10 New things to bat around for a change! How do you all feel about these items as it relates to Crestwood?
"The animal control issue is a hot topic. A relatively constructive debate overall until it gets preachy. How about if we also entertain this kind of intense debate over other issues which affect new residents and those who have lived here 45 years. Possibly we could ferret out enough funds to solidify the bottom line and then go on to resolve priorities. Since so many facts and figures have been posted,how about going a step further.
1. Salaries
2. Personnel
3. Perks
4. Autos and insurance and mileage
5. Cost to pay Afton Fire District for the annexed section of the city, in other words 2 fire departments
6. Invoices from city attorney
7. Sappington House Cottage
8. Private Pool using our city parking lot
9. Lateral Sewer fees/usage???
10. Purchasing
If someone with the idea to shutter Whitecliff, or say combine our fire, police, public works, animal control etc. with another city, or un-annex part of the city or CUT SALARIES and consolidate jobs ..... the uprising would no doubt be just as emotional as this animal control issue. Intensifying just one issue in a time of city need and pounding it to death only satisfies some. Then there are the rest of us who want all options on the table.
So,how 'bout we go the extra mile and delve into answers to the above top 10 while we are at it.
There is more to running a city than inventing new ordinances.
P.S. How about a review of our court cost vs revenues???"
"Anonymous"
The above was suggested in an earlier post on this blog and I believe it has merit, and should be looked into, so here we go! Please comment on any or all of the 19 items brought up by the reader.
Tom Ford
NO. 724
1. Salaries
2. Personnel
3. Perks
4. Autos and insurance and mileage
5. Cost to pay Afton Fire District for the annexed section of the city, in other words 2 fire departments
6. Invoices from city attorney
7. Sappington House Cottage
8. Private Pool using our city parking lot
9. Lateral Sewer fees/usage???
10. Purchasing
If someone with the idea to shutter Whitecliff, or say combine our fire, police, public works, animal control etc. with another city, or un-annex part of the city or CUT SALARIES and consolidate jobs ..... the uprising would no doubt be just as emotional as this animal control issue. Intensifying just one issue in a time of city need and pounding it to death only satisfies some. Then there are the rest of us who want all options on the table.
So,how 'bout we go the extra mile and delve into answers to the above top 10 while we are at it.
There is more to running a city than inventing new ordinances.
P.S. How about a review of our court cost vs revenues???"
"Anonymous"
The above was suggested in an earlier post on this blog and I believe it has merit, and should be looked into, so here we go! Please comment on any or all of the 19 items brought up by the reader.
Tom Ford
NO. 724
posted by Crestwood Independent at 17:47
33 Comments:
Number three: What about the recent "raise, bonus, or perk awarded to a person in the Clerks office in the amount of $5,000.00 for,?
Tom Ford
All are good points, so good in fact that when Roy ran for Mayor he promised if elected he would fix all of the.
Still waiting.
"Cost to pay Afton Fire District for the annexed section of the city, in other words 2 fire departments"
I have never understood this deal. Could someone please explain it in non technical terms.
"or say combine our fire, police, public works"
I don't think this would be a good idea. These three need to be "a part of our City" as was intended from way back.
Possibly some money could be saved by combining purchasing of things like road salt, pool chemicals, landscaping supplies/chemicals with an adjacent City.
Since the new strategy at city hall is to establish AD HOC study committees for the purpose of discovery lets put the BOA to work on a few of these subjects and watch them run for the hills.
John, the fire departments are actually "political subdivisions" in that they are two separate "fire districts."
Fire districts were drawn up in Jeff City some time ago, so it's really just where the boundary lines are dram more that WHO could best service the area.
Silly? you bet it is!
Tom Ford
4:45 PM Blogger: Correct, there would be a mass Exodus from the chambers for sure.
These little "study groups" are nothing more that cowardice on the part of "his honor" and the ones who don't want to ruffle any feathers!
I ask why did you run for office if you can't (or wont) make a decision?
Tom Ford
11:02 am
Simply put, when the annexation of a portion of the Affton Fire Protection District by Crestwood occurred, one of the selling points offered by the City was tthat the residents would pay the same tax rate as the existing Crestwood residents who were at a lower tax rate. The City would make up the difference and pay that amount annually to Affton Fire Protection District. I believe that amount is around 350-400K. The only way that could ever be changed is if the city folded and Affton fire got back the Annexed Area at which time those residents would revert back to paying the higher Affton Fire tax for themselves.
I wonder what that board was smoking when that decision was made.
The Fire Fighters Unions in Missouri are the ones behind the State Laws that enforce what Crestwood is doing now. They and the Democrats who rely on Union support to get re elected
Typical Union "jobs protection action.
