February 03, 2009

City Council Meeting

Tonight I watched, for the first time in a while, to see if anyone brought up the $5,800,000 that the City of Worcester guaranteed, that had no borrower, that will cost us $9,345,000 in CDBG dollars over the next 16 years. Nobody brought it up???

In fact nobody on the City Council asked, while discussing a wage freezes, if the City Manager would freeze his pay to set an example for the rest of departments. Nobody asked ??

What, however, was the most bizarre moment of the City Council Meeting was Councilor Germain suggesting that we should impose a motel/hotel tax on every dorm room in the City of Worcester??? If it is illegal to impose a property tax on non-profit real estate holdings, do you think we can really institute a motel/hotel tax on dorm rooms. Why stop there lets impose a motel/hotel tax on rectories too.

More importantly as one who was on a task force (for the 101st time) that eventually ended in the formation of the UniverCity Partnership, which should have been a success, but was an utter failure. The Colleges have saved the City of Worcester from becoming the next Springfield. Not saying that we can not do a better job tapping into the assets of the colleges, which was the job of the UniverCity Partnership, but lets focus on ideas that have a chance.

I digress. It amazes me that losing $9,345,000 in CDBG funds over the next 16 years did not even make it into any discussions.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bill, thats why we're in the mess that we are in. No priorities. I am surprised there werent any useless resolutions.

The only answer to the city financial problems is reducing labor cost. Cutting labor will not suffice. How of the last yrs has Obrien said we've cut services to the bare bone and can cut no more but we are retaining essential core services and then the following year we have to cut more again and the same mantra is stated.

10 sick days per yr, per employee, 13% of the city work force out Injured on Duty Status, 2-3% annual cost of living raises when inflation is running only 1.5 to 2.0%. Peolple in their early to mid 50's retiring with 80% pensions. The private sector work force can only dream of pensions and 80% is unheard of.

IMO, Mr Germaine is an empty suit down there. S/b lots of Pilot Payments forth coming once his room occupancy tax is instituted. They are trying to implement the same thing on Cape Cod...an occupancy tax on vaction rental housing. Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

I agree w/o these colleges & hospitals Worc would be in dire straits. Funny how no one talks about taxing small social service non profits like Dismas house or Genesis, or Worc Comm Health Link.

I am opposed to Pilot Payments. The city should first clean up its own labor costs structure by privatizing and /0r reducing /freezing wages and/or reducing bennies.

Any talk of the council giving back or reducing it's 88% pay raise?? Talk about a bunch of hypocrites???