AND THEY JUST KEPT KICKING THAT CAN DOWN THE ROAD

Ohio Sate Auditor Dave Yost declared Maple Heights in fiscal watch; yet, no one can explain the true underlying causes that led to Maple Heights being placed in fiscal watch.  What I hear over and over again from some members of Maple Heights city council is, it made cuts.  Simply slashing (cutting here and there) with no insight as to what really caused the financial problems (because this isn't a recent new problem), or what these cuts might do long term, is not prudent.  There must be a clear, well thought out, financially sound, community viable/vibrant plan for the short term and long term.

 

 

Stated in the Neighborhood News, April 23, 2014  (Judith Goldworth).

"The city must submit a financial recovery plan to the state auditor's office by early June identifying ways to eliminate the fiscal watch conditions.

If the city fails to submit a feasible financial recovery plan within that time, Maple Heights will be placed in a state of fiscal emergency and a supervisory commission would be asked to review the city's finances."

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Let's take a trip down Detroit memory lane.  Although Detroit was and is in far far worse financial circumstances, some similarities are there.

 

"How Detroit went broke: The answers may surprise you - and don't blame Coleman Young",  Nathan Bomey and John Gallagher/Detroit Free Press Business Writers

 

An excerpt:

 

"Detroit is broke, but it didn’t have to be. An in-depth Free Press analysis of the city’s financial history back to the 1950s shows that its elected officials and others charged with managing its finances repeatedly failed — or refused — to make the tough economic and political decisions that might have saved the city from financial ruin."

"“Detroit got into a trap of doing a lot of borrowing for cash flow purposes and then trying to figure out how to push costs (out) as much as possible,” said Bettie Buss, a former city budget staffer who spent years analyzing city finances for the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan. “That was the whole culture — how do we get what we want and not pay for it until tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow?”

 

Read entire article


Now listen to Finance Director Irene Crowell (and remember she's only been director for a couple of months)






Question:

Did and does anyone audit the city's 10 departments?  I mean a real in-depth audit. 

[My worry is that even if Maple Heights public officials did an audit, they still wouldn't be able to come up with creative cost efficient ways of managing those departments or streamlining/

modernizing department personnel/responsibilities/activities. 

 

Maple Heights city government: 

• needs to circulate more money within the community
• come up with plans to help people keep their homes, and ways to attract new neighborhood conscious homeowners (both are huge problems for Maple Heights)
• needs more smart, solution oriented, resource conscious, business intelligent,  tech savvy people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s
• needs to downsize the police department, and make a major shift toward more local auxiliary police ( who will actually live in the community in which they serve), who will engage in neighborhood policing
• needs more age and racial diversity in all departments 
• needs to change the type of outdated city government it currently has, and 
• Maple Heights taxpayers/residents need to become more engaged in their city; and desperately need to become more financially literate. 

 

 



You (residents/council) need to be able to look back in order to go forward (to make an analysis) so you don't make the same mistakes.  That means you need access to public records and information which unfortunately [obtaining records/information] seems to be a problem for Maple Heights government.  You also need to post public records online.

 

--------------------          -------------------------       -------------------

 

And yes,  the statement made by a Maple Heights resident regarding the cost of the [Maple Heights]  swimming  pool was a fair statement (watch 20 minutes into video).  Maple Heights was/is losing population, and people were/are still losing their homes and jobs.  Was the swimming pool repair a wise decision?

Related:

"State places Maple Hts. on fiscal watch; Needs plan to keep it from fiscal emergency" This edition of the Neighborhood News will only be available until next Tuesday, April 29, 2014; thereafter, watch council and committee meeting videos @  http://www.youtube.com/user/MapleHeightsNews/videos

Green for All

  
18 Things a New Homeowner Should Do Immediately to Save Money


The 15 tools every homeowner should own


Neighborhood Housing Services

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN MAPLE HEIGHTS CALL FOR PUBLIC MEETING

Many among the African American community in Maple Heights, want to discuss the city's finances.  In light of,  the superintendent of Maple Heights school's call to renew a levy,  this administration's call to renew a levy in November,  *very high home foreclosures (and see Plain Dealer article listing Maple Heights as worst regarding property values in Cuyahoga County / 2009), continued high unemployment, troubling signs in this economy,  and the perception that the current administration is hiding something from residents,   ... a  public meeting is definitely warranted.

Several African American homeowners want to know what the police are doing to help raise revenue for themselves. Are they enforcing the noise ordinance, which carries hefty fines? Are they enforcing other ordinances that help generate revenue for this city?