As to what were they thinking, you would have to ask the voters who passed the annexation.
"THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER This one is a little different.... Two Different Versions..................... Two Different Morals OLD VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away..
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
MODERN VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving. CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood. The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010."
From a friend, and since "all politics is local" I place it on here for your thoughts.
Tom Ford
I can see the motivation for the Affton residents to wanted to be annexed: lower taxes.
I can see the motivation for Crestwood: more taxpayers.
Now, I hope you are going to tell me that the additional taxes Crestwood gets is WAY more than the 350-400K that is paid to Affton FPD.
To: Anonymous 8:53am,
Thank you very much for the clear explanation. Even I could understand it.
This was going along pretty well until the ant and the grasshopper went in a differen direction.
What happened to "10 new things to bat round for a change! How do you all feel about these itmes as it relates to Crestwood?"
A 1/4 cent sales tax was levied to generate the revenue required to pay Afton Fire District.
2008 $690,000
2009 $630,000
This goes to the general fund and is allocated later.
8:40 PM, February 07, 2010,
So to get more taxpayers, we all pay more tax? I don't get it. Was this merely empire building? Was there a motive I'm missing?
"8. Private Pool using our city parking lot"
Wasn't this payback for moving to lure Kohl's to locate in Crestwood?
I don't see a few parking spaces in the corner of the lot as a big deal. However, with the noise, lights, and all, I hope the residents surrounding the pool got a HUGE settlement. If not, they certainly got the shaft.
A related problem that bothers me is the use of our Police Officers as crossing guards from the Catholic school, to the pool. There are crossings half a block away in both directions. I understand the school pays something for it, but does that cover all the City's expenses?
The parking lot was purchased from the swim club by the city and the club has an agreement to be able to use the parking lot.
There is no Catholic school located at the church any longer.
The police that help during the swim club events are paid by the swim club. I guess the city lets them use the patrol cars, etc. It's not like they are using the auto to ride around using gas, etc.
John,
the larger a cities population, the more sales tax dollars it gets from the County. As Crestwood's sales tax dries up, we could be getting more of the tax dollars being spent in other cities. the theory is Crestwood citizens spend in west county and a part of their tax dollar is given by the county back to Crestwood as an example
No. 7: The Sappington House. The "Foundation" has over $500.00,000 in the City coffers that cannot be used for anything but the Sappington House.
The only problem is it has never been used (that I know of), we have it in the budget as a line item paid by our tax money, to the tune of over 20K per year.
Now, we also have the "code enforcement officer" living there rent, heat, light free, plus SHE GET'S A STIPEND of $100.00 per month to do it! (Why are we not charging rent and utilities?)
This means she has two job's in Crestwood, and I doubt either one is properly completed as she can't be in two places at one time (unlike Ms. Sutton who seems to be Omni present.)
Foolish? You bet it is! If it is so important to have a resident manager there why not find a retired couple who could really use those perks, and move them in?
The perks, extra bonuses, and frivolous spending by this administration have been, and continue to be a problem! When do they realize the tree is bare, and start living as we do, within our means?
Tom Ford
"There is no Catholic school located at the church any longer."
Then where are all the kids from that require the Police?
This situation was brought up some time back, and never really answered. The fact that the cars are used is an expense for the City. If the Officers are on their own time, and hired for this job, and they, and the cars are paid for by the pool...no problem. No one has ever said that yet.
There should never be even the slightest hint that the City is providing any "special services" for any person, business, church, or anyone else for any reason.
Anonymous 5:52pm,
That sounds good to me. I hope we are getting a bunch.
Thanks
History will reveal that members of the church and the private pool have been on the board of aldermen and the planning and zoning board for many many years. Use your imagination to understand the priviledges that have been allowed. This will also explain why no city employees should be involved in politics as the line gets very fuzzy.
Question..when the annexed area has a fire or emergency call, who responds, Affton or Crestwood?????
John,
We "might" get more if we dropped out as a sales tax driven city, need someone like Alderman Meigel to do the numbers on that.
Not too many years ago under a previous mayor there was a balloon floated to turn the entire corner at Watson and Pardee into high scale condos and retail. The idea was to grow the population, grow the property tax income for that lot, much more than the current business now there produce.
The idea was stopped by the owners of the Creston Center who claimed their eyesore holdings could be painted up to make the corner attract more business.
