I decided not to write about the council on Wednesday the day after because it was yet another example of inefficiency and ineffective government on display. The city council and preceding committee meetings were mostly uneventful but there were a few moments that made me raise an eyebrow.
Community and Economic Development Meeting
An interesting overview of the Recompete Grant. The only thing that I would say about this $20 million grant that was awarded to the City in Aug 2024 is that it is paying for staff and facilities. The executive director and the CED Director were able to talk about what they envision to be done with the grant but could only point to expenses being paid for salaries and other overhead.
Councilman Binder frustrates me. He is clearly very intelligent and a watchdog for city taxpayers but he apologizes and tries to soften his approach constantly. He smelled the bullshit in the chambers and was ready to hold people accountable for not using the funds as intended, but something in him makes him backdown. It is really frustrating to watch. Councilman Binder - Sometimes calling them out is the only way. Who cares what they think of you?
Jeannie Garcia from Promise Neighborhoods spoke up about possibly being intentionally kept out of the grant process and watching other organizations get favored treatment. That would not surprise me at all. The city has nothing to show for the $20 million in funds and having no plan for qualifying sub-awardees is to be expected.
It seems the only Allentownians that are benefiting from this grant are the fat cats administering it. Figures. Corruption at its finest.
Full Council Meeting
Contracts….again. Here goes yet another group of contracts that need to increase the cost to the taxpayers because the scope of work has changed.
Good job Councilwoman Affa on finally questioning these city contracts. The contracts process is broken. I suspect one of two things: 1. There is no one in the city that knows how to write a good statement of work leaving it to the contractor to evaluate and adjust pricing because the bid doc and actual work needed are far off or 2. The normal vendors know how to bid low to secure the contract from the city with all intention to inflate the cost later. Either way the taxpayers are paying for these piss poor services from the employees and the contractors. The purchasing department (a Bina Patel sub department, by the way) is not serving the city taxpayers well at all.
There was yet another promotion and council partially blinked an eye on this one. Councilman Binder hinted that the Council and administration have agreed to finally follow the charter (after this one last final promotion) when it comes to reclassifying and promoting employees. Unfortunately they had a promotion from part-time to full-time that escaped following policy.
The Fire Chief tried to say it was cost neutral. (Firefighters literally are the biggest scammers) How? You are doubling the salary of the employee and they are now eligible for benefits. Seems to me that no one understands basic management and staffing. The administration knows how to bamboozle the clueless council.
Future discussion…..Start buckling up for another round of budget drama this year. This one should be even more interesting for the viewers because the city is struggling this year with unexpected expenses like the Stormwater fee that was misclassified as a fee and should have been a tax. Leaving the city to potentially refund tax-exempt organizations and a revenue loss of at least $6.7 million. Which I hope they have too.
Rumors of the DROP continue to swirl around. A huge benefit to the police department, but a new financial obligation that will have negative impact of the fiscal health of the city. The city will lose millions in state pension aid. Also, the biggest issue with that benefit, is the clause they put in that it lasts forever. Great way to give the city a permanent liability.
The Police and future Fire Station have not been cancelled. The city plans to borrow over $100 million to fund these two facilities. Why? They really aren’t necessary. The Police were evicted from the 10th street station after the rushed sale to JB Reilly….oops the Allentown Art Museum.
They have a new rental station that seems to be working just fine. The administration at 4th Street are doing just fine sitting behind their desks in their executive leather chairs watching illegal dirt bikes ride down Hamilton St. then crash.
Central Fire just got a new roof that, according to Public Works, addresses the biggest issue at Central. I think it cost $500,000. I mean they should definitely move soon now. Bulldoz that $500k to the ground.
Lastly, as with every year prepare for a bunch of taxpayer dollars to be handed out to non-profits, vendors who bid low and follow with a change order to bring to the real price, Matt Tuerk to increase his travel fund, the DEI Manager to continue to cash a check, promotions and reclassifications to select employees, while the real deserving employees get pushed aside, and another year of the Love Your Block Grant being used for overhead and not as it was intended. —the people.
There will be back and forth with the administration and council. Council will appear to care and want to do something about the misuse of taxpayer dollars. Cinthia Mota and Candida will definitely be against any tax increase but pressure from Santo Napoli, the Mayor’s not so secret weapon, will cause them both to change their position.
In the end we all know the result, behind the scenes — the council and administration will be in cahoots from the start, the budget will pass with all the pork and fluff and the council and mayor will congratulate Finance and each other for a great budget season. Always funny how losers congratulate themselves because no one else will. After which, they will all go to Jack’s Slice for their great food and alcohol afterwards in celebration.
we did it
Meanwhile, we taxpayers will be obligated to fund their inefficiency and stupidity.
20 comments:
Abe - The stormwater fee revenue that must be returned is not limited to just non-profits. In Allentown’s case, it must be refunded to everyone who was charged, since its inception.
Why?
According to Section 807A of the Home Rule Charter, “Council shall establish no new tax except for the Emergency and Municipal Services Tax.”
That means that if what the city called the Stormwater “fee” (to get around the charter requirement) is now properly classified as a tax, the city has been collecting money from a tax that could not have been implemented without the Charter being amended. This did not happen, thus the tax is (and was) illegal.
If you’re calculating the amount that needs to be returned as only the amounts due to non-profit entities, then the city will have a much bigger financial hole than even you expect.
