Aberdeen Payday

Perusing Aberdeen’s 2014 Municipal Budget, I noticed the following:
Sheet 12 –
Administrative Salaries increased 37% in one year to $168,979
Financial Salaries increased 6% this year and 56% since 2007 to $164,242

Sheet 13 –
Tax Collection Salaries increased 7% this year to $111,927
Tax Assessment Salaries increased 14% this year to $71,500

Sheet 14 –
Employee Group Health Insurance increased 113% since 2007 and is now $1.72 million

It’s wonderful to know that public service can be so rewarding.

>>> Read more!

Living in Neverland

On March 4th, the residents of Freneau submitted a petition to the Aberdeen Town Council requesting sewers. Both Deputy Mayor Montone and Councilman Cannon assured the residents the town was working “very hard”. Councilman Cannon added, “We realize it is not fair that you are paying taxes and everyone gets their streets and sidewalks done and you get nothing.”

Deputy Montone twice assured the residents the council was making “progress”. How did she define “progress”? The council has made lots of plans.

Welcome to Neverland where the future is always bright and there’s a plan to solve every problem. Taxes too high? There’s a plan for a transit village and another plan for the redevelopment of Anchor Glass. Cost of housing too high? There’s a plan for a senior residence and low-income housing. Concerned about pay-to-play? The town council has a plan for that as well. Whatever problem you may have, rest assured the town council has a plan. Lots of plans. Wonderful plans. And if those plans don’t work, the town council will make new plans. Better plans. Plans that will amaze and astound.

Such is the beauty of living in Neverland where a majority of voters never grows up. >>> Read more!

New Year’s Resolution

1. I will no longer believe politicians who promise me something for nothing
2. I will no longer trust politicians to fix all my problems
3. I will no longer trust politicians to care for me and my family
4. I will no longer believe politicians who promise to protect me by stripping me of my rights
5. I will no longer believe politicians can fix a problem by simply writing a law or taking a vote
6. I will no longer believe nice and caring implies effective and competent
7. I will no longer trust politicians who promise to fix problems after their terms of office
8. I will no longer trust politicians who promise to fix broken promises
9. I will no longer trust politicians who think I’m stupid for believing they mean what they say
10. I will no longer trust politicians who are more giving with other people’s monies than their own
11. I will no longer support politicians who think I work for them
12. I will no longer support politicians who take all the credit and none of the blame

May this be the year government works for us.

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What’s the School Plan?

Why are teachers using online courses to attain higher degrees but the students are not? Rather than expand and experiment with new teaching technologies, the Information Technology budget has been slashed by over 30% in two years to $163,000. That’s roughly $4 per student. Add the total district library budget, and you’re just over $20 a kid.

Meanwhile, during that same period, per pupil expenditures (ignoring overhead) is up 13% to $13,430 per student.  $5,000,000 was added to capital expenditures. Teacher benefits are galloping along at annual increases of 10%.

The simple reality is that public school is too expensive and the education is woefully below student needs.

The school district should pursue a blended approach of technology, individualized instruction, and teacher/student interaction.

As a first step, the district must approach parents for permission to instruct their children in math and science via online courses. The students could work at their own pace in a supervised school environment. Those who need more time and help, will get it. Those who can fly will be allowed to do so. Parents can withdraw their children from the program at any time.

It’s either this, charter schools, or implosion. By staying the course, the district will have chosen implosion.

>>> Read more!

Aberdeen’s Death Spiral

If you’ve been living in Aberdeen a while, have you noticed a change?

Have you noticed that big projects never seem to get done anymore? Transit station, swim club, Glass Anchor, senior housing, everything seems to be in limbo.

Have you noticed the money problems getting worse? That Aberdeen no longer maintains a rainy day fund, that its credit rating has been cut, or that it might, on occasion, need to raid the public library’s coffers?

Have you noticed retirees increasingly leaving Aberdeen to escape the high property taxes?

Have you noticed more vacant properties in the area? (Ten more sheriff sales scheduled for September.)

Have you noticed certain programs getting cut and the money never seems to be restored?

Have you noticed few seem to care and nobody does anything about it?

This is what a death spiral looks like. It starts slow and nobody cares. It speeds up and everyone pretends someone else will fix the problem. And then . . . collapse.

Need more evidence?
2006 Pension Contributions:
Police and Firemen - $238,883
Public Employees - $51,558

2013 Pension Contributions:
Police and Firemen - $945,052
Public Employees - $248,170

Percent Increase over 7 Years:
Police and Firemen - 396%
Public Employees – 481%

2007 Employee Group Health - $810,000 (2006 numbers unavailable)
2013 Employee Group Health - $1,640,804
% Increase over 6 Years – 203%

>>> Read more!