4/1/2014 Agenda Request for Public Spending Derailed by City Manager Joe Slocum

pOSTED BY: LAURIE LEE ALLEN | Apr 01, 2014 10:09

No one copied me, does anyone want to know where the rest of our property taxes are going are committed to? Please, save the residents. Support the request, I will fight for us, I already have been. No charge. I know their ways. Stop these agenda authorizations and all project spending TFN. Copy me on the emails and I read it them at open to the public..

Christopher Hyk, Belfast resident/School Board member has advised City Council at meeting after meeting of enormous school tax hikes this year. City Council and City Manager Joe Slocum thank him for the information, ignore the dire straits, and continue spending on new projects. Tax dollars 101 is schools and infrastructure. CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER HAVE SOLD OUT THE RESIDENTS. Requests for accounting and public information are corrupt and torture. Any that will prove their corruption are manipulated with deceit. Proven law breaking, abuse, and corruption to property owners, buyers and residents are  documented in my blogs. The flooding to so many in-town private properties is their decision to deny and rob property taxes for their personal agenda's and visions.

The mad spending on projects, attorney fees, consultations, studies, etc. that clearly is another 101 on the books is discussed in budget meetings as they hack away at the employees. My request for this information is being met with threatening costs and delays to research which will weave into more costs, more research, never to end until I am broke and broken. This has been their tactic for 4 years and no one stops them. This is not an individual issue. This is City corruption direct to the property owners and residents. Concerns and requests are side-stepped and they get us locked into another project through grants, matching funds, requirements, studies, consultations, "unforeseen totally seen" project, additions, changes, etc. From observation of repeated patterns, the public has no control over approval of spending. Projects go forward, public input is a scam. 30 days to appeal after approval is impossible. Planned corruption is unknown and after is too late. They will destroy your soul in accountability refusal.

The public must know what the have spent. PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO STOP THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE CONSULTATIONS AND HALT ALL PROJECTS. Please copy and send the EMAIL BELOW TO PROVIDE THE ACCOUNTING FOR THE REQUEST FOR PAST SPENDING BELOW WHERE CITY MANAGER JOE SLOCUM IS ATTEMPTING TO EXTORT UNFAIR FEES- THIS IS VITAL PUBLIC INFORMATION TO SAVE THE PUBLIC.. PLEASE COPY ME AND I WILL GO TO THE MEETING TONIGHT WITH THIS SUPPORT AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS INFORMATION. Please copy the request for project and City Attorney spending, posted above and send as soon as possible. The budget will be here shortly and it will be too late to take action. It is hard to believe they are ruthlessly robbing all residents, the proof is evident, year after year after year. Shooting the messenger. "So Moved, second, it's a vote- BANG BANG"  Gotcha people. Catch us if you can, we have all your tax dollars to pay the City Attorney to protect our corruption.

I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THE FEES CHARGED BY THE AGENCY OR OFFICIAL TO RESEARCH MY REQUEST OR COPY THE RECORDS. CAN I GET A WAIVER?

The agency or official may, but is not required to, waive part or all of the total fee if the requester is indigent, or if the agency or official considers release of the public record to be in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. 1 M.R.S. § 408-A(11)

From:	Joseph Slocum (citymanager@cityofbelfast.org) This sender is in your contact list.
Sent:	Thu 3/27/14 5:19 PM
To:	LAURIE ALLEN (laurieallen55@msn.com); Manda Cushman (mcushman@cityofbelfast.org); Councilors (councilors@cityofbelfast.org)

Dear Ms. Allen,

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information Request. I have all of your request vetted through the City Attorney to make sure I am filing a proper response to you. Unfortunately I asked him to review my response and he just got back to me late today so I do apologize for the inconvenience...

There are not many lawsuits that the City has been involved with since 2011 but at least one of them was handled by our insurance coverage and I do not have access to what fees were paid by our insurance company. Any fees paid to the City’s regular legal Counsel would have to be identified by going through years of monthly statements to identify fees that were paid in regard to any lawsuit. Our monthly legal bills are not always broken down by topic.

Accordingly I am now asking you to pay $130 in advance before I assign someone to research out these requests. This is billable at the rate of $15 an hour and will be charged after the first hour is concluded. If the task requires more time I will ask for additional payment, if it requires less than I will provide you with a refund. I will be pleased to maintain an accounting and supply you with that. You may pick whichever task you wish us to work on first. I would estimate about 4 weeks to get this work done and back to you.

