The Fix is in—the Convention Center Tax ballot.                                  October 12, 2010

The Mayor and Board members are elected allegedly to carry out the wishes of the voters and the City Manager is hired to implement those wishes.

Is this being done?  Hardly.

The city government, shirking their responsibilities, turned the matter of raising money to resurrect the moribund Civic Auditorium to an Ad Hoc Committee, which allows the voters 3 choices: 2 new taxes and a broken promise.

1.      Levy a 1% tax on prepared food

2.      Levy a ½% tax on prepared food

3.      Reallocate 5% of the DEDICATED Street Tax revenue to the Convention Center. The fact that some Directors are willing to flagrantly violate their honor to reposition a Dedicated tax to some other venue shows they cannot be trusted.  If 5% can be removed from the Dedicated street tax this would certainly indicate that the 1% street tax is generating more revenue than the city needs for streets & sewers; therefore where is the excess revenue going now?

Now to the Convention Center ballot.  The Ad Hoc committee and City Directors conveniently left out an integral component of the ballot which is:  NONE OF THE ABOVE.   Another dishonest position.

Gentlemen, why are you consciously eliminating what appears to be a substantial segment of voters from the election process by refusing to allow them to articulate their views, i.e. NONE OF THE ABOVE.

The city has any number of privately owned, for profit venues that create private sector jobs, while paring down the size of city government and generates tax revenue which the Convention Center does not, and can more than adequately serve the needs of the city.  Obviously, the privately owned convention centers are not subsidized by the hard pressed city taxpayers.

Directors, with an honest ballot, the possibility of shutting down the failed Convention Center would not be a stain on your political legacies, actually it would be seen as a rational political move in favor of taxpayers.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen

Cc: Citizens

arkansasfreedom.net   

Griffin & Pyle strike again.                                  September 7, 2010

Stack ‘em & Pack ‘em.  Build it and they will come.  Folks, it’s all about FUNDING.  Just like Beran at UAFS, another “5-Year Plan” foisted on taxpayers…shades of the old Soviet. (Can you imagine what this bunch will do to us in 5 years left to their own devices?)

An article by Ben Boulden in today’s Times Record (9/7/10) is supposed to be taken seriously and absolutely no laughing.   Fort Smith, a city of some 83,000 residents,  is being victimized by a “poll” of 70 people.  These 70 respondents saw a “high need” for more housing support for the so-called homeless.  Question: how many of these 70 people who are desirous of increasing welfare and parasitism pay income or property taxes? 

The Fort Smith Community Development Department (now that’s a mouthful) sponsored this ludicrous survey.  They claim to have 500 “clients” per month and the number is growing exponentially.  Calling these people “clients” is akin to Federal & State governments calling welfare recipients “customers”.  

Ms. Gabriel, a functionary in this welfare program states “Low-income people need to have available more vouchers so as to make standard housing more affordable.”  Standard housing? 

Now enter Ken Pyle, Richard Griffin’s enabler, with the statement of the day.  “With more funding the Housing Authority could accommodate the working poor, the disabled and more homeless.”  Build it and they will come.

You boys did not absorb the 97/3 rule, so here it is again.  3% of Americans cannot take care of themselves mentally or physically, therefore their every need should be tended to without question.  97% should be ignored and it will take them 2 weeks to achieve their desired standard of living….off the welfare teat.

Back to the Riverfront.

As often proclaimed…Fort Smith is awash in taxpayers’ money, e.g. $62,000 to pay for its share in hiring a consulting firm regarding Bennie Westphal’s 85 riverfront acreage.  What was the total that Cushman & Wakefield of Dallas charged for the consultation, including the Chamber of Commerce and Westphal’s?

Any realtor worth his/her salt could ascertain in 10 minutes the potential of Westphal’s 85 acres. Apparently the only positive thing to come out of the grand theft was the revelation that Fort Smith could not support a baseball stadium which would seat more than 3,500.  In reality, that’s twice too large, undergirded by the fact that baseball is a dying spectator sport. Do the research and observe the NW Arkansas’ Naturals.

