Doug Adkins & FY 2009 CDBG Substantial Amendment
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: Community Revitalization
Forum Description: Middletown Community Revitalization News
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1886
Printed Date: May 09 2024 at 5:42pm
Topic: Doug Adkins & FY 2009 CDBG Substantial Amendment
Posted By: Rail Fan
Subject: Doug Adkins & FY 2009 CDBG Substantial Amendment
Date Posted: Sep 06 2009 at 7:53am
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This questions is from a very good friend of mine. She cannot speak directly to you because of legal matters with the city.
1) Did you place one or more Legal Notices in a local paper? If so, which paper and what are the publication dates?
2) Did you place copies of the Substantial Amendment for public review at the Library, your city building office, Senior Center, etc.? If so, what locations were they placed and what was the dates that you did so?
3) The other night the City Manager said that the 30 day public review period was almost over. When did the review period start and how was citizens notified of this?
4) Do you have a line item budget for the proposed revised FY 2009 plan? If so, how does it differ from the budget sent to HUD last March? Specifics requested please.
5) Your Community Development website, to the best of anybodys memory, never included a copy of the Substantial Amendment. The first time we saw it was last Monday with the City Council agenda and workbook. Please explain?
6) Since you and others got rid of the HUD Oversite Committee, tell us why this is open and honest government?
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Replies:
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 2:03pm
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Mr. Adkins -
Will you kindly please provide 1) a current list of city workers who are paid with HUD funds? Will you include 2) current Administration and Delivery Program funded positions? Will you provide us with 3) current salary and benefits costs for your personnel? Also, 4) what contract do you have now with consultants and how great is the cost?
The following was put on MiddletownUSA by Mr. Self. He had no problems telling us what was all administrative costs for the city. Will you do the same?
From: Self, Nelson Rich & Trevia – At present there are seven (7) full-time positions approved for the operation of CDBG and HOME Program funded activities. Salary and fringe benefits for these positions are: Senior Planner (Nelson Self) $ 77,000 Neighborhood Improvement Advisor (Skip Batten) 81,300 Neighborhood Improvement Advisor (Kyle Fuchs) 69,200 Housing Code Specialist (Annette Accurso) 56,000 Housing Code Specialist (Vacant) 52,000* Housing Code Assistant (Debbi Fish) 55,800 Secretary III (Judy Demostenes) 46,800 Total $438,100 * Costs could increase by $7,000 if family medical plan required by the person hired to fill this position. Our funding for Program Year 2008 is as follows: CDBG $ 670,051 HOME 370,000 Total $1,040,051 We have also budgeted an additional $65,000 for travel, training, vehicle maintenance, memberships, office equipment and supplies. My concern is that nearly 50% of our combined HUD funding is allocated for administration and program delivery. Would you contact me to advise if we are within established Federal guidelines as I wish to ensure full compliance. Thanks again. Nelson Self, CD Administrator, Planning Department - Community Development, One |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 2:16pm
| Hmmmmmm spending $500k to administer $500k doesn't seem to be very cost efficient from my point of view. |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 3:40pm
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Rail Fan- Mercy!!! The salaries for these positions are staggering!
1. Neighborhood Improvement Advisor- Kyle Fuchs- $69,200 !!!! And, pray tell, what would a "Neighborhood Improvement Advisor" do for this salary?? Could we train an admin. to do this job at a radically decreased salary and downsize Mr. Fuchs? Does this job actually entail any work other than shuffling papers and passing information up the line and down the line? Could we skip this position and still meet the requirements in this area? 2. How about that Housing Code Assistant, Debbi Fish? Does that Housing Code "Specialist" need an assistant due to the work load of this specialist? If this area was so overburdened with work, wouldn't they have filled the other vacant specialist job at $52,000 per year? Why do they need a helper when you don't have a reason to fill all the positions that the helper helps?? 3. How about that Secretary III position hauling down $46,800? Must be a wiz on the computer to make that much for supporting 5 people!!! These salaries are totally out of line with similar private corporate positions. A secretary at P&G would have to support a group of 12 people and that group would be much higher in the organization than this department to pull down $46 thou. a year. Typical government overpaying and overstaffing at the taxpayer expense. I would think these salaries would bother all tax payers. |
Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 3:59pm
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Vet,didn't you know it's all free money ? They wave the magic wand and "POOF" ! The bank accounts are full !
