Deep Thoughts, Cheap Shots and Bonbons
In the movie Dances with
Wolves there is a line, one of the characters says, and it goes something like
this: “Somebody back east is saying, why don’t he write?” Many of you might be
wondering the same thing about me. Why I haven’t written for a spell? I could
list numerous reasons, some might be worth mentioning, and others would be
insignificant.
In simple
true-to-life terminology –
I’m back.
A few of the hot topics from the June 18th Board
of Supervisor meeting.
Agenda item #17A
Discussion and possible
action to accept the 2015 Legislative Summary. Here are few of the most
interesting Bills:
SB 482 Elected Officials
Salary Bill - 3% per year increase
for all elected officials.
This encompasses all
city elected officials, including Board members.
AB 191 Fuel Tax Indexing - passed and will be put on the 2016 Ballot.
Citizens will be voting
to approve that taxes collected from Fuel Sales will go towards road
maintenance within the community where they are collected.
SB 29 NACO Home Rule
(for operations only)
This replaces Dillon
Rule. Essentially this is giving the Board more local authority-- could be a
positive for our community.
My short and snappy
overview: This had been a very informative hearing, it
would very beneficial if the Board could have received these types of updates
during the Legislative Session rather than when the Session is over.
Agenda item# 24C
To accept Staff's
recommendation to approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 1314-203 with
Marathon Staffing, titled "Temporary Staffing Services" to increase
the contract term from June 30, 2015 to June 30, 2017 and allow access to
temporary staffing for a not to exceed cost of $1,500,000.00 annually.
Behind the scenes: This agenda packet came without a shed of back up material
supporting how the spending of $1,500,000.00 is justifiable.
It is debatable how the
Board could approve spending this amount of money without any data to support
this proposal. That was my argument and the reasoning behind voting against
this proposal.
Agenda item # 27
For Possible Action: To
conduct a public hearing and take public comment regarding a proposed plan
amendment to the Plan of Expenditure for a one-eighth of one percent (0.125%)
sales tax that was originally approved by the Board of Supervisors on February
20, 2014, for public infrastructure projects pursuant to NRS 377B, including
but not limited to construction of an animal services facility, a
multi-purposes athletic center, and street and pedestrian improvements in the
downtown area and Carson Street and William Street/Highway 50 East commercial
corridors, and/or other projects as directed by the Board of Supervisors.
The Carson City Board of
Supervisors originally approved the Plan of Expenditure for a one-eighth of one
percent (0.125%) sales tax pursuant to NRS 377B on February 20, 2014. Because
of additional costs required to build the Animal Services Facility, staff is
requesting the Board amend the plan to increase the proposed budget of the
Animal Services Facility to approximately $4.5 million. Of this amount, sales
tax proceeds would account for $4.247 million and contributions the remaining
$253,000. The $4.5 million would be used to construct the Animal Services
Facility and related site improvements and fund related contingencies.
Personal Commentary: This had been the most monstrous of all agenda
items ever discussed. From the open bell to the final curtain call, this should
be memorialized as how not to conduct a Board meeting.
2014 Flashback: Main Street, North & South Carson Street,
MAC and the Animal Shelter were first voted on within a combine package that
fell under the 1/8 of a cent sale tax increase. So the Board voted on ALL of
these projects that fell under these parameters. Then each project was voted on
separately.
June 18, 2015: What recently transpired at the recent Board
meeting was a just a series of serious mistakes and it all boiled down to:
“show me the money”.
During this Board
meeting, staff made a presentation showing how 3.7 million dollars had been
approved by the previous Board (with John McKenna) using the 1/8 of a cent sale
taxes to build the Animal Shelter. Staff’s presentation had been a twist of
fate. Why? Because, now they (staff) were seeking approval for extra funding
from the Board. Why? Because, when the Animal Shelter went out to bid with
numerous late change-orders to the original drawings, guess what? Bids came in
higher than the $3.7 million dollars that had been approved to build the Animal
Shelter. Staff recommendation: increase taxes to make up the difference.
More from that Board
meeting: From the very beginning
only one Board member asked staff questions – as most of you guessed – yes, it
was me. This led to the discovery that the originally $4.0 million dollars that
was formerly set aside could be today accessible and used for the Animal
Shelter.
Essentially this story
has kind of a Hocus-Pocus type ending, as you shall see. Remember, some of the
present day Board members are on the record as saying: “we have needed an
Animal Shelter for last 20 years”. This is a true and factual statement. Oddly,
not one penny has been set aside in the last 19 years 11 months 29 days for an
Animal Shelter.
End result: We had to break from the meeting, why? So that
staff could make a new ledger showing exactly how much money there was and
where it is located.
Here is a brief outline
of how the money added up:
$3,999,999.99 of the
originally $4 million was pledged by a motion.
This new funding ledger
now includes additional contributions made by the Nevada Humane Society (NHS)
at the Board meeting. High praise goes to this organization for their donation.
When added to the
funding that CASI (another great organization) pledged, and the public
contributions made – then - to the PENNY – all the funding now was shown
on the ledger.
There was no bargaining;
there was no compromising; there was no negotiating; and not one penny
came from Carson City General Fund or any other city accounts.
What is the next step
in this process: The Animal Shelter has
gone out to bid; HOPEFULLY it will come back at or under budget. If so, then
ground breaking could occur this year. No member of the Board of Supervisors
can serve on the Animal Oversight Committee without Board approval. The
proper way is for each member of the Board to appoint a citizen to serve,
just as the Board did for the Utility Financial Oversight Committee.
Postscript: The end result is, yes – Carson City is getting
a much needed Animal Shelter. Here is the Hocus-Pocus ending – if the
Board previously approved $3.7 million to build the Animal Shelter and had
every intention of going that route but then the present day Board
amended that amount to $3,999,999.99 million – then - that is without a doubt
an increase in taxes, period.
Wrapping up -
Your water rates are
schedule to be increased July 1st and ironically on June 30th
the Utility Financial Oversight Committee will be re-considering the rates they
previously approved for commercial (water and sewer) connections charges. Why?
Because, three Board members requested it, they believed that some
organizations did not have sufficient time or opportunity to appear before the
Utility Committee at the previous meeting. Even though this agenda was posted
in similar fashion as ever other agenda packets has been posted for the last 30
years. How many organizations will give testimony at this hearing and how will
these organizations affect the previously ruling of the Oversight Committee
will be most interesting.
To You and Your Family – Happy 4th of July
Please forward this to your family, friends and neighbors
Jim Shirk
ILoveCarsonCity@gmail.com
720.5761
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