I can still hear my high school geometry and trigonometry teacher, Miss Anderson, admonishing NYS Regents students: “If you don’t show your work, you receive no credit.” The right answer without disclosing how you obtained the answer earned you no credit. Perhaps you cheated or guessed. Cheated? In today’s Madoff and insider-trading era? Our current financial crisis is a direct result of unsound fiscal practices that still lack transparency despite the political rhetoric.
Obtaining information from our public sector — schools and municipalities — is a full-time job. If the institutions put public information into the public domain, you would see where your money is spent. Instead, we have people paid to BURY it in places like “consent agendas” that never see the light of public discussion. The boards and councils argue we have “representative government” wherein you, the taxpayers, don’t want to be bothered with the particulars. They must be correct because political apathy is running at an all-time high. Who has time for mind-numbing political banter?
I quietly attended meetings through the years as an observer and then generated courage in offering constructive suggestions designed to lower costs with greater benefits. This is what seasoned and rational business-types do to improve their communities and create greater opportunities. Last year, in 2009, I had seen enough nonsense and experienced the frustration of WHY people don’t get involved in their communities. I spent NO money on my mayoral campaign and generated 175 votes despite the “winners” spending $49,000 and runner-up spending about $35,000 for a part-time job. Pete who?
Talk is cheap, but ignorance is so expensive as to bankrupt us all. The pay and benefit raises granted by “educated” officials are unsustainable. “Compounding” is known to anyone with a basic knowledge of finance. Yet our WW-P Board of Education is staffed with countless degreed masters of business administration (MBAs). In 2004 I ran for the WW-P Board of Education as the only candidate who did not support the proposed budget. The negotiated budget and labor contracts are fiscally irresponsible. How can your Board of Education and township negotiators see three years into the future?
Here are some ideas that might permit our schools and townships to “show their work.” What would Miss Anderson say?
(1). Any public MEETING should have a COST of that meeting published as part of the official minutes. For municipalities, it would include lawyers’ fees, a portion of the councilpersons’ salary and benefits, the recording secretarial costs, and ANYONE receiving compensation to appear or within the scope of one’s employment. The same figure can be calculated for school board meetings.
(2). Any public RESOLUTION (school or municipal) must have a COST associated with the proposed action INCLUDED in any proposal, long before it is discussed, let alone passed. If the action isn’t cost-justifiable, you can’t do it. No funds? No do.
(3). Any publication or mailing must include its production and distribution costs.
(4). Ensure all meetings are shorter. The schools & municipalities limit public comment to 2-3 minutes, why not limit elected officials to the same criteria?
(5). WW Township is run by legions of no-bid professional services contract personnel. Disclose these professional services contracts to taxpayers and their total compensation for each.
(6). Make no financial or policy decisions without a history of costs over at least the last 10 years; preferably 20 years. Demonstrate how the actions will REDUCE expenses or pay for themselves. Projections over 3 to 5 to 20 years are of finite value. All township and school operations must be run as cost centers. Zero-base budgets instead of rubber stamping them year after year.
(7). Immediately make cuts of 10 percent across the board. Period. No exceptions.
(8). Rescind the WW ordinance for union-scale wages for all construction projects within schools and taxpayer-funded projects.
(9). Involve our high school students in municipal and school operations via community service . These students are inheriting our “financial quagmire.”
(10). Videotape/CD all WW-P Board of Education meetings and WW Council/Planning Board/ Zoning Board meetings as historical references.
(11). Encourage more Township and WW-P educational staff to reside within the community. High property taxes are driven by our public sector costs. Share the burden.
Peter Weale
Fisher Place
