Our Ever Rising Budget

Money Matters (our ever rising budget)
We understand that Mr. Talmage complains semi-privately that we are being too picky about his handling of town finances, because we point out the never-ending string of mistakes.  After all, most of his mistakes are small, amounting to a few dollars – perhaps a few hundred.  Well here is one that does not seem small to us.
Mr. Talmage gave the town board members an accounting of the town’s finances for the first nine months of this year, and as part of that he gave the total of fines received by the town as $232,094.  Actually he is showing $35,980 more than we received, because he double-listed the fines for September.  We reprint the page from the town’s official financial books.
Oh well, it is only a $35,980 mistake – nothing to get excited about!  Or is it?  Mr. Talmage would like a large raise this year because, he tells us, he is putting in 20 to 25 hours a week.  Maybe so, but it is not on keeping the town books.
And that is the job he was elected to do! 

50% Budget Increase

If you are shocked by the 2007 Budget proposed by Talmage and the Turkey Hill Gang, compare it to the 2004 budget and you should be more shocked.

2004  Budget  $1,338,581,00
2007  Budget  $1,806, 208,00

A 50% increase. Is there anyone watching the store besides Milan United?
Wake up Milan while you still gave something to wake up to; you are being robbed blind.

Proposed 2007 Budget

Summary of the Special Town Board Meeting of October 26, 2006
The town board passed the preliminary budget for 2007 in record time – less than fifteen minutes – and for a record amount - $1,806,208.  The vote was four yes and one abstention.  The budget was passed without any extended discussion because the town board has been holding meetings on Thursday mornings, when the rest of us are at work and could not attend.  So much for open government.
     The $1,806,208 is broken down as follows:
     General Fund               $  862,192
     Highway Fund               $  740,434
     Fire Contract               $  203,582
Within the General Fund, two accounts are particularly interesting: supervisor and attorney for the town board.
Supervisor Account
The town board approved $40,000 for the town supervisor to spend.  He will get
a bookkeeper          $12,000
a personal secretary     $10,000
a salary of      $14,000 representing a 12.7 percent increase.  (The principle operating here is “Less work, more pay.”)
equipment           $  1,000
and contractual     $  3,000
Attorney for the Town Board
The account was increased from $20,000 to $40,000.  The attorneys Van DeWater & Van DeWater wanted an increase to either $65,000 or an increase by $65,000. Mr. Talmage was uncertain as to which was the correct request, but the town board held the increase to 100 percent.  (These town board members can sure be tough when they have to.)  Mr. Williams was undoubtedly correct when he argued for the $70,000 figure, given the certainty of more lawsuits if the town board persists in passing all the laws it has on its agenda.  
This would appear to be a very tight budget, but not to worry; Mr. Talmage has not stayed within the general fund amount budgeted.  In the last two years, he has expended more than was in the budget.  Here are the numbers, and they are his numbers:


General Fund
2005          2006          2007     (preliminary)
Spent          $742,503     $829,287     ?
Budgeted     $697,444     $781,617     853,292
Overspent     $   45,059     $47,670      And this figure only covers 9 months of expenditures!
Mr. Talmage and his rubberstamps on the town board seem to believe that there is no relationship between what they tell the public they will spend and what they actually do spend.  

Kingman & ZBO

We know George Caruthers blew his cool at the last ZBO meeting.  What we would like to know, why did ZBO chairman, Jack Grumet have a private meeting with Loren Kingman and Ross Williams just before the meeting? Is Kingman calling the shots for the Zoning Board by telling Grumet what to do? Has not Kingman caused enough mess in Milan by preventing the rebuilding of the gas station?
No one has questioned how long Mr. Caruthers has been hampered from bringing a restaurant to Milan. No one has asked how much money he has been forced to pay into the town’s escrow account and the Turkey Hill Gang has refused to give him an accounting of how they spent his money.
The big mystery about Mr. Caruthers is how come it took him so long to blow his stack?

Milan's Shame

What is Kingman’s Shame has become Milan’s Shame. See www.MilanUnited.com and see our Town Board’s view of Milan. Kingman, Williams and the rest of the Turkey Hill Gang have done everything they can to maintain Milan’s eyesore, the burned out gas station on route 199. This is the bunch that are wanting to keep Milan rural instead they are making it into a ghetto.