Chadwick posts a petition demanding “accurate and more transparent accounting of public funds by the City of DeKalb.” It reads:

To: Mayor Frank Van Buer; Aldermen Bertrand Simpson, Kris Povlsen, Vic Wogen, Donna Gorski, Ron Naylor, Dave Baker and Brent Keller

Whereas: we the undersigned citizens and taxpayers of the City of DeKalb are concerned with the lack of transparency and integrity of financial accounting as demonstrated by the transfer of an $800,000 deficit and then the sudden appearance of a $485,000 surplus in the FY09 budget. We demand transparent accounting of public funds, public borrowing and public contracts with private ventures. There should be no lingering doubt of any improprieties.

Now therefore: we hereby call for an Independent Certified Financial Audit of ALL City of DeKalb financial records and accounts for FY06, FY07 and FY08 and demand that the unedited comments and recommendations from the auditors to the Mayor and City Council be made public immediately.

Download a copy of the petition at Big DeKalb. Deadline for signatures is June 21.

How we love Greg LeRoy here at CityBarbs! I’ve been working on this publication, yes, even before the Sunday comics. It’s called No More Secret Candy Store: A Grassroots Guide to Investigating Development Subsidies.

Here’s a piece.

But the greatest research value of the meeting will probably be in the drama: the power dynamics among the board members and staff [Ain't that the truth!]. After the meeting, go for coffee and debrief, asking yourselves:

· Did the board members really debate the deal in the meeting, or had everything been “greased” ahead of time?
· Was this meeting accessible – in terms of time and place – to the people who will be affected by it the most?
· Who seemed to have control of the information? Staff? Only the chair?
· Who talked the most? The least?
· Who was absent?
· Did anyone even pretend to disagree on anything? [Wow, so he has visited DeKalb.]
· Who else was there besides board and staff? Developers and lawyers? [More than once.]
· Was there any evidence that the board is really encouraging public participation in its deliberations? Or discouraging it? How?
· How did the board members react to your presence? [Well, I sometimes get the poker face, the fish eye or the utterly amusing attempted stare down, though never ever by His Honor nor most of Council.] How many other members of the public were there?

TIF stuff starts on page 76 on your .pdf counter.
Hat tip and air kisses to the Internet Research Commandos.

Mac has made the Financial Advisory Committee’s recommendations available at his site. Spoiler alert! This post contains the money quote (heh), from FAC member Tom Teresinski.

Tom Teresinski
Overview – A Perspective

I. Spending – Per City Report: (000)

General Fund – Spending (1998): $14,535.8;
(2009) $28,167.0
% Growth: 93.8
Avg % Increase 0ver 11 yrs: 8.5%
Avg % CPI – estimated: 3.0%
Avg Rate of Increase Above CPI: 5.5%

II. Comments:

Given that the City has historically spent more than 2 times the rate of inflation over the last 11 yrs indicates that we have a spending problem. Since these costs are 85% personnel this will be a major component of the review required.

Even if this has made you speechless, surely you’ll be recovered by next week. See you in Council Chambers Monday at 7 p.m. for the public hearing on the FY2009 budget.

As of this writing, the agenda for the June 9 Council meeting is not yet posted online, so must depend on Chronicle coverage:

In March, the sales tax was raised and a motor fuel tax was established to address the city’s budget shortfall. An audit projected that the city’s general fund would have a $500,000 shortfall by June 30, the end of the city’s 2008 Fiscal Year.

The natural gas, electricity and hotel-motel tax increases scheduled for discussion Monday are included in the city’s 2009 proposed budget to generate funds for the next fiscal year, Assistant City Manager Rudy Espiritu said during a news conference Thursday. These revenues are also part of the city’s five-year financial plan.

The water and waste rate increases are to cover rising costs of services, Espiritu said. Some increases could go into effect as early as July if approved.

That’s not entirely correct, Mr. Espiritu. Take the water rate increase. If the city would stop siphoning off a half-mil-plus from the Water Division into the General Fund, Water would be paying for itself quite nicely. You, with Council’s complicity (Council has to approve these transfers) need that money to cover the nice raises you are giving yourselves, as well as that $800,000 insurance shortfall carried over from last year.

Raises in a budget crisis via tax hikes that we can’t afford. Hunh. My neighborhood is having its yard sales this weekend but we are not selling our torches and pitchforks.

p.s. Notice that nobody’s really talking about the city’s property tax levy? I bet they hike that next and I bet, when it comes, we’ll be scraping our jaws off the floor.