Years later that still hasn't happened, the Creston Center is still 1/3 empty, as is the rest of the parking lot outside the senior's home.
p.s. the paint is starting to wear a bit thin on the Creston Center, time for it's non Crestwood resident owners to again make it the new improved with a DuPont paint overhaul?
p.s.s. Crestwood does not get the sales tax $ at the same rate as it does in other parts of the city as its location is in the annexed area.
So population growth is the best Crestwood could hope for from this area.
"History will reveal that members of the church and the private pool have been on the board of aldermen and the planning and zoning board for many many years."
This is exactly what I meant when I said:
There should never be even the slightest hint that the City is providing any "special services" for any person, business, church, or anyone else for any reason.
Does anyone know of any other situations like this?
John 6:02 post
I work during the day, but I am not sure if the current school located in the building walk to school that would require a policeman in the crosswalk. I could be wrong on that....I thought there was a elderly gentleman performing those duties for the public grade school further north on Sappington.
As far as the police using the patrol cars during a "side job" for the Crestwood Swim Club events - I suggest you contact the city. They allow it.
10:21 PM Feb. 8
When there is an emergency call (911) in the annexed area, Affton Fire and Crestwood Police show up.
Martha Duchild
The principle selling point for the annexation was stated as Crestwood can only surive if it grows the boundaries.
I was not sold on the idea and voted know. What do you think?
A 1/4 cent sales tax was levied to generate the revenue required to pay Afton Fire District.
2008 $690,000
2009 $630,000
This goes to the general fund and is allocated later.
John,
Reference your comment on Feb. 7 at 9:51 PM: The residents around the relocated swim club got nothing. The swim club's owner (Rosebrook Realty) got $850K from the developer (THF Realty) for the parcel of land on which the old swim club was located, and which is now Kohl's rear parking lot. At the time of the purchase, the assessed value of that parcel was around $15K.
In a separate transaction which took place after Rosebrook got the $850K, a boundary adjustment was made on the second parcel of property Rosebrook owned, which allowed them to use part of the parcel to build the relocated pool, and to sell the other part to the city for $1.00 plus easements for parking and utilities. THF was reimbursed by the Transportation Development District (established for the Kohl's development) $295K for the property the city bought from the swim club.
Why was THF reimbursed for a piece of property they didn't buy? I'll leave you to figure that one out.
Martha Duchild
Crestwood will never be out from under this cloud. The deeper you dig, the bigger the disgust over this private pool irregular in every way. Pure politics. Perhaps Mr. Vincent could enlighten the concerned. Perhaps the city attorney would care to tune in. It is not a pretty story and teaches lessons - lessons of distrust. In this city, rumors are seldom rumors, they are usually fact. So, pay attention to your officials and ordinances, ballot language and department heads. The loose ends of this city need to be connected. They are way too loose.
Is there a monthly audit on fuel usage of our city vehicles and are they used for business only or personal, as well. Knit picking is not a hobby for residents, but when expenses exceed revenues voters are reasonably inclined to look for assurances of belt tightening and gthe auditing done to eliminate excess. Same with any cell phone usage. This includes salaries. Without consideration to doubling up on jobs and hiring freezes, and eliminating waste, voters will never be convinced the city needs a tax boost.
What is the total story of the Sappington House live in and lateral sewer insurance distribution? If all of this is big secret, then we are in trouble. When was the last time a city official, at a meeting, asked the question "has every rock been turned?" And, got an answer?
Many on this blog may not know that many have realized the ship has not been tight and the taste of city kool aid got very sour in the last decade.
Thanks.
3:18 PM Blogger: I really doubt you will ever get the City Attorney to discuss the swim club deal. You see there were two swim club members on the P&Z board who voted to give a conditional use permit while they were swim club members!
Say what? Wouldn't that be a "conflict of interest?" Well not according to Mr. Golterman who OK'd their voting! Now how do you go from $15,000.00 hole in the ground to $850,000.00 palace pool without the value of the property and your stock increasing?
I don't know, but Mr. Golterman apparently did as he ruled that since the value did not increase there was no "conflict of interest!"
Now you may see why this will never be revisited by him or the ones still connected with the pool who are still on the Board.
If you really want to see what happed there, contact Ms. Kathryn Barrett (who lives directly behind the club,) she has two large volumes filled with the paperwork on what happened.
Tom Ford
Tom,
Could you please give a brief lesson on filing of FOIA requests?
How do you know what department is involved? Like is Animal Control under Public Works so you file with who in that department?
Have you caught any flak for filing these?
How about meeting minutes for boards or committees.
John: I will email you the form today. No their have been no repercussions for filing any request, in fact Tina is happy to help!
As far as the minutes of any meeting is concern rd, you can have a CD made, or emailed to you after each meeting via FOIA request as often as you wish.
Tom Ford
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