So now, I am going to bring up the next sycophant to awaken that night was the ever supportive Mr. Rogers, no matter the shenanigans of Mr. Rapp and the rest of the crew.
But I am going to preface him with this caveat. No matter how poorly he has and is serving the Community as a whole now, he still and will always have my respect for serving his Country in the day. That cannot and will not change no matter what he has and is doing now.
So when his turn came to speak on the Fee Reduction, he began with his story on when first elected, he had a call from the new Mayor. Now this goes back into the annals of time as he has been on the City Council for 30 years I believe. To find out who was Mayor than, one would have to go back to read the old stone tablets stored in the Police Building on 31st Street? And in any case, he is a living, breathing example for Term Limits.
In any case, there was fear that the City would not be able to pay the Staff on the next payday. Now just what that had to do with the current issue is a bit ambiguous but it is what it is.
He noted that with the closures of Elder-Beerman, H. H. Gregg and K-Mart, revenue would drop in the coming year. Now this is very true to a degree. But if the City had managed its money wisely instead of spending like a drunken sailor on his/ her first night in port, we would not that particular problem to the degree being put out. And one needs to understand that it was and is a "scare" tactic by him. And I mean no disrespect to our Navy/ Marine brethren as it is an old axiom that was pretty on the button in older days. I still believe it makes a solid point? Instead, the idea of "Budgeting" in Vienna is to spend into every available dollar. Now understand, there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars hidden in various accounts. So any alleged shortfall is a matter of deception versus Truth. The above stores are not being closed because they had record sales but more a lack of business. We need be watching Toys R Us with a 100 stores closing and the probability of layoffs overall? And of course the ever dwindling prospects of Sears?
We definitely have financial issues coming but the solution is to reduce spending and devote our dollars to the City Proper, not go nuts in what we do. Mr. Rapp, Mr. Rogers and the rest of the VUB should have been taking care of our Sewer/ Water Infrastructure more so than what has been done in the past five years and even going back to Mr. Nohe who would not devote funds to the City needs in his 16 year Tenure which included all or in part Mr. Rapp, Ms. Smith and Mr. Rogers.
He than went on with the Police Pension and how the City paid $670K a few years back. Now might also have been a good time to tell the Community that the Police Pension is about 86% fully funded. Plus again, I will note if an issue, than we need to approach closing this Pension and seeing about going into the less expensive one for new hires?
Along with the above, he talked about the Police Department having a $2.6 Million Dollar Budget as if it is somehow being short changed. If the PD is so hard up, how could they manage to find the money to buy 10 new vests for the "Vienna Swat Team" after just buying new ones 4 years ago? The vests are supposed to last five years? Was there something defective with the old ones? Are the new ones special compared to the old ones? Or was it just because the PD had so much extra money and decided "Oh what the Hell, let's do it"? It could be asked but what we lost 20% of what we put out in the prior purchase? A little clarity would help here Mr. Rogers, Ms. Smith or Mr. Rapp?
What was sad about this old warrior was his comment that anyone complaining about $2.00/ month was ludicrous. And that the biggest crime in Vienna was shop lifting. Well, allow me this, the estimated $12/ month for the new Sewer/ Water Fee for one resident is said to be 259 gallons of milk for one woman and her child. The kid is said to drink almost a gallon a day. Now I don't know where she is able to buy that cheap or if on some sort of assistance, but too her, that increase is substantial. Combine that concept with the elderly who received a tiny increase and have to pay another $25/ month for Medicare which eats up most if not all of that increase, and that estimated $12/ month becomes a budget breaker.
And to try and declare shop lifting as the biggest crime in Vienna is mindboggling? May I ask you Mr. Rogers if you are getting senile? Or are you so busy pursuing the Rapp agenda that you have allowed yourself to become stupid? We have an epidemic drug problem going on. It is how some are supporting their habit to steal/ shop lift.
I have asked before and will yet again Sir, what the Hell did you teach to the kids as a Teacher if you are such a Progressive Liberal that you seem to be following the Rapp/ Leach concept that if one cannot find the money for the tiny Sewer/ Water increases that maybe they should move out? That small Sewer/ Water increase was NOT needed had the VUB managed its money properly.
He wants to actually increase the PD fee but to do it gradually as he suggested for the Sewer/ Water Rates instead of all at once. But for some reason that idea just disappeared? And than he presented Mr. Bibbee's idea to lower the PD fee from 65 down to 60. That to take in more Elderly? So he wants to raise the Fee albeit gradually but also take in many more people who would be eligible for the rate reduction? Combined with the almost impossible task of trying to figure out the plusses and minuses on that deal, that would only burden the younger and maybe not so fortunate with more expense on whatever livelihood they have?
His final point was to get through the 2018-2019 Budget Process next year before making any reductions. This is a dangerous step as it was used to sand bag tax reductions in past years by not covering properly IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, so it did not get addressed in time.
Mr. Rapp at this point injected to wait until the Budget Process before removing the Fee. This due to the need for getting the numbers for Health Insurance next year. And those will not be available till February. Right here is where this issue is getting sand bagged again. The Budget needs to be off to Charleston by about the 20th of March. It has to have two (2) votes to pass it which often requires at least one special meeting in March. Estimated Premium numbers are used sometimes to get the Budget through as in the past the so called firm numbers were not done in time. A lot of flim flam goes on with this Budget during this time frame and for the Fee reduction to get lost in the shuffle would not be too surprising.
It should be quite obvious that Mr. Rapp, Ms. Smith and Mr. Rogers are NOT in favor of any further reductions. Had Mr. Leach been at the meeting, I am comfortable he would have not spoken on any reductions. That is a four (4), vote minimum to kill it if it ever got to that point?
I will try to finish up the conversations from the Council tomorrow. 'nuff said'.