The Trust Gap and the Safety Levy

When you look at the financial situation in South Euclid it is pretty clear as to why and how we have come to this point: mismanagement of tax dollars, miscalculation of the real estate market, lack of creative budgeting, and not being preparing for the inevitable higher costs vs. lower revenue. This brings us to our current situation of safety force layoffs, budget concessions, and the pending safety force levy. The question must be asked, can we trust that if the city's residents once again bare the majority of the burden of the budget shortfall will the problem will be corrected and will the results of our investment payoff in a safer community?  My concern is that we have a very significant trust gap with the current city leadership and that the success of this levy has a steep hill to climb.

The current leadership has proposed and passed many tax increases over the last 10 years, more than many of our peer communities. Our current property tax rate along with our income tax rates are extremely high, rated 8th highest by Cleveland Magazine's 2013 Rating the Suburbs issue. One of these tax increases, striking similar to the current safety force levy being proposed, was the street levy passed a few years back. This levy was supposed to fix the deteriorating roads in our city but unfortunately the majority of the revenue went straight the general fund while the pot holes grew deeper.

The current headship were in position for "Rollback-gate" and "Parking Ticket-gate" both of which cost the city a small fortune in lost revenue and legal defense fees.

The biggest elephant in the room is Cedar Center North and Oakwood Commons. The financial burden and missteps are causing controversy, even thoguh it is not yet widley reported or discussed, the cost of debt servicing nor the tax revenue are showing up in the 2014 or 2015 budget forecasts. All indications are that this is because the mayor and council don't want to admit that their real estate miscalculations and the loan that they took out for CCN will cause the revenue from both developments to be neutral for the better part of 30 years as the annual cost of the debt reaches nearly $1.0 Million.

You would think with so many previous "issues" when the time came to propose yet another tax increase it would be done with the utmost respect for integrity and transparency. In my opinion that is not the case, let me opine:

The layoff notices went out in response to the mayor requiring a $700,000 budget cut from the two safety force departments. After public outcry and debate the current solution is to ask for a levy specifically deemed to prevent these specific cuts. To prevent the cuts the levy should cost $700,000, correct?  Why is the current levy upwards of $1.16 Million annually? Where is that "extra" $400,000 going? Further, the mayor has touted her ability to negotiate with the unions and recently bragged about hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, if that is the case shouldn't the levy be adjusted accordingly?

If the current regime wants the support of its citizens for this safety force levy they need to close the current trust gap and need to be more transparent and honest about past, current, and future financial issues. If the current lessees of City Hall do not want egg on their face and have their pending levy fall to defeat they have "take their medicine" about past missteps and provide a prescription for long-term financial security.