How About A Little Gift To Help Me Out!

I recently have run into some financial problems and need your help. I went to Nashville and ate at the Palms and the bill was over $150.00 which left me kind of short on funds. The food was so outstanding I made reservations for next week to take my children and their spouses there to eat.
Here's the problem, gas has gone up making it more expensive to travel back and forth to Nashville and for the six of us to eat at the Palms will cost about five hundred dollars. I just don't have that much so I'm asking for people to send me some money. There are about 10,000 families in the county so if each family will send just one dollar that will be enough for at least a year to cover travel and meals, the rest I can pay down on a  a new hybrid car  and an IPhone in case of an emergency. A dollar isn't very much and everyone should be able to afford that much, I mean it's only the price of one soda that you shouldn't be drinking anyway. Now, I know some of you are going to try and stir up trouble about this and make all kinds of wild statements about how crazy this is and it's not needed and stuff like that but you just don't understand and besides you're just a few trouble makers and you just need to shut up and send the money or move somewhere else.
If you will send just one dollar per family I'll not ask for anymore until next year when I take my family on a cruise to Alaska. I may need $1.25 from each family then but not more than $1.50. Now folks, I know your first thought is I'm crazy but you have to understand that this trip is for the kids. You certainly wouldn't want to deny them this educational opportunity or have them use a cheap cruise line. Keep in mind that all the food on this cruise is free so I'll actually be saving you a lot of money.

Now here's the real thing I want you to do. Replace me with the county and my trips and expenses with the county expenditures. What's the difference in me asking for you to contribute and pay for my luxuries and the county spending all the budgeted money and asking you to pay, through a wheel tax and property tax increase, for their luxuries?  At a time when most families are struggling to just make ends meet the county is about to require you to give them more of your money so they don't have to cut back on their spending. Each of us have had to make adjustments to our lives that reflect the amount of money we have, some of those adjustments are cutting back on travel and eating out. Some have had to choose between paying the utilities and buying food and medicine. The point is we didn't want to make those changes but we had to. The county has blown through five million dollars of reserves in the past four years because they refuse to alter their spending and in fact have increased their spending. Yesterday the County Executive announced that the county will have used over $600,000.00 of the hospital funds by 30 June 2012. It is not reasonable, especially in these difficult financial times, to continue taking more and more money from those struggling to pay for the poor planning and undisciplined behavior of those whop have been elected to serve the people.

Ambulance Service Requests

At the Ambulance Committee Meeting this morning it was requested and approved to give the Ambulance Service the authority to spend $95,870.00 to be paid in three increments of $31,956.67 a year for Stryker Power Pro Ambulance Cots. The justification for buying these units was so attendants will not hurt their backs. Now, having lifted more than my share of occupied straight pole litters I can attest to the fact that they get heavy, but do you go buy a Rolls Royce when you only have enough money for a 1993 Ford Country Squire?
Now before you jump up and down about the cost let me tell you for that $95,870.00 we get five cots and five Stair Chairs along with some slick accessories.  How about a $197.00 Oxygen Bottle Holder or an IV Pole for only $260.00 each. Equipment hook for only $40.00 a piece and we only need five. How about a Back Rest Storage Pouch for $195.00.   A Flat Head End Storage Pouch at $112.00 each, is this beginning to sound like a GSA purchase order for a Vegas trip?.

Now if you think it sounds weird so far you ain't heard nothing yet.
The Chairs have a five year warranty for only $625.00 each, or $3,125.00 if you prefer,  but they have a free one year warranty just because they are new. So aren't we actually paying $625.00 per chair, $3,125.00 if you prefer, for only four years of coverage?

Now wait, because I haven't gotten to the real deal yet. The Cots have an even better deal on their warranty. The Cots have a free lifetime warranty on all "WELDS". Free three year warranty on parts, labor, and travel on the X-frame components and hydraulics; a free three year power train warranty; a free two year warranty on parts, labor and travel on electronics; and a one year warranty on parts, labor and travel for mattress and restraints and don't forget that lifetime warranty on all welds. So for just a mere $13,750.00 we have a warranty that covers things for somewhere between four years and two years. You sure can't get that kind of coverage at Dog Days. 

If you think this purchase was well thought out then you probably are still laughing about the ending of "Old Yeller".

The vote on this expenditure was Commissioners Pollard and Adams voting no, while Commissioners Flacy, Jackson, Houston, Beech and Campbell voted yes. This vote was immediately followed by a discussion about the county not having any money and the expected deficit being a half million dollars by 30 June.

Congratulations to Commissioner Jackson

During the Budget Meeting this morning Commissioner Jackson presented a copy of the Financial Management Act of 1981 with a few underlined sections and asked, "Why aren't these laws being followed?"

Excuse after excuse was offered but the simple fact is the law is being ignored and the requirements of the law are not being followed.

One example is that the budget process is to start in February with some specific actions taken by the Financial Director. By 14 May the whole process should be finished to the point of knowing what's what. To date very little has actually been done by the Budget Committee and it appears yet another budget will be formed in the last hours with the intention of amendments to cover shortcomings.

Commissioner Jackson was right to point out these failures by the Financial Management Team and the Budget Committee. One major shortcoming that was expressed by Commissioner Jackson and agreed to by most of the commissioners present was the need for a monthly report on the state of county finances. Let's hope this request is responded to more productively than the last two request for the same thing.
Commissioner Jackson ended his say with the comment, "Until I get a monthly report I'll not be satisfied".

Again congratulations to Commissioner Jackson for demanding that the law be followed by the county.

We Will Be In The Hospital Fund About $661,000.00 By June 30.

"We Will Be In The Hospital Fund About $661,000.00 By June 30", Janet Vanzant County Executive at the Budget Committee Meeting held at 0930 Hrs. 2 May 2012.

For those of us who have warned about this over the past couple of years it does not come as a surprise. Some of us have suggested and requested better financial planning instead of just reacting to situations as they pop up. A second problem that has plagued the county is not having a budget that is more strictly adhered too. Making a budget that looks good but having no intention of following is as non productive as making the best looking biscuits imagined then putting them in the oven at 500 for four hours. 

The County Executive defined the situation as a crisis and offered two solutions. One is to borrow  from a local bank and the other simply use the hospital money to cover the deficit. When the question was asked about paying back the money there was no offer of how to do that. The implication is clear, the hospital money is to be used and not paid back.

The question was raised that there is another solution and that is simply to cut spending, lay-off non  essential staff, stop all non essential travel, buy nothing that can't be postponed until next year, reschedule personnel to avoid overtime pay, cancel all non essential expenses.