Again, these are the people the idiotic voters elected and reelected. These same voters have have been putting party over abilty since 2006 when they removed Allentown's best city councilperson Tom Burke. I believe Democrat Everette the Clown (not making this up)received more votes than Tom. Every Republican candidate was defeated that year and in time, any remaining Republicans were removed in the following years. Occasionally a Republican, such as myself can snatch a seat on the school board, but only because we can cross file and by chance get good ballot placement. Since 2006 several good Republican Candidates ran for city offices, all lost by huge margins. Allentown's Democratic voters clearly don't understand one party cities don't have the checks and balances of divided government. The effects are clear enough yet they continue to vote even proven incompetents back into office and will cast ballots for the very young and clearly clueless, as long as they are on the proper side of the ballot. I stopped attending city council at least ten years ago. I found myself wanting to assume a fetal position it was so bad. Apparently intelligent Democrats can no longer stand it either as the few times I have been there in recent years on neighborhood issues the audience has also become a freak show. No matter Allentown's Democratic Voters say, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! We are hoping to age out in our lovely city home before the city becomes completely dystopian. Everyday we wonder, there is no certainty.
And thank you Abe for pointing all of this out. You are doing what the media should always have done but failed to do. By doing so they failed the city and its residents.
I agree with having a balance divided of government, but when the only Republican candidate is Bob Smith, who can't string a coherent sentence together, no thanks.
Are these fees going to be returned? What is the timeline on it?
Our public education system has been failing us for many years. We are now passing up to the next grade kids who can’t perform anywhere near grade level for their chronological age. We are graduating kids who simply can’t spell words, write a paragraph, nor do simple math. These same kids, who have now grown into ADULTS, are unable to problem solve logically. Forget about dealing with multi-layered situations.
Not enough competent people are out there capable and willing to fix a broken city like Allentown. So, the population becomes mostly dependent on a government that will provide and “take care” of their everyday needs. One that will give them a decent lifestyle without any personal effort on their part.
Thus, votes are cast in favor of those who promise the most “free stuff.” Right now, that means vote Democrat. Voting for anything different is too risky. Allentown is not the only city that has slowly destroyed itself, and with city officials who stood by watching it all transpire.
Over the years we have had some excellent candidates, don't forget Matt ran against a real latino, Republican Tim Ramos. He worked hard on that race, everyone agreed he ran a great campaign. Did very well in his debate against Matt. It wasn't even close.
Don't worry...Bina Patel is sitting at her desk right now with an abacus trying to figure out what should be returned to the taxpayers for the stormwater fee. You should see the refund between September 2026 and ...never!
I would love to see party affiliations be removed in local elections or at least allow for cross-filing as Armstrong did above, he was a positively amazing/refreshing taxpayer advocate on the ASD Board. A liberal Democrat might do some good in the suburbs and a conservative Republican would be amazing for Allentown. Otherwise, I'd any Republican in Allentown who has something to offer to change their registration and just run for City Council as a Democrat.
Free food at Jack’s Slice! They pay nothing for the food or alcohol. I worked there and saw it firsthand. They would come several times a week to eat and drink and they paid nothing.
Isn’t that quid pro quo or at least an ethics violations? Misuse of power and position.
Don’t get me started on the inappropriate comments to female staff, it’s the reason I left employment.
11:21, thanks for the kind words. Of course in time my political affiliation became clear. When it can time to run for reelection efforts were made ,and money spent on that effort. Npne the less, I came in dead last. Not even close. Besides my wife, no one was happier than me. We immediately went out to a bar to celebrate.
@10:12PM -- Interesting thought. Now that the Stormwater fee has been deemed a tax, it does raise the question of how the city will refund the ill-imposed tax to all homeowners?
The city should just scrub the Police and Fire station along with all the new fancy cars that I see the employees driving around (10 new EV's were parked for weeks at Bridgeworks) since they are going to need the money to refund us all.
I hope they start refunding us soon -- their poor management of finances that has led to illegal taxes is having a serious impact on my limited fixed income.
I am going to Jack’s this week and asking for the City Council and Administration discount. I pay taxes
“Tom Burke” is a name that should be well remembered. He and Jeanette Eichenwald were intelligent adults on the dais. He was a real engineer. One of the biggest signs of Allentown’s impending doom was when I heard other meeting spectators making fun of Mr. Burke for using a calculator to solve problems during meetings. How dare someone actually do math during budget season? I’ve observed the arithmetic ability of some recent officials. Consider tutoring instead of travel?.
(3:56 here again) I didn’t write 8:40AM below, but applaud its message.
Use coupon code: NO ETHICS for 100% off your bill at Jack's slice.
This water war farce goes back to butt not limited too the palumpasitsky regime and the ompa lumpa susan wild as solicitor!)$? Now in the handZ of the second level of hell going up but not limited too the next level of hell up butt one!)$?
ABE I love slender man, maybe he sufferZ too from the unfit for human consumption lcwa's water!)$?
Will the storm water fee be returned along with interest?
Please contact Bina Patel or a Mike Zumas at 610-437-7500 ext 2221 and ask that question.
Let's have former FBI agent Scott Curtis return to the scene after his successful investigation of the Pawlowski regime. He was on a roll when the Tuerk the Jerk was dismissive his prosecution results. Voluntary public donations to cover his fees would exceed six figures. Public office resignations in advance of his return would reduce prosecutorial fees and provide a list of witnesses in support of his investigation. Allentown eventually could to All American City status. JB Reilly, Joe Topper, Pat Browne, Hashaan F...the Police Batts, Fadia Halma, Steven Bamford, Peter Lewnes, Miriam Huertas, Rebecca Torres, Alan Jennings, Nick Miller, Ivan Watson, Christian Brown, Rev Gregory Edwards, the Jaindl Gang and a whole host of others too many to mention would provide interesting testiMONEYS.
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