Just the other day, I ate some crow and went with a $900K purchase price for the Johns Manville site. This as is most of what the City puts out true for just one specific action. But I have thought about the missing $75K, I noted earlier.
So I went and spent a few hours going through some of the B&F, City Council Meeting Notes that I have and came up with a few numbers that begin to account for that $75K.
Below is a partial list of monies that I have found that begins to account for the dollars:
1. City Council approves after an Executive Session $35K for an Environmental Study for the JM property- 22 August 2013.
2. $2,000 for an Appraisal of JM River Front property approved by Budget Committee 10 September 2013.
Budget & Finance meeting of 5 November 2014 notes the cost of $22,000., for an Environmental Study at JM. Triad Engineering awaiting approval of cost of additional testing estimated at $4K to $8K to get an accurate report of the study.
3. 6 November 2013 City Council Meeting notes the second reading and approval of $45,000. for the purchases of properties at a Tax Sale to be held 7 November 2013 for alleviating blight in or near the City of Vienna. These were alleged to be by the JM site and supposedly Mr. Rapp was out bid by Jimmie Harper Construction. Property along 32d Ave? What happened to the $45K NOT used at this time?
4. 14 November 2013, the above $35K Study cost was updated to reflect $22,800 used and that a maximum amount of $8,400 has been asked for by the State of West Virginia for additional testing commencing 18 November 2013.
So in essence, we have $2,000., for an Appraisal; $45,000.,for Tax Property Bids that did or did not happen; $35,000., in Environmental Study(ies) or close too ($31,200), that are noted.
I do not have every document as until now, the issue on the $975K versus $900K had not come up? A lot of money gets wrapped up in Budget Revisions where the amounts and Accounts/ line items do not show up in the open as to where, when and why happen? $24,800., is clearly noted, but so much more is ???????
And I need point out that many, many copies of minutes for the B&F are not put out for Public Reading. These meetings are where things really happen. Once passed through to the City Council Meetings, it is a mostly if not completely rubber stamped process. They have to be gotten through a FOIA which is how I found the above numbers. I do NOT have every copy of every Council or B&F Meeting Minutes over the past years. But for sure have most of the past 4 years.
But each time I ever bought a Home as an example, the Appraisal, a Home inspection and on and on were part and parcel of the Total Cost. Here, they have rightly said only $900K was paid for the JM property. But we also have as noted above at least another $24,800., up to a maximum number of dollars at the $2K+ $45+ $35+ = $82K somewhere or another? And I do believe that there are other expenses not yet noted and the fact that the $45K may have ended back up in the account it started out of on paper?
Myself, I will say YES to the $900K; but for sure all in all we paid a lot more and I am probably right that it was in Truth closer to $975K.
Why the City is suddenly trying to cover up costs and/ or where monies have went is not as important as the fact that the City is lying about something?
At the City Council Meeting tonight (22 Feb 2018), Ms. Roberts again commented on the 2017- 2018 Health Care Premiums for the City being $1.200,000 Million. I have heard this number once before in a Meeting, but it did not show up in any minutes as is usually the case when the City is hiding information. I do have a document showing the 2017- 2018 Premiums being $1,354,000. dollars give or take. This document and some others were what caused the latest Law Suit with the City on trying to get Health Insurance Premium cost for a five (5) year period. Did NOT get that total cost for even one year when I asked in a FOIA.
Yet once again, Ms. Roberts noted that there are changes by the end of the year for reasons like Marriage/ new children as examples. It finally came out that the employee cost has not changed in 20 years. It is as noted before as an example: $0 for a single employee/ month; $32/ month for an adult and one child; $80/month for a couple and say $99.54/month for a family. The rest of the say $25,000/year for a family is picked up by the City (TAX PAYERS). Ms. Roberts was very evasive on the coverage for the reason that the employees pay almost nothing for anything. Just about every possible charge is covered 100% by the City/ Insurance.
They do have a $6750 Deductible before the Insurance would in theory pay 100%. Because they pay nothing for most services, they could not possibly meet that amount in a year. It is just a number to appease anyone looking at that particular cost item. You don't believe me, I will be glad to show you the Summary of Benefits from 2012-2013 up to 2017- 2018.
I would tell you the reason for this exceptional coverage but would cause some outrage with a couple of folks at the City getting unbelievable cover for Catastrophic Illnesses. 'nuff said'.