Regardless of where you fall on the subject of the City of Shoreacres’ deficit spending, you can’t say that they didn’t meet a lot. Unfortunately for the city, the hole was so deep that with the current makeup of the city council, deficit spending will continue even though they did cut Mayor Matt Webber’s proposed deficit spending by almost $300,000. At tomorrow night’s council meeting, the council will vote into law a budget that will spend $568,658 from our reserve fund. This deficit spending will leave approximately $386,000 in our reserves at the end of the fiscal year if council does not review and cut expenditures at some point during the next fiscal year.
If you will recall, the council at the last budget workshop approved a 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} across the board increase in water/sewer rates, based upon City Administrator David Stall’s recommendation. His recommendation was predicated on the city’s water rates not being increased in years, specifically saying that rates were supposed to be increased in 2008 but Hurricane Ike came along and the rates were not increased. As resident Ron Hoskins pointed out, the city actually did increase the rate five days before the storm hit. For whatever reason, that 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} rate increase is included in the budget but there is no ordinance backing that up. Instead, Alderman Schnell is proposing an ordinance along the lines of the usage fess that Hoskins recommended in his comment. There are no net effects of her ordinance calculated online. I don’t know how council can vote on a budget that includes a revenue increase that has no ordinance backing it but they are. See the agenda for more on that.
Citizens are allowed to comment tomorrow night. And you should. The vote tomorrow night directly affects the value of your property.
Cook off time!
Jayo Washington and the Shoreacres Civic Association sent this email about the upcoming cook-off:
Shoreacres Civic Association Annual Cook-Off
Saturday – October 26, 2013
Circle Park 12:00p.m. ’til
What a great opportunity to bring the community together to have some fun in the park for the whole family. Don’t worry if you don’t have a team, there will be plenty to do. Bring your lawn chair.
NOON: SCA Food Booth starts selling People’s Choice ballots
The public is invited for a unique opportunity to sample the brisket from all the teams. Yoube the Judge and help us find the best Bar-B-Q in the park. Come hungry if you want to taste them all. Tasting kits available from Noon to 2:30 p.m.
Noon: Kid’s Activities A Plenty
We will have a Moon Walk and more games coming.
3:00 p.m. CRAZY WHEEL PARADE On Tennis Court
Anything on wheels from bikes, scooters or Go Kids. Even golf carts. Awards for best decorated wheels after parade.
4:30 p.m. DOG WALK & COSTUME CONTEST
Awards for best decorated Pooch! Best owner and dog look a-likes and more . . .
Cooking Teams:
Get signed up today. Registration forms available here, at City Hall or contact Jayo.
For more info, drop off locations or get signed up, call Jayo Washington 281.960.7064 or Ann Apel 281.450.9710
These guys always have a great time. Since what I do is political stuff, if you are a county wide candidate, you should put together a cook-off team and enter. You’ll get to meet a couple hundred real voters – voters that don’t go to the typical club meetings. It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle you are on, people tend to vote for people that they’ve met.