I'm all for public servants making 5 times what I do and them looking down their noses at the lesser group. It puts people in their rightful place.  ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 4:26pm
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Read those salaries again and then remember that we have been told over and over again that CDBG funds are to be used to help the poor people. |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 4:54pm
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At present there are seven (7) full-time positions approved for the operation of CDBG and HOME Program funded activities. Salary and fringe benefits for these positions are............................... |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 5:03pm
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Total Salaries and Fringe Benefits................................$438,100
Miscellaneous Administrative Expenses..................... 65,000+
$500,000+
Total CDBG and HOME Program Funds...................$1,000,000+
Total Salaries, Fringe Benefits and Miscellaneous Exspenses = 50% Plus of Total CDBG and HOME Program Funds. Eight months after they got rid of the HUD guy, I wonder what is the situation at Community Development on the fourth floor of city hall?
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Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 07 2009 at 5:07pm
| Mr. Self, the HUD guy, inherited all of his staff when he started work on January 2007. Mr. Kohler was the department head who had all ultimate administrative responsibility and decisions. |
Posted By: Merrell Wood
Date Posted: Sep 08 2009 at 3:58pm
| Rail Fan / Middletown USA administrators; Please leave this current post that contains the CBDG on the blog for a while. There are a few council members who may be looking in to review the program's numbers. Thanks. |
Posted By: randy
Date Posted: Sep 08 2009 at 4:27pm
------------- Call me for a www.CameraSecurityNow.com" rel="nofollow - www.CameraSecurityNow.com quote 513-422-1907 x357 |
Merrell Wood wrote:Posted By: Nameless
Date Posted: Sep 08 2009 at 8:49pm
| Would you all read the post with the salary AND fringe benefits. The key is AND FRINGE BENEFITS!!! None of these people are taking home that full amount in salary!!! Most jobs include health insurance, retirement, etc..The city's fringe benefits are no different than a private sector job! They deserve to make a living just like everyone else! |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Sep 08 2009 at 10:14pm
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"The city's fringe benefits are no different than a private sector job!" In many ways they are better.
I would like to pay only 7% of my Employer sponsored Health Care plan, instead of the 25% we currently pay.
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Posted By: stewieboy
Date Posted: Sep 08 2009 at 10:57pm
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You need to take off 20+% from the pay listed above to come to a take home pay number. None of those names listed show up in the 2008 salary survey of Middletown employees earning 60000+. Not even Skip Batten with his listed at 81000. Don't forget the fringe benefits likely include health, pension, insurance, etc... If you are paying 25% of your pay towards your healthcare deductible your employer is cheating you. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Sep 09 2009 at 1:00am
| stewie you need to read what I said. Federal employees pay 25% of the cost of their Health care plan. I pay 25% of the cost of my health care plan. In the real world no one is being cheated it is the norm.. In otherwords if my health care plan premium is $1200.00 a month for a family plan I am paying $300.00 per month of that premium. Federal employees pay 25%. In the City of Middletown they are only paying $84.00 a month for the same plan, big difference, $300 vs $84. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Sep 09 2009 at 1:05am
| Also Stewie and Nameless it is not about the salaries of the people above it is about the cost to administer the plan above. It is immaterial what their take home pay is. The fact is $500k of $1m is being spent on administering the plan. |
Posted By: Rail Fan
Date Posted: Sep 09 2009 at 5:30am
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Thanks so much for clarifying this Pacman.
The root of the problem is when Housing Code Enforcement was moved from the Police Department to the Planning Department about four years ago. This move reduced general fund expenditures and therefore used CDBG funds for salaries, fringe benefits and operations (fuel, vehicle maintenance, office equipment and supplies, etc., etc.) instead. This caused almost 50% of all CDBG and HOME Programs funding to be spent on Administration/Program Delivery and General Office Expenditures!
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