Refresh my memory. Wasn't there a TV show called "To Tell the Truth"? A contestant had to decide if the story was true or not true. Well it appears to me that is exactly what is happening in our local government. Let me try and explain. This past Friday - Mr. Pollitt, and our County's Finance Director and a couple of others along with delegations from the other eight Shore counties went to the Legislature in Annapolis to testify against the bill proposing to shift the teacher's pensions down to the counties. Well the presentation spelled out the 'doom and gloom' in county budgets. Revenues were decreasing, the housing market hadn't bottomed out yet, the assessible base was still shrinking, the State was passing more and more operational costs down to the local counties in an attempt to 'bleed' less money. Wicomico is definitely hurting when you hear this presentation.Now back up a month. The place - Wicomico County Council chambers - where the BOE, Finance Director, and County Executive are giving a presentation to our County Council about how good the county was doing financially in that employment was recently up, revenues were increasing, housing market appeared to have bottomed and that there might be light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, they were optimisitc about the county's financial future. Just like the TV show right? And for a bonus - some new repackaged information comes to light two weeks later and makes one of the council members change her decision to give the go-ahead for the new school. Kind of just like the TV show right. The County Council has to decide who is giving truthful information. The only trouble is this game costs the taxpayers millions!
In order for the taxpayers to have a fair chance in this game I sent the presentation to the Board of Public Works so that they too can get in the game and decide the facts of this story. I think I'll even go up to the final hearing in Baltimore just to view the outcome and be there in case they have any questions. If anyone else would like to go with me - please contact me as I'm in the local phone book.
John Palmer
VOICE - President
New Posts to fall below.
12 comments:
I saw the presentation on PAC 14 and I too thought they were being overly optimistic about our local economy. I thought to myself - jobs, what new jobs. If anything, I thought the local economy was getting worse.
From my perspective there is a lot of fog in and around Salisbury.
When is Rick Pollitt gonna bash his buddy Norm Conway for sponsoring HB 1412 -- that would let the State rob the County's piggy back tax revenue and sent it to the Board of Ed?
Don't hold you breath because that bill is really a scheme by Pollitt and Strausberg who are playing Conway like a bad violin.
Why are you so out to hurt this County? Of course the county wants the picture to look bad to the board of public works....and it WILL be bad if they pass us the teacher pensions. You got what you wanted John. You got your revenue cap and look what it has done. Where is voice in helping to get us out of the mess now. You all have room to talk, a bunch of snake oil salesman. I know people that were at meetings where voice spoke urging them to sign the petition. What we got is not what they understood. Oh well. Maybe we can all start washing cars with Don Coffin....becasue it worked out so good for him.
Well said Mr Palmer, Pollitt's bulls#$% presentation on Bennett Middle was questioned by Culver, Hollaway, and Barkovitch,however the rest of the council is still drinking the Obama, OMally, OPollitt coolaid.
Small business owners know the economy on the shore is not getting better.Maybe those who work gov't jobs getting your tax money do.
5:56, get your head out of the sand. you seem to have trouble reading the numbers. get better educated before you comment. ignorance begats ignorance and no one is the better.
Response to 5:56 Post which said; 'VOICE helping to get us out of this mess'
Answer: Our founding fathers always wanted a system of checks & balances because they always knew that
'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'
The problem is compounded because the other main stream press (DT) will not hold their feet to the fire in the County Executive's office because it is also socialist.
The press never makes the democrats accountable for what they do.
My opinion as a taxpayer - close scrutiny is prudent and I thank VOICE for trying to intervene.
9:39am & 10:37am--Whine all you want. That's what I see with both of your posts. What are your solutions? I'd like to see them.
As a retired county employee, I can tell you from experience that the "powers that be" at the Government Office Building still do not have a clue. All they know, is tax and spend. Never how can we cut spending, just keep on making the budget bigger for the "little people" to pay the bill. Put me in charge for 1 year with the power to cut costs and they would have money to refund to the taxpayers. (Learn a lesson from Sussex County ??) If it were not for VOICE we would be paying out twice the amounts that we are currently paying. I am thankful people like the VOICE group are keeping a watchful eye on the "good old boys." Someone has to!
10:37 & 3:39
DITTO. It couldn't have been stated any better.
THANK GOD FOR VOICE >>>LONG LIVE VOICE AND ITS PRINCIPAL TO STOP THE WASTE AND ABUSE of our already high taxes..THIS IS A GREEDY STATE...GO VOICE I'm with you and while your at it!! ...SCHOOL VOUCHERS NOW were can I sign the petition??
The mixed signals coming out of city hall kind of makes you want to scratch your head even though it doesn't itch.
What is it, are we in a recession and coming out,or, are we in a recession and going to depression.
As for myself, I'm working longer, harder, for less money. Expenses are steadily rising and I'm falling further behind.
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