January 28, 2008

FINALLY AN ANSWER ON THE NUMBER AND NATURE OF APPOINTED POSITIONS IN THE CITY OF MEMPHIS GOVERNMENT

Since September 13, 2007 I have been trying to get an answer as to how many appointed positions there are in Memphis city government. Also I asked for the cost of the January 2001 pension resolution to date and the annual cost going forward.

The latter two questions have been answered and I published the information in a recent posting to my website and blog. (www.memphiswatchdog.org and www.shelbywatchdog.blogspot.com). The cost to date is $6 million dollars and the annual cost going forward starts at $1.5 million and will grow.

Now the City says that there are 412 filled appointed positions which may vary some as some entire City departments are appointed (e.g. legal) and this figure may change from time to time. Sara Hall (the former City Attorney) had previously stated that the City Charter provided about 110 appointed positions. Also they are saying that there are 521 appointed positions (412 filled), 163 in the City Administration, 15 for the City Council, 3 for the Court Judges, 3 for the Court Clerk and 337 for the Library System.

Of these 412 filled positions, 377 are in positions or departments specifically named in the Charter and 35 were approved to be appointed by the Mayor and the City Council. Also they state that as of December 31, 2007, there were 44 positions that were over and above the 412 positions they claim are allowed and that these were converted to civil service positions starting in 2008.

Finally, they state that there are 161 positions that are eligible for the January 2001 (12-year) pension resolution and that there are 46 current appointed employees that meet the eligibility requirements for this 12 year pension ordinnance, that requirement being that they must have been employed prior to November 1, 2004.

What we, the taxpayers, must be vigilent about is the posssibility that someone in a lower paying position that is not eligible for the January 2001 pension rule is put into a higher paying slot, then retires and hence gains a higher pension at the taxpayer’s expense. This has happened in the past as the example of Janet Hooks shows. Fun and games at the taxpayer’s expense. See the attached file for all the details.

Click here to see how 110 appointed positions per the city charter grew to 521 at your expense

January 24, 2008

THE POLITICIANS WANT TO TAKE AWAY YOUR VOTE.
THEY WANT TO APPOINT YOUR SHERIFF, YOUR TAX ASSESSOR, YOUR TRUSTEE AND OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS. THEIR PLAN IS CONSOLIDATION AND THIS IS THE FIRST STEP.

It is time to take back your government and show the pols that the taxpayers, who pay all the bills including their salaries and pensions, have a voice. This petition will send them a message that will be heard all over Memphis and Shelby County.
Please sign the petition on this brochure and let them know you want to retain the right to choose your own Sheriff, Tax Assessor, Trustee, Register and County Clerk. Letting the Mayor appoint these important jobs gives any Mayor too much power over your lives and pocketbook.

We need to get over 100,000 signatures by April 15 so we can put this petition on the August 7th 2008 ballot. We ask you to sign the attached petition and return it to Concerned Citizens of Shelby County as shown at the botton of the petition.

Click here for a downloadable petition with places for three signatures on the front and six more on the back

January 23, 2008

THE PAST CITY COUNCILS HAVE LEFT US A $6 MILLION DOLLAR BILL PLUS $1.5 MILLION A YEAR GOING FORWARD. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

On September 13, 2007 I asked for information about who had retired under the January 2001 pension resolution, the costs to date and the ongoing annual costs. Also I asked for other information about the number of appointed positions authorized under the City Charter. I got no answer for three months and then after threatening a lawsuit, I finally got some answers. I am still analyzing the information but I have attached the data on the cost to date, the people involved in this costly City Council travesty and the ongoing cost to the taxpayers.

To date, this terrible decision in 2001 has cost $6 million in direct pension and health insurance costs that need not have been paid if it had not been enacted. The ongoing annual costs is $1.5 million and likely to rise. To refresh your memory, this is the January 2001 pension resolution that allowed elected and appointed people to retire after 12 years of service regardless of age and start receiving their pensions and health insurance benefits immediately. Tom Marshall, at the time that it passed, said that this was a good thing as it would help to get and retain good people.

Look at the list as there are some interesting names.

Roland McElrath, the current Director of Finance.

