|
|
I noticed this afternoon that someone had posted a 2001 PATA newsletter. I also noticed that Jeff Fix and Bob Harding were the editors of that now defunked newsletter. As I read the first part of the newsletter it dawned on me that Jeff Fix doesn't have a clue of what he is talking about.
''Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance
Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance Newsletter
6-10-2001, May - June 2001 Newsletter Issue #5
CITY IN BIG DEBT??
One topic that many area residents have probably not heard enough about (partially because it is a fairly confusing subject) is the fact that the City of Pickerington is currently under significant debt.
By law, the combined governmental agencies for an area (County, Township, School District and City) can borrow up to 10 mills of the total property value in a particular area.
This debt is then paid by the taxes you pay to the City, etc. Those 10 mills of property values in the area are called ?“Inside 10 Mills.?” What is a mill? Good question.(THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION HOWEVER JEFF IS AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN IT) A mill is one tenth of a penny. So if your house is worth $100,000, each 1 mill levy that is added costs you another $100. (ACTUALLY YOU ARE NOT TAXED ON THE MARKET VALUE LIKE WHAT IS SUGGESTED HERE BUT ARE TAXED ON THE ASSESSED VALUE OR 35% OF THAT MARKET VALUE) The good news is that without your say all governmental agencies (THE CITY CAN BORROW MONEY WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL NOT SURE ABOUT THE TOWNSHIP) can borrow on your behalf up to only 10 mills without your approval. So your $100,000 house can cost you only $1000 in property taxes that you do not have a say in. (THE INSIDE MILLAGE FOR THE CITY OF PICKERINGTON IS 2.3MILS AND THAT INSIDE MILLAGES HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEBT LIMITATIONS OF THE CITY) Above 10 mills other additional taxes, like school levies and other tax proposals on the ballot add to this total, but only with voter approval.''
♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦
Bob Harding Jeffrey Fix
Contact Person Newsletter Editor
PO Box 518 Phone 755-2464
Pickerington, OH 431247
Email ?– pickeringtontaxpayers@hotmail.com
Web ?– http://www.neighborhoodlink/com/org/pata
Now for those folks that think Jeff Fix knows what he is doing please be very careful what he is saying to you. Clearly he has difficulty separating the 10 mil inside levy with the 10.5 % of assessed value of the City as the debt limit.
The Mayor has appointed Jeff Fix to negociate an agreement with the township and he is talking about how this will improve the city's tax base. Does Mr. Fix really know what he is talking about when it comes to taxes?
By Bean Counter
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long time ago
Oldster that I am, I well remember when Jeff and Bob were the principal co-authors of the PATA newsletter. I must admit that they sometimes made mistakes, and sometimes overstated their case. Their sarcasm also sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.
But they, and a number of others, certainly did wake this community up politically. For that I am thankful to them both, and am inclined to forgive them for their mistakes. Anyway, in my mind there's a kind of statute of limitations on such things; and folks do sometimes learn from, or overcome, their mistakes.
I must admit, however, that I do not fully understand the source of the city's current debt myself. How much, I wonder, is related to public improvements that were meant to be funded by TIFS. As I recall, the old city council TIFed everything in sight, including the better part of SR 256, and the infamous bypass to nowhere just before the railroad tracks.
However, did they also finance the recent improvements to the old Pickerington village with debt? If so, that may not have been a great idea. Indeed, with hindsight, those improvements themselves do not seem to have been such a great idea -- especially the ones that now make it so hard for school buses to turn corners.
If the funds collected under these TIFs cover debt service on the bonds and notes the city apparently has issued, then the city may be OK from a debt perspective (although these tax revenues really are stolen from the schools).
If the TIF revenues do not cover this debt service, however, then something may indeed be amiss. Also, some of the older TIFs must be just about to run out, if they have not done so already. Will the debt they are supposed to fund be paid in full by then? Might not be a bad idea for someone to find out.
By Yosemite Pam
|
|
|
Forgetting the past?
OK, for the moment and only for the moment, let?’s forget the past and chalk this newsletter up to driving mouth before engaging brain. Fast forward to today and what has changed? Harding is long gone. Get over it. Fix is still here and much more dangerous than when he was publishing a little anarchistic newsletter from the shadows of Harding?’s garage.
