McNamara offers plan to fund Police & Fire Classes
This in via email from Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara as an FYI, the press conference was held earlier today:
McNamara offers plan to fund Police & Fire Classes
Voters would be asked to change allocation of the ¾% income to increase funding for Police & Fire; no taxes would be raised by proposal.
Toledo, OH – On November 15, 2008, Mayor Finkbeiner proposed the 2009 budget to members of Council. The budget proposal canceled the 2009 police and fire classes. Difficult economic conditions have stunted growth in the general fund that is used to pay for police and fire services.
The 3/4% income tax, which was renewed by voters in March of this year, allocates the revenue in the following manner: 1/3 to Police & Fire, 1/3 to the general fund, and 1/3 to the Capital Improvement Program (“CIP”). This formula is different from the one approved by voters in 2004, which allocated the 3/4% in the following manner: 1/3 to Police & Fire, 1/2 to the general fund, and 1/6 to CIP. Moneys allocated to the general fund can be transferred into the CIP fund or go to Police and Fire. The 2004 formula allowed City Council more flexibility to use traditionally dedicated CIP funds for other purposes. In 2005 & 2006 City Council approved a budget using $4 million from CIP funds. In 2007, City Council approved a budget using $2 million from CIP funds. This year, City Council will likely close the projected deficit with $8 million from CIP funds.
The current wording of the 3/4% does not allow City Council to defer CIP funds that the City has used to balance the budget for the past 4 years.
Councilman Joe McNamara will introduce legislation that will ask the voters to change the allocation of the 3/4% to decrease the transfer into the CIP. In 2009, the projected amount of funds that could be used for Police & Fire classes is $4.7 million dollars.
“We are faced with extremely difficult choices given the state of the economy” said McNamara. “In my opinion, decreasing investment in our infrastructure is not good, but jeopardizing public safety is worse,” he added. “I think giving the voters the option of voting for more of their tax dollars to be used for public safety allows the people to decide the priorities for the City of Toledo.”
Update: Joe McNamara on Troy Neff talking about this idea.
My suggestion to Mr. McNamara and the rest of City Council is to hurry up and “grow some” and force Carty to bring back the 2009 police and fire classes. Waiting for next year to vote on McNamara’s plan is not acceptable. Something needs to be done now. I’m sure that there would be plenty of money to fund these classes (and then some) if funding for Carty’s pet projects (e.g. Erie Street Market) was cut off and if Carty “trimmed the fat” from his own office (why does Carty need two secretaries and spokesperson, and why do Carty’s secretaries need an assistant?).
Also, Carty and City Council, don’t give me the excuse about the economy. I do understand that the economy is bad; however, it does not excuse making flowers, bike paths, the Erie Street Market, etc. a higher priority than basic city services. Get your priorities straight, people. City government serves its citizenry, not the other way around.
I, for one, resent being taxed to death by Carty and City Council and having to accept reductions in city services (services that are supposed to be funded by the 3/4% income tax) while Carty blows my money on his playthings. To quote Carty in his Channel 13 days, “It’s just not right.”
November 19th, 2008 at 12:04 amGood for Joe! This post gives me the opportunity to more fully explain my thoughts on Joe as a councilman.
I worked with (both for and against) Joe on several issues. As I said, he usually acts out of conviction and what he thinks is right. I didn’t always agree with him, but he did what he thought was right.
He treated me with respect and I always tried to reciprocate. He understood the nature of politics and being in an adversarial relationship doesn’t have to eliminate mutual respect.
I do mean what I said about him working closely with Keith Wilkowski on major decisions. My thoughts were expressed more caustically than I meant. It just reflects political reality.
Having said that, I’m not backing away from my comments about Frank Szollosi. Now that I’m free of political ties, I can call them as I see them.
I hope Joe and the rest of council can find a way to get a fire and police class into the budget. Frankly, I think the angst over the bike paths and flowers is overblown since they constitute such a small part of the budget. The investment in flowers, I think, is a smart one.
The Erie Street Market is something completely different. It needs to close, and needs to be closed now! Perhaps it can be re-opened someday when somebody develops a real business plan for the operation. Right now, there is absolutely no justification for the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by the city on utilities alone.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:14 amThis has been done before a few years ago to change the allocation, which was just changed back with another vote as I recall. I want to know where the tax break for teachers is that he proposed during the 2006 campaign?
November 19th, 2008 at 6:43 amBlade article on the press conference.
Dave, good question. I’ll see what I can do about getting an answer.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:21 pm[...] Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara held a press conference related to his proposal concerning the division of funding for the 3/4% income tax. It was cleared by the Law Department prior to his announcing it that day and his sharing of that [...]
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm[...] Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara held a press conference related to his proposal concerning the division of funding for the 3/4% income tax. It was cleared by the Law Department prior to his announcing it that day and his sharing of that [...]
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pmLate comment – buts its the closest subject currently on GCJ to my post.
As I drove home down Dorr street last night I found myself trailing a TPS cruiser, and I noticed how bright the in-car computer screen was. As I moved closer I saw that the computer was not displaying a LEADS or NCIC screen, but SOLITAIRE.
This made me think of many things. First, I have spent countless hours in a patrol cruiser and I know, even in a city the size of Toledo, Police work entails hours of boredom. So I get it.
And while boredom is common for cops, complacency and distraction are a dangerous combination for a cop’s safety. I would hate to have a cop killed because he was playing on the computer and failed to see a dirtbag walk up to the car and stick a gun behind his ear, or to the window.
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more at http://www.CopsAndLawyers.blogspot.com
December 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pm