Loveland’s city staff was looking for direction Tuesday night (June 23, 2009) at the council study session. The staff presented a list of projects from the Capital Program which is funded by CEF’s (Capital Expansion Fees), Council Reserve, General Funds and other sources.
Funded capital improvement projects create a problem as the flat general fund cannot absorb the additional annual expenses a finished project will create without cutting the budget somewhere else. The staff also presented a list of planned capital improvement projects totaling $45 million that are not yet funded.
Here is what the staff presented;
It is also important to note that as the Transportation Program adds lane miles to the City’s street system, over time the Street Rehabilitation Program will need increased resources to maintain these additions if we are to maintain service levels at current standards.
Based on the revenue projections in the Financial Plan that reflect a flattening revenue stream over the ten-year period, there will be difficult decisions to make in the General Fund. Limited resources will require setting priorities for adding new services, adding new facilities and maintaining current service levels.
The reality that the city may be unable to support the infrastructure it needs to keep pace with growth already built created a somber mood. The only part of the capital program that was identified for future delays or cancellation are the improvements scheduled for the downtown area. This is awkward since Carol Johnson and other McWhinney cheerleaders on council have always sought support from downtown merchants claiming the city’s commitment to McWhinney could only help downtown. Now the cost of providing services is rising while tax revenue it not.
The downtown parking garage, the pedestrian path where Mr. Neat’s was once located along with other general improvements are now in jeopardy for lack of funding. Among the items draining current revenue is “repayment of the inter-fund loan for land purchase on State Highway 402.” That was money taken from the CEF’s (Capital Expansion Fees) to expand a current fire station and build another that City Manager Don Williams raided for land speculation on highway 402. The city now has the vacant land but no new or improved fire stations and an inter-fund debt that needs to be repaid with money that could have been used elsewhere.
Staff left frustrated at the lack of clear direction. It appeared council is not yet prepared to tell the community or staff exactly which capital programs will be indefinitely delayed in the coming years. It appears they prefer to leave the projects in the capital improvements schedule while knowing the money will not be to maintain them once they are built.
On another topic, the council concluded that a lodging tax should be placed on the ballot for November of this year. While they couldn’t agree on where the money from a lodging tax should be spent they agreed to work with public input to make that determination. The City of Loveland failed in 2000 and again in 2001 to get voter approval for the imposition of a lodging tax in Loveland.
Re. a Lodging Tax:
The whole discussion suggests it isn’t needed. If it were clearly needed, the “why” would already be evident; and they wouldn’t be struggling trying to find out why, what for, and how to persuade the public.
On the other hand, maybe the Manager and Council majority DO have something they really want it for, but don’t want to say, maybe knowing the public won’t buy it if they tell the truth…so they have to engage in some kind of subterfuge/back door to get it.
Re. the budget and capital projects:
Is anyone else as bothered as me that McWhinney employee Jay Hardy urges City not to fund improvements downtown with city money unless local businesses ante up?
What business do the McWhinneys have, anyhow, advising City on how (not) to spend money on downtown? And the arrogance…after McWhinneys were given a $700 Million in public subsidy for its own development, along with other unreported subsidies (like the building of the water tank for them, $3 Million of “stimulus” mney, and are still seeking further subsidy through discounted CEFs!
And why is Skowron seemingly more interested in what McWhinneys want than in what citizens want, anyway?
And Klassen wanting to stop any public parking facility in downtown Loveland…
well, it seems he was fine with using taxpayer funds to build McWhinney a PRIVATELY OWNED & OPERATED garage out at McWhinneyville !!!
Another irony: Council majority (McW 7) seem poised to offer deep discounts on CEFs / development fees; further cutting revenues…at a time when they’re talking about proposing a new tax!
AMEN:
http://theoutlander.19.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?p=1057#1057
I disagree. The residents have no reason to opposse this tax because they dont have to pay it.
Loveland is critically short on revenue and now looking to cut around 10 police officers. We can use that money in the general fund to advertise Loveland the WAY Michigan does on TV. The Chamber has many capable companies that know how to spend those advertising dollars to bring more business to Loveland which will in-turn create sales taxes that can support our community safety needs.
Councilwoman Johnson owes downtown business owners an apology. She told us that fixing downtown was a priority that she would fight for on council. Instead what I saw was the only woman on council clapping like a trained seal to whatever that Mayor said to trash folks trying to improve downtown. I already knew he was a cut-throat and lier but it was especially painful to see Johnson so poorly represent downtown let alone her gender. Is she really that stupid or is it an act?
She is nothing more than a trained dancing poodle for the Mayor. It was embarrassing to see her make a fool out of herself by agreeing to cut any future budget for downtown improvements.
Angry and betrayed Karen,
I agree. It amazes me that Johnson comes into this community and gets on City Council without an opponent and than betrays the only substantive issue she has ever commented on. She really is just like the Mayor’s dancing poodle. He snaps his fingers and she dances.
Loveland’s Police Chief is now struggling with having to lay-off a bunch of safety officers and Loveland’s Distorter-Herald and The Coloradoan’s The Loveland Disconnection have refused to report the story. How come LovelandPolitics is also sitting on this story and not reporting it?
Seem fishy to me!
The Reporter-Herald has an axe to grind with the Loveland Police Department because at least one of its “workers” – as they are known in the little red book of Communism – was ticketed by a Loveland police officer and not allowed to break the law, as has been the practice for years for The Reporter-Herald.
Evidence of this is apparent by the made-up comments in “The RH Line”, where false statements against the police appeared until the City Attorney told the editor – Kenny-boy – to cease and desist or face legal action for criminal acts: It is a criminal offense to make a false statement against a law officer.
Instead of taking responsibility and being accountable – as Kenny-boy likes to claim he is – he buried the problem for a time, and this latest act of censorship about the cuts in the police are just the latest salvo from the propaganda machine that pretends to be a community newspaper.
No wonder The Reporter-Herald is financially bankrupt. The editor is morally and ethically bankrupt.
Is this really true? If no one is reporting it how come you know?