The Consultant Trap.

In order to convince themselves and the voters that a controversial issue is being given serious consideration consultants are brought in by governments of all sizes to perform an expert analysis and to offer solutions. Of course these self styled experts don't come cheap.

The current Wilmington water revenue controversy offers a case study of our tax dollars in action.

The need for increased water department revenue is not in question but how that revenue will be collected is the question. After exhaustive study and using modern computer technology, a method of collection was finally presented to the city fathers and mothers by the hired guns.

Meanwhile, back at the water treatment plant, an imaginary custodian looking over some discarded paperwork noted that the department needed around $600 thousand a year in new revenue to resolve the ongoing financial problem. The custodian already knew from other sources that there were 6,000 water customers in the city. With a pencil stub and a scrap of paper our man calculated that collecting an additional $10 a month from each customer would produce the needed revenue. He then sighed, threw the paper in the trash and finished his chores.

Back to the real world: The consultants finally finished their study and made their recommendations. A $120 per year surcharge on each customer would bring in the needed new revenue. Included along with their power point briefing paper was a $5,000 consultant's fee bill.

Paul Hunter

Pay Attention To Water Rate Discussion.

Wilmington city council and the mayor are reluctant to ask the voters if they want a 1.5 mill street maintenance and repair property tax levy. Those same folks, to collect more water revenue, may be willing to impose an equivalent 3.5 mills without even asking the voters.

Paul Hunter

The Story Behind The Headline

From the Wilmington News Journal 8/22/14

WCS summer lunch program deemed success All told, 3,783 meals served at middle school cafeteria - 

The Story Behind The Headline

In 2013 I contacted the WCS Superintendent and inquired about the possibility of starting a summer feeding program in Wilmington Schools. The districts high poverty rate indicated a need for such a project. The school administration was non committal on the idea and the matter died for lack of interest.

In early 2015 I made another attempt to interest the administration in the project but was unable to arouse much interest. I then contacted individual members of the Board of Education and that resulted in a sit down meeting with the Superintendent and the district business manager. At a later meeting with the business manager, the food service manager and myself it was decided to proceed with the program.

Note: I contacted the editor of of the News Journal early in the summer and requested that she publish an announcement of the program and the details for participation but the notice was not published.  

Paul Hunter

Change Coming to City Hall.

Cindy Peterson, the current Wilmington City Council President, has decided to be a candidate for Mayor in the 2015 election. Mayor Riley has indicated to this reporter that he will not seek reelection.
Paul Hunter paulhunter45177@gmail.com

Wilmington News Journal Missed The Parish Story

Until it broke on this blog andon facebook.
Trail of an obscure city council action

WILMINGTON CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014 6:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Executive Session per ORC 121.22 (G )(1) and (G)(4)
B. Personnel Matters
5. ADJOURNMENT

COUNCIL Thursday, June12, 2014
Wilmington City Council met in special session on Thursday, June 12, 2014, at 
6:30 p.m. with President Cindy Peterson presiding.
A motion was made by Milburn and seconded by Mead to authorize the mayor to enter 
into a settlement agreement. [note lack of detailed public information. Even the newspaper missed it]
Motion passed. All yeas. 
From the settlement document obtained by myself from the Director of Law on 8/7/14
An agreement between Scott Parish and the City of Wilmington concerning the awarding of $110,000 to Mr. Parish.

Paul Hunter

Water Cost Increase

According to a report in the 8/9/14 Wilmington News Journal a consultant to the city council's water committee, a $10 per month surcharge is the recommended method to raise the required funding for continued operation of the city water department.

When it was pointed out during the council meeting that this placed an unfair cost share on senior and small family users, the committee chair Mark McKay stated that they didn't want to hit big users of water to hard because it might scare away potential businesses. In effect, such a system would cause the small and often low and moderate income user to subsidize the large users.

Examples. Mrs. Smith lives alone and uses an average of 4,000 per month. She pays $5.84 per one thousand gallons or a total of $23.36 plus a $1.40 fixed cost. The $10 surcharge would cost the lady an equivalent increase of $2.50 per 1,000 gallons.

ABC corporation uses 100,000 gallons per month and the $10 surcharge would cost the company an equivalent increase of ten cents per thousand gallons.

There is a better approach to increasing revenue that would that, at best, cost the utility bill payer nothing or, at worst, a much smaller increase in user cost then the surcharge idea.

Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com

Mayors Landfill Comments

I have been analyzing landfill issues for the past four years and, from time to time, addressed council on the subject.

 

Below is my response to the Mayor’s comments as published in the 7/30/14 Wilmington News Journal.

 

1.No change in current operations is not an option  as the OEPA has asserted that the City of Wilmington cannot own and operate its own landfill.

 

Response: According to Russell Brown from the Dayton office of the OEPA’s landfill division, ““We are often asked if we are Pro or Con on the topic of landfills. And the answer is that we are neutral. We don’t have an opinion regarding who owns and operates a landfill, our focus is that it is done correctly”

 

2. Immediate sell.

 

Response: In my opinion, if a buyer could be found the only way that the buyer could gain a return on investment would be to bring in large amounts of outside the county and/or state solid waste and build a mountain of trash within the city limits and increase truck traffic on Nelson. Nearby neighbors have already spoken to this issue at the public meeting)

 

3.Immediate Lease

Response: Basically the same objections as immediate sale. In their recent proposal Santek indicated that they would increase the daily tipping rate of 65 tons per day toward the maximum allowable of 195 tons per day.

 

4. Immediate closure.

 

Response: The recent expansion of landfill capacity has added years of use at current tipping rates and has been completed.

 

5. Zero Waste

 

Response: A viable and responsible idea but difficult and expensive to implement. We have borrowed some time with the expansion to work out the details.

 

6. Privatize solid waste responsibility.

 

Response: Certainly worth studying for a long term solution after the current facility is to be closed. This option must meet performance accountability standards.

 

Business as usual is not an option.

 

Response: This is the best option for the near and mid term period. The landfill is self supporting and with local effort can have several years of useful life.

Note: The cost of closing a landfill varies greatly. A supply of good clay dirt is a major cost factor. Fortunately we have a lot of that material on site according to landfill personnel. One online source offers this estimate:

In 2013 dollars the cost of the actual closure would be $1,411,201. The continuing monitoring and maintenance cost over the 30 years post closing would be $2,463,094 or $82,000 per year.

 

When deliberating the need to lower rates to increase outside tipping has proven counterproductive because the value of landfill airspace has been disregarded. Calculations using the current expansion cost and airspace gained results in a $7 per cubic yard of airspace value.

Paul Hunter

 

 

 

 

 

City of Wilmington Settles with Former Employee

City of Wilmington Settles With Former Parks Director.

In a document signed by city director of law Brian Shidaker and former city employee Scott Parish, Parish agrees to relieve the city of all liability and claims.

In return for Parish releasing his claims against the city a monetary award of $110,000 will be made to him.

The award includes:

$28,538 to settle claims of alleged personal injuries, including emotional distress, humiliation, damage to professional and personal reputation.

$45,000 in settlement of disputed claims of alleged lost wages and benefits.

$36,462 payable to Tobias, Torchia & Simon [law firm]

Reported by Paul Hunter budhunter@frontier.com