BUDGET SPECIAL MEETING

VIVA GLORIA!! Words I never thought that I would write, but among her comments she did say something last night about policy that I agree with 100%. However, that will be addressed in a follow up blog a little later today.

Hallelujah! I did get to the Council meeting last, Wednesday, night.

The Special Meeting devoted to amendments to the proposed 2015 budget that was supposed to start at 7pm prior to the 7:30 Agenda Fixing Session began at about 7:30 and lasted for at least an hour. Councilor Brown was away at a convention so Taylor was elected protemp Chair, Committee of the Whole...

Several days ago AJ, the City Clerk, had posted a copy of the proposed changes to the budget. Upon arriving at the meeting a revised set of amendments was made available.

To Councilor Greaves’ complaint that the Council should have had the changes in time to understand them, CFO Steinberg remarked that some had only been made a few hours before the meeting and most were done by “state” request.

Non the less significantly missing from the final document was any changes to the proposed Mayor’s Office budget. The $40000.00 decrease in salaries had been deleted as I had suspected in yesterday’s blog might happen.  

Other changes between the two documents include moving the $250000 appropriation for “demolitions” from the excluded from the Caps Capital Improvements portion to ‘operations within Caps.

The allotments to the Unemployment Compensation fund was reduce from50K v since the CFO explained that there was over 600K in the fund which was adequate.

Likewise, the 15K appropriation for the Capital Improvement Funds was delete as there is enough in the fund to meet the requirement s for about 16 million dollars in bond issues.

The net results of the proposed changes each of which had to be voted upon by roll call is a reduction of 65K in appropriations.

On the 16^th at the business meeting this budget will be up for approval. I will look for comments from the Council’s consultant and from CBAC at that time.

RUMINATIONS

Can’t blame myself for being a goof-off today. Who could last night take time to write a blog when there was the opportunity to watch –even by proxy of the TV broadcast- a no-hitter take place?

And then there was the 4th quarter of the NBA 3rd game of the Championship series. Like all pro-basketball games just the last 5 minutes need to be watched; the rest if the game is nonsense. Point in fact; Cleveland led by 17 points at the start of the 4th period, a blowout? No The Warriors had cut the lead to 1 point with about 5 minutes to go. If it were not for the efforts of LeBron James one of the greatest players of all time Cleveland would have blown the game. Yes he had help but it was his play that won this third game.

Then there was this morning spent with reading two of three papers, paying attention to a demanding Dawg who wanted to either play, stay outside protecting his domain. Or exercising his prerogative as a 25 lb. lap dog.

And who could resist siting outside for a couple of hours catching up on some magazines? There are still parts of the Times and the WSJ to read.

There is so much information that some of the newspapers still print that we are now overlooking with our dependency on TV and social Medias for news. The local stations news programs are scripted shows focusing on accidents, shootings, false humor, and plugging the products of the corporation owner of the networks.

Did you know that once again terrorists such as suicide bombers attacked tourist in Egypt? This time it was at the great Temple of Karnack at Thebes. This is a magnificent antiquity and it would have been a crime against humanity if the bombs had gone off.

Other tidbits in today’s Times is about Senator Rubio’s financial problems. He is a seeker of the Republican nomination, and does not benefit from the Clinton Foundation. The US has taken upon itself to try “foreign terrorists” in US courts. The Virginia Supreme Court has stayed the closing of the 114 year old Sweet Briar College in Virginia pending a reevaluation by the lower court to determine the authority of the Board of Trustees. To lose this innovative woman’s college would be a tragedy of the nature of the destruction of the ruins by ISIS; humanity would a lost something that makes it what it is.

Or that hospital charges in some cases are up to 1200% over Medicare allotment. There is no relationship between operational cost plus a reasonable profit and their billing process. Of course the big Health Insurance carriers have agreements with participating hospitals.

That means that anyone not on Medicare or Medicaid or being treated at a hospital out of the “carrier’s” network could be liable for bankruptcy just by going to a Hospital based ER.

An example of a hospital charge for an ER treatment for a laceration after a fall. The total hospital bill not including the doctor’s was $8090.51. Medicare approve that bill but allowed by contract $660.89 and paid $524.96 leaving the patient responsible for the $133.93 remainder which might be covered by ‘Medigap Insurance”. That means that the service by Medicare standards was on worth about 7.5% of the hospital bill. That is a 1225% over what Medicare feels is adequate. Something is wrong.

I hope all conditions are OK for me tonight so that I am able to attend the Council meetings. I wonder if as a result of the shift in power in the local party, the money removed from the “Mayor’s office budget which obviously was aimed at the Chief of Staff position will not be approved?

JUST BLOGGING

A heat wave is coming! It will be in the 90s by the end of the week. Beware of thunderstorms.

Thanks to Bernice’s blog we all know that now it is just love and kisses among the Plainfield Democrats. Mapp is the new City Chairman. Tonight I would expect those Plainfield members of the County Committee that attend, to back JG in his bid for reelection as County Chair. Politics being politics we will see.

Wednesday night’s Council meetings can be an indication of the true state of affairs in the local party. Mapp has a mandate, and we must see how he will run with it. As all old-time voters know; “to the victor belongs the spoils”.

While the Dems were hugging last night, I had a delightful evening doing something I rarely do; I spent 2 hours watching and listening to the TV.

I serendipitously found on the NJ Public TV channel their latest fund solicitation program. It was dedicated to the music of the “Big Bands” of the 30s and40s and brought back many pleasant memories.

A doctor’s visit this am so this will be today’s blog, although I might write something late afternoon.