Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
5 months ago
March 09, 2007
Privatization of Libraries
I heard a guy today on the radio say close the libraries. I do not like this idea but it got me to thinking of privatization. Few, if any, of the colleges own their own libraries of cafetaries then I found this story which actually even referenced Worcester.
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6 comments:
There is a law on the states books that says a state job cannot be privatized unless it results in at least a saving of 10%. It's called the Pacheco Law after the rep (New Bedford?) who dreamed it up.
Basically it says that if the state can save only 9%, for example, by privatizing a state function, then we cannot be bothered privatizing. I Guess the next time I can save 18$ (9%) on a $200 weekly grocery bill, I will not bother crossing tehe street to shop at Shaws rather than at S & S
I hope & believe this applies to the state only and not to the City?
How about privatizing some of the police dept and fire dept functions. Ooopps cannot do that! Check me on this, but firemen have to be employeees of the City (state law?) and I am reasonably certain there are similar laws re: the police. Per T&G average city fireman makes $67,000. I wonder what the average cop makes? How about private DPW & code dept inspectors. How about private trash collection. What do the towns around us know about private trash collection that we dont? City trash collectors are done at between 1130 and 1200 pm (5 hr work day), yet the private recycle collectors are still at it till 400 to 500 pm. What's up with that? and BTW, the private guys go just as fast as the city collectors and they dont average umpteem sick days per year like the municipal collectors.
Was that Mr Jack Foley's name (School committeeman & Clark Univ bigwig) I read in the paper this morning who was bemoaning the $12M school projected deficit? How many tax paying structures has Clark razed in Main South to erect theire new non-tax paying edifices? And their annual PILOT payment is how much? And their endowment is how close to a billion dollars and it earned how much last year?
Here's a billion....$1,000,000,000
I almost forgot...Holly Cross plans to biuld a new coomercial dev/ment on the site of the old HJ Motor Lodge which they razed about 10 yrs ago and I quote from T&G: "It is not yet known if the the dev'ment will be owned by the college". Translation: "As far as we know at this point, the new dev'ment may be owned by a private tax paying company... but once we get all of our plans finalized and approved and building constructed nd permit fees waived, it will in fact be owned by Holy Cross and we will not be paying any property taxes on it and please do not tell us that ourendowment is over a Billion dollars. It's a non issue".
1/2 truths during Lent...surely they jest !!!!!.... get they self to Confession tomorrow afternoon!
Fed up:
Sounds like Jahn?? Myself I really feel that the police and fire and number 1 items that we as tax-payers. At the same time the City Manager has already proposed some changes to the fire department, that is why I suggested the library.
One thing although colleges may own a building, like Clark owns the building that houses Peppercorns, they pay taxes on it. Even if Holy Cross retains the parcel on Southbridge, they will pay real estate taxes.
Bill
Holy Cross owns 852 Southbridge St assessed at 105,000 (the Old HJ property - 101,000 sq ft).
Wowee, you ve got to love that assessement when the lot next door is only 7500 sq ft and is assessed at 88,000. Of course, I guess it makes no diff., as HC pay no taxes on it anyway.
Nice deal if you can get it. Buy a piece of taxpaying property, raze the 8 story hotel on it, take it off the tax rolls, hold it 10 years for investment/speculation purposes and pay no taxes on it during the 10 years.
And what does the City get out of the deal? HC gives the council a prayer session once a month before the council begins raping the taxpayers every Tuesday night.
Amen
Jahn:
More so then we need a PILOT, which we can not enforce. How was this lot be re-categorized as being non-profit??? How does the college say that this is being used by the college???
I do not get that one.. .
Would it be a politically savvy move for some councillor to move to riscind to $190,000 fee waiver give away to the Old E M Loew's Theater..soon to be Worc Performing Arts Center? I am assuming this can be done?
How can councillors chase non profits for PILOT payments and then do a complete about face and just hand off $190,000 of taxpayer money to a non profit.
Additionally they also gave this same theatre how much money in Community Block Grant Funds....couple of million???.
Please use Community Block Grant Funds to repave & fix the streets on my block and to newly pave the private, dirt roads.
My neighbor lives on a dirt road/private street. For eons they have wanted the City to pave the street and to re pave exisitng paved, beat up roads that lead to this dirt road. Now how would you feel if you were in his shoes and March is surely the worst time to be living on a dirt road?
I told him they should all go down to a council meeting with wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, and toy trucks to make their point. Dump some crushed bank gravel on the council floor (add to the dirt thats already there).
As stated on the DPW&P web page...
Private Street Conversion:
Under this program, roads are built to the city’s highest standards. Accordingly, it is the most expensive option. An entire street or portion can be considered for conversion to a public street. If a street is voted and approved for conversion, it is engineered, constructed and paved to satisfy current highway engineering standards. After completion, the road is accepted as a public street and forever maintained by the city.
The construction cost to convert a street is paid entirely by the abutters and generally ranges from $60 to $80 per foot of frontage. The cost is charged to each abutter based on the actual cost of construction or the estimate that was given to the abutters when the street was initially voted for conversion.....whichever cost is lower. All other costs associated with the work, including the engineering design and construction inspection, are paid by the city.
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