If the riverfront has so much potential, get out of the way and let the Westphals or whoever they sell the property to develop it.  But each of you public servants” know well that anything put down there, i.e. the Marshall’s Museum will out of necessity demand taxpayer subsidies if allowed to achieve fruition.   

Get out of the entertainment business and adhere to the proper functions of government.  An excellent start would be the streets and sewers.

The easiest job in the whole world is spending someone else’s money.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen

Cc: citizens

arkansasfreedom.net

August 27, 2010

Fort Smith City Directors argue that their constituents AREN’T paying enough taxes.

Directors’ noon meeting, August 24, 2010, revealed their artful, sinister scheme to pass one & perhaps more of their potpourri of proposed new taxes, i.e. ½ % sales tax, or 1 % sales tax on prepared food or a 3^rd    option for the reallocation of 10% or less of the revenue from the 1% city sales tax dedicated to street improvements and a rider attached to this proposal to require voters to renew the tax in a decade, should they approve it in January, 2011.

Directors understand all too well what all politicians know, and also keeps them in office, is that Americans will in most cases always vote for the lesser of 2 evils…and all three of these proposals are evil.

In my last missive to the Fort Smith city government, I listed a plethora of unholy positions that city directors and other functionaries might be described as, dishonesty being one.

Observe their collective positions and decide for yourself regarding honesty in the F.S. city government:

1. Breaking into the 1% street tax which city government proclaimed they would never do prior to the election: hence the tax was passed.
2. The Directors stated that the U.S. Marshall’s Museum was a private endeavor, and would be so funded. As they are doling out hundreds of thousands of dollars…have they reneged?  If any of the 3 tax proposals pass, the Directors further support putting $250,000 annually into the Museum, and in all likelihood much much more. Presently it is not known how many thousands of dollars the Directors have already put into this $50 million+ government expansionist project just for openers.
3. Marshall’s Museum executive director, Jim Dunn, whoever he is, made a request for $100,000 from the city for operating funds (?)  The city has already put in another $250,000.
4. Slickster City Manager Dennis Kelley asked Dunn if “he could wait until after the vote on the Convention Center before a decision is made”.  Shades of Barack Obama & Harry Reid.

Does the above compute to Honesty?

The above, coupled with the Fort Smith Housing Authority are direct brutal assaults on taxpaying citizens.  The Griffin/Pyle cabal continues unabated. Trying to dissect Griffin’s operation that appears in the Times Record (8/27/10) is absolutely an exercise in verbal gymnastics. Griffin seems to treat those millions of dollars flowing from the U.S. Federal Government subsidies as REAL income. (?) Forced redistribution is not real income.

It is stated that there are cash outlays for administrative salaries in amount of $364,260 and $342,257 for management fees.  It is appropriate that Griffin name names and what these names are being paid, and the numbers in the administration. Perhaps the City Board is privy to this information and protecting it, and/or some of said Directors may have rings in their noses.

Ken Pyle, Authority Executive Director, described said Authority as an “innovative Authority, with an expanding portfolio of activities”.   Directors, do you not think it would be of benefit to yourselves and your constituents if you and we were acutely aware of the details of the Griffin/Pyle “Innovative Authority”?

Finally, why is so much emphasis, energy and capital being focused on Garrison Ave?  And why are taxpayer dollars being used to renovate private property?

Transparency? Logical explanations?—I think not.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen

August 23, 2010

Fort Smith City Government—are they inept, dishonest, arrogant, corrupt or just plain dumb?

Observe:

Flashback :  13 years ago citizens stupidly passed a $55 million tax package to build a convention center, library and the first phase of a master riverfront plan.   I say stupidly because the much more efficient, larger, more attractive Hot Springs Convention Center cost $17 million and the Bud Walton Arena cost $32 million. Using the Walton Arena figures the Fort Smith Convention Center cost almost exactly the same, leaving $23 million out of the $55 million.  What was the Fort Smith library actual final cost? Using the Hot Springs Convention Center cost of $17 million, a surplus of $38 million would exist.  Why such an outrageous price paid for the F.S. Convention Center?  The question is, regarding the comparative costs between the Walton Arena and the Fort Smith Civic Center, why did the Fort Smith Center cost almost the same as the Walton Arena which is much larger and superior construction and many more venues?

