Melrose Cares: Open Community Dialogue




Click here to report offensive or inappropriate posts.



Alderman & City Politics
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

This is just absurd.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Concerned Citizen
"ORDER-2019-102 : An Appropriation from Free Cash, account number (01-324001), in the amount of $2,327,694.00 to various accounts as set forth herein."

http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=4036

Appropriations Committee
Budget Hearing
6/13/2019 7:30 PM
Aldermanic Chamber
So about the same amount as every year? Cool. Thanks for the news that everything is normal.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

No. This allocation is free cash still remaining from FY 18. The FY 19 free cash will be certified by the state after 6/30/19. That number will be made public in late July early August. This amount I expect to be north of $4 million remaining from the FY 19 budget. Much of the free cash is from water & sewer enterprise funds. This is because we pay an inordinate amount for water and sewer.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

So, if there's $2.328 million left from last year, why was the city bulldozed into an override so as not to have services effectively disappear?

Honest question. Any answers?

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Soxboy
So, if there's $2.328 million left from last year, why was the city bulldozed into an override so as not to have services effectively disappear?

Honest question. Any answers?
Because the override was for the school budget. The school budget would have needed to rise either way so money would have been siphoned from services.

As for "free cash", you can't bank on having it and allocating every potential dollar in revenue to specific line items in the budget every year. Some years will have higher snow removal costs. Some years, like this year, the city gets to deal with the fallout of the "poop tornado" and will have to spend money that is unaccounted for in this year's budget.

When you do your monthly budget, do you allocate every single penny that comes in or do you allow for some wiggle room for if there is an emergency this year or something unexpected comes up? This 2 million is 2.5% of the total budget. I think it is prudent to not allocate every penny of revenue and allow a small percentage of the budget to be "free" until it either needs to get used that year in an emergency or gets certified by the state and can get put towards needed projects.

Maybe you see different, but honestly, there is no other way to run a city budget if you want to keep a sound bond rating.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

I do not totally disagree with you, of course, but I would like to say that, if it ‘factored in’ those reviewing, approving, and then disbursing the actual budget dollars, our bond rating would be in the toilet!

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Allocate the free cash to the residents of Brazil St whose homes were ruined by the DPW.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Fake as Heck
Allocate the free cash to the residents of Brazil St whose homes were ruined by the DPW.
It is. It is just 2021's "free cash" most likely. That is how budgets work. Emergency happens, city pays for it, there is less "free cash" when it gets certified by the state roughly 2 years later. That is why you don't budget to the penny of revenue taken in.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

I’m so disoriented by a logical and cogent comment on this board, especially related to free cash. I don’t know whether to dance or cry!

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

I'm sure some of this money will be allocated to the yearly "pot of money for administrative staff bonuses" as it was described by CT in the School Committee agenda a couple of years ago. This always happens in mid-summer when no one is paying attention (by design of course).

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

@payout I hope those residents are justly taken care of by the city since the city workers caused the destruction even if it was unintentional.

If I am following what you're saying, 2018s free cash could have been earmarked in 2016 and 2019s in 2017.

I agree that spending down to the last penny is not desirable in either in public or private finance, but over $2 million seems like a lot of extra. I'd be more comfortable if it were 50% of that and that the override had been $1 million less.

For those who are acting stuck up and superior to those questioning free cash, we had a contested override this year. Property taxes went up. You should expect questioning especially with the new tax bills coming due.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

It isn't the asking of questions that should upset anyone. Save that for the answers, or the lack of them.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Any time anyone questions the city or the city apologists, there is an attitude of how dare you question us? I see it on the MCG all the time. Posters who support tax increases are allowed to troll and demean the elderly but someone who asks a sincere question about seeing specifically where the new override money is going, gets threatened and ridiculed.

Re: $2,327,694.00 Free Cash to be distributed tonight at BOA mtg

Thank you, "Fake as Heck"! Everything you said is spot on. The attitude of city officials now (with a few notable exceptions) is total contempt. They have forgotten and/or they don't care that they are there TO SERVE the public good!