts are not hitting where they should be.
ReplyDeletePollitt should do away with the "public information officer" position held by Fineran. Then he might get some support from raising the tax cap amount.
ReplyDeleteI watched the meeting.Pollitt was challenged by several council members for a lack details from several key departments. A public hearing will be held on November 10 @ 7PM during which time you can weigh in and ask questions.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is certain,next year is going to be worse and you are going to see cutbacks that will affect your quality of life.
theres a snake in the wood pile or he wouldnt mind letting the ppl know whats going on.....the city & county need to merge to save all of us money but they wont do that because of them losing their own jobs but they dont care about the smaller man on that totem pole....consolidate save money all the way around....
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:48 PM,
ReplyDeleteI agree, the City and County should merge in serval different areas especially because the City Limits are so irregular which make policing, road maintainence and other services a lot more difficult. I know a guy that works for the Planning office and before he told me, I never knew that the Wicomico Planning office is the only department in the state that works for both, the County and a Municipality. It seems to work for them, why can't other departments do it too? Look at how many people the Planning office has compared to Wicomico's Public Works office. They have about the same amount of people, yet the Planning office serves Wicomico County as well Salisbury.
I was also kind of shocked to see that some of the Council members were ragging on the Planning office today at the council meeting when it seems to me like they take on more work with less employees.
If the City and County Roads merged, they would require less vehicles, less equipment, less storage area and less employees. Let's face it, we all have seen a road crew out fixing a pot hole or paving a street and there are always five guys standing around while only one was working! Same goes for the County and City tax office because everytime I go in there to pay my taxes, a parking ticket or what ever there is always two or three employees standing around and socializing. The Sheriff's department could also teach Salisbury Police a thing or two about controlling crime as well!
I can guarantee that if the City and County merged certain departments together they could do a lot more with less and have a lot lower budgets/expenditures.
anon 9;11
ReplyDeleteYou need to get your facts correct before you post.The pens were given to Pollitt, council members,and office staff, people who are very well paid for what they do.
I garonteeeee it includes a need to break the revenue cap for more money.
ReplyDelete5:24~AND accruals that have been on the books such for things such as the pension and life insurance.
ReplyDelete4:37...MOST went to unpaid volunteers AND you conveneiently ignore the fact that the pebs were paid for with funds EARNED by tourism.
ReplyDelete