It appears that contractors made out like bandits in the construction of the Fort Smith Civic Center. Same mentality that led the city to build the dysfunctional Lee Creek Dam debacle, and additionally, after many denials from the city government and an inordinate number of editorials by then Editor Jack Mosley of the Times Record that the Lake Ft. Smith dam could not possibly be raised, finally after 25 yrs or so it was determined it could be raised after all—why the drastic change in engineering studies (or was there a cover-up?) and what was the real cost to city residents because the city government refused to act honorably and raise the lake dam when originally proposed?  Again, who benefited?  Another question: who was feeding Moseley engineering data which said the dam could not be raised?

The Times Record reports that the Fort Smith Convention Center has a yearly deficit (in bureaucratic terms, that’s “shortfall”) ranging from$650,000 to $1.1 million leaving a $450,000 differential.   The T.R. did not bother to state how many years it was at the $1.1 million vs. the $650,000.   What we do know is since 2001 the city has received $17,700,000 to be applied to the Civic Center deficit over a 9 yr period.  Using the figure $1.1 million yearly, as opposed to the $650,000 yearly expense for 9 years would equal $9.9 million and that figure subtracted from the $17,700,000 would leave a $7,800,000 surplus. 

If these dedicated monies had been used properly, utilizing generously the $1.1 million figure as opposed to the $650,000 figure, the Convention Center’s deficits would have been paid for through at least 2018. Again, some of the surplus was used to pay down Sales & Use tax bond debt.  Why? By what authority?  What happened to the remaining balance? 

Regarding honesty: the city of Fort Smith appears to be plummeting headlong into a Rust Belt environment, while our administration is hell-bent on involving us, “we the citizens” in more hugely expensive, frivolous projects mirroring the $55 million Convention Center/Library tax package hike. This bunch has already cut up the proposed 1% food tax pie, before the vote.  The city directors either lied to citizens or were tricked into lying when stating the Civil Rights Mausoleum, AKA the Marshall’s Museum would be funded by private dollars.  Now we’re told the Board has already poured hundreds of thousands into this proposed $50 million (and counting) endeavor. How many employees are working allegedly for the Marshall’s Museum now, how much are they being paid and who’s providing the funds?  If one thinks the Convention Center is an expensive losing proposition, reflect a moment if you will on the actual construction cost and the continuing staff, maintenance, insurance, utilities, etc. and hence the enormous deficits this baby will surely produce.  Who paid and how much for the consultants and the architectural work already done? 

At tomorrow evening’s meeting (8/24/10), the Directors and other administrative functionaries of the city are going to propose dumping another $100,000 into the proposed Marshall’s Museum.

Other frivolities include another $100,000 (wow) for a Bass Reeve Monument, also billed as a private endeavor.  This expenditure comes in two $50,000 per year increments. After the Bass Reeve Monument is paid off, the $50,000 per year would go the City’s Arts Community…whatever that might be, in perpetuity.  Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago the city proclaimed revenues were down therefore cuts had to be made?  What happened to the suggestion that the City Board give up its $400 per month absurd car expense and absolutely no discussion regarding the Mayor’s $20,000 PER MONTH expense account, which should be only the starting point for cuts.  What happened to the deficit discussions?

The proposed takeover of the Convention Center by the F.S. Advertising & Promotion Commission should be inspected with a microscope. In this regard, Ray Gosack came forth with a heart wrenching decision, that the Commission “should not raise any salaries beyond the rate of inflation through Dec. 31, 2011”.  The arrogance of Gosack, a ward of the taxpayers, even contemplating raising government employee’s salaries at all as companies are downsizing, closing their doors, moving away, and taxpaying citizens are struggling mightily just to have a job. How asinine. “Let ‘em eat cake”?

Citizens, the Fort Smith city government is awash in taxpayer money, and at this time they should be sharply curtailing and cutting expenditures anticipating the bleak future that our nation faces, but all the while they continue their efforts to expand and demand more funding.

Remember, spending other people’s money is the easiest job in the whole world.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen