(NHCAN): $1.5 Billion Spent on Schools & No Plan???? (Get Some TUMS.)
November 12th, 2010


Welcome back from the summer. We have lots of work to do and I hope you will be a continuing part of this effort. One of the most important things that came out of last year's successful drive to increase financial sustainability was your involvement. This cannot be understated. The fact is, we have been presenting this information to the BOA and City Hall for the past several years and their big response this year (although not fully what we asked for) was because we had a large number of people behind us. Some alders reported having more calls on the budget then any one topic in the past. This demonstrates the important role your phone calls, email and showing up for marathon meetings has had. We need this again this year! Read below for more information on the status or our financial situation and why your involvement this year is equally important. Here is what this update includes: Tax Abatement Hearing on the Tax Assessor's Office Continues with the subpoenaed Board of Assessment Appeals Commissioners. Tuesday, September 14 @ 6pm - Aldermanic Chambers Financial Review & Audit Commission Draft Financial Report: $85 Million Operating Hole in 5 years New Haven Independent Turns Five, needs your support The Mayor is still pushing for the disastrous Parking Monetization Deal instead of facing the reality he bankrupted the city. Tell everyone to call the BOA and the Mayor's office and say "no way!" DeStefano Reader We do this newsletter and the work we do because we love New Haven and want it to be a place that continues to flourish. We believe that transparency, accountability & financial sustainability are the key ingredients to a sustainable, enjoyable, fun, safe and healthy city. Please forward this email to everyone you know and ask them to subscribe to our mailings. (NHCAN) Transparency, Accountability & Financial Sustainability Happy Birthday New Haven Independent The New Haven Independent is celebrating 5 years of coverage of New Haven. You might not know that it is a non-profit news organization and relies on contributions from readers. The Independent has taken a leading role in covering the important issues we care about and I urge you to become a sponsor by making a one time donation or monthly contribution since it is important to have locally focused media uncovering stories about local government -- especially when we keep finding out more and more about the financial mismanagement here in New Haven.


Tax Abatement Using a personalized greeting for your emails is another great way to continue building a relationship with your recipients. Depending on your industry, you may even want to use your recipients' first names. You may also want to include a few lines of introductory text here to set the stage for your email. Consider the tone of voice you want to use for your emails and your business as a whole. Obviously if you're running a surfboard shop you're going to approach your customers a little differently than if you are a Realtor. Get the background here. Financial Review & Audit Commission (FRAC) The FRAC worked with a consulting firm to do an analysis of the City's financial health and a five year financial projection. The New Haven Independent covered the Consulting Firm's findings to the FRAC which you can read here. The Final Report will be out in October but will not be substantially different in terms of content. This report validates NHCAN's findings over the past several years about huge tax increases coming our way. Parking monetization, sales of assetts are some ways to disguise this reality. It does not appear the Mayor is serious about changing course as he is still pursuing the toxic parking meter deal and other shenanigans. Some of the findings: The City of NH embarked on a $1.5 Billion school construction project without a plan of whether we would need all those schools or where they would best be placed. We spend about $22,000 per pupil (yet have failing schools) We pay more for many things than our peer cities such as longevity pay, employee benefits, Overtime in both Police and Fire, and on and on... We need another $100 Million Dollars in cuts or revenue (or a combination of the two) in the next 5 years.	DeStefano Strikes Again: Sell the future to fund today. Will your alderperson help him? Will Jorge Perez deliver for the Mayor? Will alders support selling future revenues (a one time source) for today's spending? The parking monetization deal is a terrible idea that avoids structural problems in the budget for a quick fix and then hinders us for 25 years. Jorge Perez is being courted by the mayor and the fund managers about to hit the lottery. Call Alderman Jorge Perez and tell him not to support selling our future. Ward5@newhavenct.net or 203-562-4373 Get the background here. The DeStefano Reader www.johndestefanojr.com If you haven't already seen this, be sure to check out the DeStefano Reader website. Its a collection of news articles on the DeStefano administration.

Tel: (203) 676-0880
Email: jeffrey.kerekes@gmail.com

Web: www.nhcan.org