... as soon as you provide us up front with the $130 to cover the City’s cost for searching out the new material you requested, then we will promptly start working on it and provide you with an estimated time within which we can do this work.

Joe Slocum,Belfast City Manager

____________________________________________________________

Original Request

From: laurieallen55@msn.com
To: jslocum@cityofbelfast.org; ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org; laurieallen55@msn.com
Subject: Public Spending MFOIA 3/18/14
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:39:27 -0400

Joe Slocum-Belfast City Manager and Mary Mortier-Ward1 City Council,

Please provide the following years spread sheet cost accounting, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to current;

1. Identify each lawsuit to the City of Belfast including all employees and include verdict,settlement and all fees.

2. Identify each and all in-house counsel fees.

3.Identify each and all costs for grants, including application, if awarded, City funds contributed, including pending and final cost for each project clearly identifying total grant cost and monies received, vs. total City funds spent and those pending or underway to date.

4. Identify each and all public money consultations/studies for all (recreation projects scrapped and/or approved, harbor walk, rail trail, parking, lighting, education/schools, capital projects, etc.) sart to finish, underway and pending to date.

Certainly this is valuable information to all with the upcoming budget and disaster we are facing. To try to extort research wages from me would be outrageous and a call for public outcry.

Sincerely,

Laurie Allen

Californians Against Lawsuit Abuse Focus on Municipal Costs of Lawsuits

POSTED BY : DAN ONEYAPRIL 22, 2013IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS - EXCLUSIVE

A new report released by a group pushing for tort reform has outlined the costs of lawsuits associated with some of California’s local government. The 17 cities and counties included in the study a massed more than $1.09 billion in settlements and fees from lawsuits in just four years.

In addition to the now infamous settlement that pushed Mammoth Lakes into bankruptcy, the report outlines several other settlements with significant implications to local budgets. In one case from Half Moon Bay, the CALA reports that the City settled a case for $16 million – nearly double the City’s annual budget. The size of the settlement nearly caused the city disincorporate. Instead of folding, they say, the City issued $16 million in bonds and won a settlement from their insurance company.

While the $16 million settlement was a pittance in the overall $1.09 billion price tag, other cities and counties accounted for large portions of the billion dollars. Los Angeles County, for instance, spent $213 million on verdicts and settlements during the four years, and $146 million for outside legal services, the City of Los Angeles spent another $221 million on settlements and $59 million for legal services; bringing the combined totals for Los Angeles to $434 million and $205 million for settlements and services respectively. San Francisco paid $117 million in settlements and $6 million for legal services.

“[The] report examines the cost of verdicts, settlements and outside counsel to some of California’s largest cities and counties,” reads the CALA Report. “It does not take into account the cost of in-house counsel and other administrative costs associated with the enormous number of lawsuits facing cities and counties.

“While this report does not present an exhaustive accounting of the cost of litigation to cities and counties in California, the data it contains make one point exceedingly clear: it is unacceptable for cities and counties to continue paying out-of-control legal costs while vital social service and public safety programs face budget cuts.”

Business: 4/1/2014 Belfast City Council Meeting Agenda

Update from the Downtown Revitalization Committee on the reconstruction of Cross Street and lower Spring Street and lower Miller Street.

Update and request for clarification for the financing of the rebuilding of Thompson's Wharf.

Authorization to enter into an agreement with Gartley and Dorsky, consulting engineers of Camden, for the purposes of doing a study of the Inner Harbor and identifying the best way to maximize the utilization of this space.

Authorization to enter into an agreement with VHB Consulting Engineers to develop bid documents and specifications for the removal of the rail and railroad ties at the Belfast Rail Trail.

First Reading on a proposal from the Planning and Code Department to reduce electrical permit fees for commercial establishments.

Update on CMP tree trimming in Belfast for 2014.

Consideration of a suggestion for establishing a process to recognize community related service and volunteerism efforts to the greater Belfast community.

Update on possible withdrawal from RSU 20.

Request to remove a tree at the corner of Union and Race Streets.

Request by the City Manager for an executive session to discuss a real property and economic development matter.

Request by the City Manager for an executive session to discuss a Union and personnel matter.

Signing of council orders and housekeeping items.