With absolutely no forethought, nor studies and/or cost benefit analyses given to the ?“big picture?” ramifications of this agreement he and his partners in crime are plunging this city to the precipice of destruction. Think about it. You have a mayor publicly stating that we can?’t send the agreement with our professional staff?’s recommendations added to the package to the township because he feels they won?’t even vote on it. Well hold on mate, isn?’t that how negotiations start? You present a document stacked highly in favor of the public entity you are sworn to serve and then expect a reply in favor of and from the public entity that the trustees are sworn to serve? From that point the give and takes of negotiations proceed, in the public forum we would hope. The intention is clearly to provide a proposal that only the township will approve without regard to the welfare of this city. That is reprehensible.
Obviously one, and only one of the pitfalls apparently not being considered in this proposal is significance of millage. In dealing with this aspect it is only prudent, no, mandatory that city council be provided a presentation by their financial advisors, whether it be Dennis Schwallie or a representative from the County Auditor?’s Office BEFORE voting on even the first reading of this agreement. Not that you will accept any news if you feel it is bad news for the Fix Clan?’s personal aspirations, but at least the residents will have the opportunity to digest the information. If abandoning our rights as a city to grow and control our own destiny has no implications related to millage, then by all means, proceed.
Another pitfall to be considered is the effect of voluntarily ceding our rights to grow and control our future will be our progress to-date in securing a higher bond rating from Moody. Sacrifices have been made by all department heads to reallocate funding to put us in a better financial posture with Moody to have a more positive impact on our future, financially speaking. At the very least, council should hear a presentation from the Finance Director, Dennis Schwallie or an expert in the field of Moody Bond Ratings to learn if there will be any impact on the city?’s ability to borrow in the future under the terms of this agreement.
Alas, none of this will happen. Council is blatantly ignoring the input of the very experts they themselves hired to run this city. The city manager, the development director, the law director, the finance director?… all these experts?’ input into their sworn duty to serve the city are ignored in the name of politics. It is time for a Charter change folks. We need to follow the lead of this council in refusing to allow the people the charter says are supposed to run the city and instead change the government to allow factions to run the city. Pathetic career politicians like Shaver, Fix, Riggs, Smith and Hammond can ascend to the throne of power in this city and we can all go home and rest easy at night. Or better yet, just let Wetlick have the throne. Hasn?’t his ring kissing bought him the power?
To Sabatino, Hackworth and Wisniewski I offer only this advice. If the economic agreement appears on your agenda, stay home from that meeting. Don?’t even acknowledge this aberration by showing up at a meeting where is appears. You?’ve said all that can be said. Given Smith?’s and Riggs?’ poor attendance record, there?’s a good chance that the meeting will be cancelled for lack of quorum.
|
|
|
Misguided efforts
Pam
The point I was making is that Bob Harding and Jeff Fix did point out some issues in 2001 that were acted upon by other concerned citizens. Mr. Fix is now still trying to correct problems that were corrected over the last two years. Clearly then and now Mr. Fix is not a financial expert and he refuses to accept anyone outside the Mayor and Gary Weltlich's advice. Neither of these two elected officials have any kind of expertise in City Finances. What is currently happening here in Pickerington is a novice trying to apply some of the same theories that he put forth in the PATA newsletter in 2001. When he created policy in the PATA newsletter it meant nothing and there were no consequences to his actions now on city council there are.
Pam,
You and those like you in the township continue to complain about City?’s debt. Exactly how would you and your fellow residents propose that infrastructure be built in the city and in the township without using debt to finance those projects? Do we buy some huge piggy banks and toss our lose change into each bank for future projects? Why did you finance your home? Why didn?’t you save and pay cash? The fact is that Cities and counties have responsibilities that none in the township seem to understand. The cities have the responsibility of building roads, sewer, and water plants. The fact is that most projects in the township are financed and built by the county which in affect also comes out of the City taxpayer?’s pockets and there credit limits. What Mr. Fix can not understand now is that once he gets his development agreement passed by his three other stooges on council it will for ever limit the ability of the City to do these projects.
Most of the former problems that you mentioned have been addressed by the council BEFORE Mr. Fix came on board. Although I do not support wholesale use of TIF financing I do see some advantages of the tool. While those on the school board and in the township continue to complain about TIFs and how they ?“STEAL?” money from the schools and the township neither the schools or the township provided ANY investment into expanding the tax base. They both stand around waiting for city tax payers to commit to the funding and pay the bills and then demand part of the revenues that affect future projects and debts service.
Pam,
Did you know that the city was paying the school district $50,000 per year in service payments for the Kohl?’s TIF. That is $50,000 the schools didn?’t have before the City did the TIF to create that commercial development.
By Bean Counter
|
