Your Budget
This has been going on for years.
Just because ” we’ve always done it this way”, doesn’t make it right.
Here is the City Council Agenda for next Monday, June 4, 2012. It could be any June in the recent past.
11. NEW BUSINESS
Resolutions:
1. TR-12-27 Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 General Government Budget
Link to Resolution TR-12-27
Resolution as it appeared on May 31st.
Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 General Government Budget.
WHEREAS: The Mayor has submitted a General Government operating budget for the period beginning July 1, 2012 and ending June 30, 2013, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 32 o the General Laws as amended:
WHEREAS: Said budget as submitted and recommended by the Mayor has been determined by the City Auditor to be in compliance with Chapter 580 of the acts of 1980 (Proposition 2 ½) as modified by Chapter 781 of the acts of 1981, utilizing estimated equalized values; in accordance with the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts relative to full and fair cash value assessments, reaffirmed by the 1974 Sudbury decision; and pursuant to Chapter 797 of the Acts of 1979; now
THEREFORE BE IT ORDERED: That in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 32 of the General Laws as amended and with the provisions of the Methuen Home Rule Charter, the Methuen City Council hereby appropriates and authorizes the expenditure, for the period beginning July 1, 2012 and ending June 30, 2013 of the General Government appropriations in the gross amount of $ , as recommended and provided for in the Budget Summary pages; said appropriation inclusive of fixed cost in the following amounts; $ for debt and interest; $ , for Non Contributory Pensions; $ for Contributory Pensions; $ for Employee Benefits Insurance; $ in Solid Waste and Disposal Costs; $ for County State, & Miscellaneous Costs and $ for the Stabilization Fund; for Restricted Use Appropriations from the Cherry Sheet. Provided, however, that said appropriations of the General Government Operating Budget shall be reduced from other available revenue funds know as Sale of Lots & Graves in the amount of $ ; from School Federal Grants $ ; from the Water & Sewer Enterprise Fund – Indirect Costs in the amount of ; from the Local Revenues in the amount of ; from the Cherry Sheet in the amount of ; inclusive of SBAB reimbursement of $4,851,449), and from the Tax Levy in the amount of $ , to affect the net General Government Operating Budget; and
BE IT FURTHER ORDERED: That a certified copy of said resolution be submitted to the Office of the City Auditor upon adoption.
2. TR-12-28 Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 School Department Budget
Link to Resolution TR-12-28
Resolution as it appeared on May 31st.
Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 School Department Budget
BE IT ORDERED: That in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 32 of the General Laws, upon the request of the Council and statutory recommendations of the Mayor pursuant thereto the amount of $ , be and hereby is appropriated in Fiscal Year 2013 for the total support of the Methuen School Department. That said appropriation shall include an appropriation for the Net School Spending Requirement in the amount of $ , and an appropriation in the amount of $ , for Transportation Non Net, an amount of $ , for Community Services Non-Net, and an amount of $ , for Crossing Guards Non-Net, and an amount of $ for Building Maintenance Non-Net; and an appropriation of $ for Nicholson Stadium Non-Net. The Methuen School Department total appropriation of $ , shall be reduced from the other available funds known as Cherry Sheet in the amount of $ , and further reduced from the Tax Levy in the amount of $ , to affect the School Departments appropriation;
BE IT FURTHER ORDERED: That a certified copy of said resolution be submitted to the Office of the City Auditor upon adoption.
3. TR-12-29 Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School Budget
Link to Resolution TR-12-29
Resolution as it appeared on May 31st.
Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School Budget
ORDERED: That in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 44, Section 32 of the General Laws, an amount of , be and hereby is appropriated as Methuen’s share in the support in Fiscal Year 2013 of the Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School as initially recommended by the Mayor. Provided, however, that said appropriation shall be reduced from the Tax Levy in the amount of $ to affect the Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School appropriation, and
BE IT FURTHER ORDERED: That a certified copy of said resolution be submitted to the Office of the City Auditor upon adoption.
4. TR-12-30 Resolution Providing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 Sewer and Water Enterprise Budget
No Link provided.
I have attached the actual documents.
As you read them note that they are devoid of any dollar amount.
They will be voted on at that meeting, even without dollar values.
They are not even in the form of an ordinance or resolution.
No one checks, no one reads, no one complains. Business as usual.
The general process is that because they require two reads, it is PRACTICAL to have a resolution for first read and then the numbers can be plugged in as required on the final reading.
Looks like a blank check to me. The Taxpayer should know what that budget will be.
The Mayor assured the Council at the last meeting he has a budget complete and ready to submit. So, why no numbers?