We haven’t had time to pick apart City Mgr. Jim Hock’s 1st quarter financial numbers, but if the story in yesterday’s on-line version of the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate (“Despite $2.4M deficit, city officials ‘comfortable’ with budget so far,” August 24) is accurate, all we can say is: Here we go again.
According to the H-A article, Acting City Finance Director Linda Lazzara is already looking at a fiscal year-end deficit if the first quarter performance represents a year-long trend. We realize that’s a big “if” at this point in time, but with economists less than optimistic about any major upswing in economic growth in sight it’s an “if” that City government should take seriously.
But Lazzara’s boss, Hock, claims to be “comfortable with where we are.” Or at least that’s what he told the Council at Monday night’s meeting.
That’s the same Hock who seemed remarkably comfortable the past two years even as the City was posting multi-million dollar deficits under his management, and borrowing from its water fund to make payroll because the general fund was tapped out (as Hock reports it is again). Maybe being comfortable under those circumstances comes from drawing a compensation package of around $200K and having to answer only to a bunch of guys who are comfortable feeling warm air blowing up their whatzits.
From what we’ve seen over the past two years, Hock is comfortable producing warm air at will.
Which is why Hock sounds comfortable in continuing to count on getting big bucks from Springfield, even though The Mighty Quinn & Company remain about 5 months behind on paying what Park Ridge is owed from the state income tax. After all, don’t Quinn, Madigan and Cullerton have it all under control?
And, as Hock pointed out, our local sales tax revenues should get a shot in the arm with the opening of three new restaurants in Uptown. We assume that’s also making him comfortable.
Hock’s comfort appears to have been contagious, which may be why the Council seemed so comfortable Monday night in voting to give away $190,000 in handouts to private community groups which aren’t required to account to the Council or Park Ridge taxpayers for as much as a dime of that money.
And the Council remains comfortable leaving the door open on Ald. Robert Ryan’s continuing effort to saddle the City with a $724,000 parking lot on Fairview that is listed by his buddy and former campaign treasurer, realtor Owen J. Hayes II – a lot which the City now leases from the Scharringhausens for $20,520 annually (and from which it generates a $2,000 profit) and that also contributes $11,030 in property taxes that would be lost if the City acquired it.
We can only assume that the sale of that property to the City would make the Scharringhausens and Hayes comfortable, too, as there don’t appear to be many private buyers jumping at the property at that price.
So as we approach the end of Summer 2010, Hock and the City Council all seem pretty darn comfortable with how things are going over at City Hall.
How about you?
3 comments so far
I have not been “comfortable” with City Hall since Howard Frimark became mayor and Tim Shuenke was City Mgr. At least this year the budget is being looked at 3 months out rather than 6 or 9 months out. But judging from the “for sale” signs around town and the number of foreclosures I’m hearing about, we’re no where near out of the woods on the economy, so we’re still vulnerable to any financial problem or anomaly.
I’ll feel more comfortable when I know who’s lining up to fill Bach’s seat in 2011.
Have the Irish Pub buy the parking lot that the city wants to buy for their own parking. This is about six months’ worth of their sales in liquor. They knew there was no parking on Main Street when they applied for the license. I don’t know why the city is bending over backwards to change the ordinance to fit these people. They didn’t do that when Walter was there. Most of the time these businesses take their money and run and then file for bankruptcy after it’s over….like Uncle Dan’s.