Years ago, the city of Maple Heights worked out an agreement (1) to make sure African Americans had more representation in the police and fire departments, schools, etc.  Well, the plan is not working well (even though the schools have seen much improvement), and with some city departments, the plan is not working at all.  


Minorities are still significantly under represented even though African Americans are almost 70% (or more)  of the population in Maple Heights.  What are the city's plans to address this?  This also needs to be discussed in a public meeting, because if African Americans and other minorities are not significantly represented in Maple Heights government (especially in full-time and high salaried and leadership positions), and there are no plans to address this, and money keeps flowing from African American tax payers who help pay city worker's salaries and benefits, to  [what looks to be  predominantly Caucasian]  city workers and contractors (many) who  live outside the city, then getting a levy passed,  may be fought vigorously by African Americans in this city to vote against the levy.

African Americans in Maple Heights also want a concerned citizen's group, an independent civilian review board and an independent citizen's advisory board (where the mayor has no authority to appoint board members, and city council members have limited input), because they feel their needs and wants are not being met, and their voices disregarded by Maple Heights government employees (that includes all elected officials).  Some residents feel that community policing is also necessary.  Generally speaking, people who live in Maple Heights have a vested interest in making sure Maple Heights is a vibrant, safe, and economically sound city.

Note:

African Americans who have voiced concern about, or are fighting for, more diversity in Maple Heights government, and wish to discuss a range of other pertinent topics (like holding a public meeting), have reported break-ins and acts of vandalism, some even called racist, etc.  Not sure  what the connection is yet (if any).



[*Just learned from ESOP that Maple Heights is still either the worst or one of the highest in foreclosures in the county. That means the city is still losing thousands of dollars in property taxes.  Why didn't the city do more to help homeowners hold onto their properties?  What are they doing presently to help homeowners prevent foreclosure? And I don't want the mayor or other members of council to take credit for what councilman Richard Trojanski is doing to address home foreclosures all by himself.

Property values are still in decline, yet real estate companies are still listing property in the $90,000 range even with foreclosed homes all around. Why is HUD selling foreclosed homes to real estate investors for $15,000 to $20, 000, who then list the property for $80,000 to 94,000?  There needs to be an investigation.  Also why are we seeing a company called Corelogic (**CORELOGIC, 2500 WESTFIELD DR, ELGIN, IL 60124)  listed for the tax mailing address of many of these properties?]

[To be further edited]

To request public documents:    Ohio Sunshine law manual

Related:

Black America's Mobility Crisis by Jamelle Bouie, July 18, 2012

Cuyahoga County cities brace for property tax losses  by Laura Johnston, July 9, 2012

Update:
Please read the July 25, 2012 Neighborhood News (section that talks about Maple Heights - reduction in mayor and council salary) and also responses to this post in the comment section.


Update on Corelogic:
The Illogic of CoreLogic, August 26, 2012

What About those Brand New Police Vehicles?

A bunch of folks in Maple Heights have been asking about the brand new police vehicles they see cruising around. 

They are especially concerned because money meant for people (who abut the railroad)  in districts 3 and 5, was thrown into the general fund recently (because of a resolution that was passed in March of this year).  Some of the residents who abut the railroad in districts 3 and 5, will only be receiving 20% of that "railroad" money.  The rest of the money went into the general fund.

Anyway, according to a resident from district 5, she said she called Eric Dean, the finance director, to ask about the new police vehicles.  She was concerned because she was told (by others) that the city had financial problems.  

She said that the finance director stated that the last vehicles that were purchased [by the city of Maple Heights] were purchased in 2008; whereupon she asked if she could have a written accounting of how the railroad special fund monies were spent before being transfered into the general fund; and now that the railroad special funds have been transfered into the general fund, how is that money being spent?  She's still waiting for a response from the finance director.

[Update 7/20/2012: Since this post, Mr. Dean has been very helpful in providing financial information requested.  He is the only department head that has responded with information that we've requested. Various members of council have also decided not to respond to our requests for information.  We'll post those names in another post after August 1st]

So there are several questions on the table.   1. If the vehicles were purchased in 2008, why are we just seeing these vehicles now?  2. If they are not purchased vehicles, are they leased vehicles? 3. If leased, how are we paying for them?  4. Since the special fund money went into the general fund, on what has money in the general fund been spent?

Another resident added: "Yeah, they must be really proud of those vehicles, because you hear police sirens more often. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing."

Related:

City of Maple Heights, March 7, 2012 council meeting

Railroad money gets locked into special fund

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