Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Busting the budget in 2007 the city manager installed in the microphones at council chambers an extra sensor that is able to monitor brain waves and in some cases actually read the minds of the person speaking into the microphone. Those brain waves are now added back in and printed in capital LETTER format. This feature is only known to a few.

Review of proposed 2009 Service Department Budget. Mrs. Fersch stated the Street Department budget is funded mainly from the Motor Vehicle Tax and Gasoline Tax and only received extra money when income tax pays for paving.

She stated we do have $400,000 in the 2009 budget for paving.

Mr. Sabatino questioned the Category B special projects line item?

Mrs. Fersch stated that is the portion of the engineer?’s retainer that the Street Fund pays. THIS ITEM IS IN THERE EVERY YEAR AND YOU NEVER QUESTIONED IT BEFORE.

Mr. Sabatino questioned why the amount had increased from 2008. MAN THIS STUFF IS HARD.

Mrs. Fersch stated at the time we did the budget we did not know what projects would be coming up that needed extra engineering so this is an estimate. BUDGET ARE ESTIMATES IDIOT!!!

Mr. Fix clarified the $450,000 transfer from general fund was money from income tax that would help with the street paving? I HOPE THAT DIDN?’T SOUND TOO STUPID. I WONDER WHY THEY DON?’T TRANSFER MONEY FROM THE SEWER FUND FOR STREETS?

Mr. Fix inquired how many miles the $400,000 would buy? I?”LL BET I STUMPED HIM ON THAT ONE!!

Mr. Drobina stated he had not calculated that. WHO WRITES HIS MATERIAL? DOES HE KNOW WHAT HE IS EVEN ASKING? OUR ROADS VERY FROM 20 FEET TO 60 FEET WIDE AND SOME TIMES WHEN THERE IS TOO MUCH ASPHALT WE WILL NEED TO GRIND OFF THE TOP FEW LAYERS. WHY DID I EVER LEAVE THE SEWER PLANT TO COME HERE AND LISTEN TO THESE GUYS? GLAD I HAVE MY BOOTS ON.

Mr. Sauer stated he understood we have an annual goal of street paving of ten percent and that would include crack sealing. OH!! THAT HURT PULLING THAT ONE OUT.

Mr. Sauer inquired if the $400,000 would cover that ten percent

Mr. Drobina stated he did not think it would. I BET IT WILL COST $300,000 PER MILE ON A MINIUM SIZE ROAD AND WITH ONLY A TWO INCH TOPPING. THAT ISN?’T EVEN 20% OF WHAT HE IS ASKING FOR.

Mr. Drobina stated the only increase in the Street budget is for paving. WHERE HAVE THESE GUYS BEEN? IT IS THE SAME BUDGET YEAR AFTER YEAR AND SOMETIMES WE COME IN UNDER THAT PROPOSED NUMBER. NOW THEY WANT TO INCREASE THE PAVING BUDGET TO A FEW MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR JUST FOR THE PEOPLE OHH WHAT A SORRY BUNCH.

Mr. Fix clarified Mr. Drobina was requesting a small truck and a lease on a larger truck for Diley Road.

Mr. Drobina stated it is a five-year lease to buy so at the end of five years we own the truck. OOHH!!!! RIGHT!! FIX WE WILL BE PUSHING A SNOW SHOVEL DOWN DILEY BY HAND. YOU GOING TO DRIVE BEHIND IN YOU CAR WITH THE SALT?

more thoughts

Mr. Fix ascertained on the lease we do not pay a large amount of interest. PROBABLY NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE AMOUNT WE WILL PAY FOR THIS NEW PAVING IF THE TAX ISSUE PASSES.

Mr. Sauer stated if the tax issue passes, he felt we should budget for the amount to pave the ten percent of our roads. THIS WILL WIN ME SOME VOTES. THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE. I HAVE NO IDEA ?“WELTLICH?” WHAT I AM PROPOSING ?“WELTLICH?” BUT IT SURE SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.

Mrs. Hammond stated we are behind because we have not done that ten percent over the last few years. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Mr. Drobina stated he did not feel we would want to try to catch up in one year. PROBABLY WON?’T CATCH UP IN TEN YEARS BUT I WILL PLAY ALONG WITH THIS SILLY ASS GAME.

Mr. Sauer stated he would like to know the amount it would cost us to pave the ten percent of our roads so we do not fall behind even further. I DON?’T THINK THEY HEARD ME THE FIRST TIME. THEY DIDN?’T WRITE ANYTHNG DOWN.

Mr. Drobina summarized that if the levy passes, Mr. Sauer would like him to go back and look at the paving and perhaps increase the paving budget to whatever amount it would take to pave the ten percent. RIGHT!!! I AM SHORT HANDED AND YOU WANT ME TO FIGURE THESE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CALCULATE AND WITHOUT KNOWING THE NUMBER AND YOU WANT THAT IN THE NEXT BUDGET IF THE TAX INCREASE PASSES. IN YOUR DREAMS SAUER. .

Mr. Sauer stated that would be his suggestion so we do not fall even further behind. ?“WELTLICH?” ?“WELTLICH?” WELTLICH?”

Mr. Smith stated he would like to see this indexed to mileage. He stated we have 55 street miles and he would like to see six miles, which is our ten percent, paved each year, or even ten miles a year until we catch up. ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO

Mr. Sauer stated he would like to see a dollar amount put in there that today we say covers ten percent, and we should get away from adjusting that amount each year, it should be in the budget, we know its in there, it stays in there, and that is one of the first things that is addressed each year. He stated he felt this was a necessity and something a City should do as a basic service. He further stated if the income tax issue passes he felt this is a commitment we owe to the people who vote for it. Mr. Sauer stated he would like Mr. Drobina to figure out what ten percent would cost today and come back with that figure and it could be put in the budget. OHH!!! THIS POWER ?“WELTLICH?” IS SO INTOXICATING I AM ORDERING PEOPLE ?“WELTLICH?” AROUND LIKE THEY ARE MY SLAVES. ?“WELTLICH?”

Mr. Hansley stated he would like to get some sense if all council members agreed with that, and all members stated they concurred with Mr. Sauer?’s recommendation. THERE ARE NOT PAYING ME ENOUGH TO DO THIS JOB. I COULD BE IN FLORIDA ENJOYING THE HURICANES. I GIVE THEM A BUDGET AND THEY WANT ME TO BREAK THE BANK WITH PAYOFFS OF PAVING. SOMEBDY HERE HAS A BROTHER-IN-LAW THAT IS IN PAVING I KNOW IT AS SURE AS I AM SITTING HERE. WHY DID MY MOUTH ASKED SUCH A POLITE QUESION?

Coffee incident

OK - This got me to laughing so hard I had coffee come out my nose this morning.

What a brilliant analysis of council. It's like you got in my head for when I read these articles sort of like ''What were they thinking?''

I look forward to your in-depth analysis from the finance meeting where the 25 cops and their families stared down council as Brian ''VOTE FOR ME'' Sauer debated saving the fireworks instead of maintaining staffing levels and equipment levels for the police department.

I heard it went something like ''We simply cannot fail to celebrate the independence of our wonderfull nation...'' BUT WE CAN AFFORD TO REDUCE SAFETY TO OUR RESIDENTS YEAR ROUND AND ALSO REDUCE THE SAFETY OF OUR FINE OFFICERS.

Hilarious

To whomever posted this - kudos - that was HILARIOUS! We all need a laugh right now.