Rick Masson, currently on the MLGW board

Robert Spence, former City Attorney and recipient of millions in city legal fees

Narquenta Sims, former manager of Multi-Cultural and ReligionAffairs, a job that is now occupied by Janet Hooks, former City Council member responsible for passing this resolution. Ms. Hooks will now be eligible for a much higher pension than under her former city council salary.

Gale Jones Carson, former communications person for the Mayor and now at the MLGW heading up their communications department. She is receiving her MLGW salary as well as her pension at the same time.

Ricky Peete, former city council member, now headed for prison.

Tom Marshall, former City Council chairman

Jack Sammons, former City Council member

Brent Taylor, former City Council member

And on and on it goes. Get out your checkbook, because tax increases are coming.

Click here to see who is feasting on your tax dollars

January 10, 2008

NUDE IS NOT LEWD

If you were somewhat upset about the choices in the recent Memphis Mayor’s race, please compare it to the choices in the recent San Francisco Mayor’s race. My daughter, who lives in San Francisco, brought the attached cvs home for me during the Christmas break. I feel better after reading through them.
Here are my favorites

George Davis- Writer/Nudist Activist You are free to be nude and nude is not lewd

John Rinaldi- He converted his truck to run on coffee grounds with zero emissions

Michael Powers- He created the Power Exchange adult sexual liberation experience
while running the most innovative nightclubs for 11 years

Grasshopper Alec Kaplan- Legalize everything including prostitution and sex work. Make everybody happy.

Harold M. Hoogasian- He said that in 1987, the city budget was less than $1 billion. Today it is over $6 billion, an increase of over 500% whereas the cost of living increased only 85%. SOUND FAMILIAR?

Maybe we should import some of these folks for the next local election. By the way, Gavin Newson won. Darn.

Click here to see the cast of candidates for the San Francisco Mayor's election

January 7, 2008

THE NEW MLGW GAS RATE SCHEDULE AND A $12.6 MILLION CHANGE IN THEIR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

I have been questioning for some time the MLGW as to how they managed to lose money in the gas division in 2004, 2006 and 2007 when they have the ability to add the gas costs to your bill regardless of what they pay for the gas. I got no satisfactory answer to this question but it is no coincidence that these years were before an election and the gas rate increase request came after the election. Also I have been asking them for a further explanation of the recent gas rate increase that is going into effect. I just met with them and got the following answers.

The new gas rate for residential customers is made up in the following way. Block 1 is a customer charge that you pay each month regardless of whether you use any gas at all. Block 2 is a MLGW charge per ccf (hundred cubic feet) of gas used to cover their salaries, overhead, maintenance, depreciation, payment to the City in lieu of taxes and a small profit. Block 3 is a charge per ccf of gas used and is a guess as to the average cost of gas for the year that the division believes they can maintain with good purchasing habits and taking into account the expected national market for natural gas. Block 4 is the PGA (purchased gas adjustment) that can be a positive or a negative figure depending on what they actually pay for the gas used.
Before the recent gas rate increase these residential figures were as shown below.

Block 1 $7.00/month regardless of how much gas you use
Block 2 .1728/ccf The MLGW margin block
Block 3 .5464/ccf The MLGW estimate of what they will pay per ccf for gas
Block 4 PGA/ccf the amount over or below block 3 that they actually paid for the gas

The new rate is as follows
Block 1 $10.00/month regardless of how much gas you use
Block 2 .222/ccf for the first 100 ccf used
Block 2 .132/ccf for all gas used over 100ccf
Block 3 .859/ccf The MLGW estimate of what they will pay per ccf for gas
Block 4 PGA/ccf the amount over or below block 3 that they actually paid for the gas

The MLGW has estimated that this increase will bring in $29 million dollars extra in 2008 of which $17 million will be from residential customers.
The MLGW admitted that they have made a mistake in the financial reports for 2005 and 2006 and that they will be adjusting the 2005 net income down from $7.779 million to $3.713 million and will be adjusting the 2006 net income up from a loss of $12.599 million to a loss of $8.533 million. This is a $12.246 million dollar swing between the two years. The reason, they state, is that they incorrectly handled the accrued billings between December and January.