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For earlier materials see Table of Contents

PR Budget 2006	Public Meeting – Tuesday
	(It is the law)

With no preliminaries

Unlike previous years there was no presentation --- just a speakers list of 4 ‘citizens’ 2 spoke for repairing track/ field (along with SD52) and one was City employee endorsing ‘no cuts’/ but tax increase)

(Full public disclosure—I was third speaker)

Few people attended though I saw city councillors Mayor Pond, Kinney, Cote, Briglio, & Gordon-Payne

Thanks for filling in

Jim Bruce gave presentation to Council the night before --- (I have video will work up later)

While thanking Mr Bruce for stepping into a ‘hellish’ position of using other peoples books, etc to put together a budget in only a few months --- there were weaknesses: primarily nothing to compare present 5 year plan with (last years plan figures not available and removed from web site Monday). – here is 1996 for example where taxation brought in $12,835,500 – Ah those were the days

As both Calvin & Golden noted – thankful there were not more cuts to services as we faced last year under he Kumar regime (see my report )

Golden changed format and asked questions

1) Need more background numbers;

2) Mayor Pond promised he would have a spreadsheet ‘available’ showing Council travel expenses etc

Answer to question 2: A new program will be available where only have to ‘push a button’ and program will show up to date expenses and Budget for each councillor (where Pond is being reimbursed by non-city funds – then presumably not include the ‘advances’

Question 3

Clarification on 800T$ shortfall: role of Cruise ship dock & Museum purchase borrowing (6M$)--- question 4 was on details of Museum purchase loa agreement

Answer 3 & 4

As Mr Bruce said in Council just the addition of salary increases and worker retirement payouts + the interest on the loans I mentioned would = 800T$

The Museum was getting 192T$/ year for rent alone—thus when chance to buy the building came up it was taken—Yes the contracts stated that City would be repaid in (4?) years – but that could change-----(note in passing Calvin Thompson earlier worry that Cruise ship borrowing etc would cut into city budgets in future denied at time by Pond & Company

Backgrounder: quoted from Kennedy Report

Museum loan (principal & interest: $571,000--- Agreement was city pay $187,233/ year and the museum would pay the balance in 5 years

Cruise Dock Loan: over 20 years: $276,100/ year

See my earlier for cruise ship/ Uplands loan costs 454T/year under 20 year loan

Question 5

Using Kennedy Report – most egregious City expense is for the Airport Ferry --- a subsidy of 80$ for every man woman and child in PR (using population 12T) and $63.83 under present budget

Response—Herbal nonsense

Trade off between increasing fees and decreasing usage; Gordon Howie stated he was looking at making Airport Society more accountable through governance changes but did not elaborate --- in PR Daily News story states main problem was reduced passenger numbers and would actually be showing a profit if numbers similar to before – this ‘information’ sounds like another Herbal remedy – and was not given at meeting – assuming 20$/ passenger fee; would require 105 additional passengers per day to break even (766,000$ /20 and then /365)

See my earlier when Herbal was (ex-)airport associated employee

Revenue Generation?

Numerous projects given last year to > revenues—none were done --- present CEO was not willing to speak of possibilities --- see my earlier ‘what have these guys been smoking’ on this report

Created by LG on APR 26, 2006

Last updated on Thursday, May 24, 2007