BOLD SPENDING BY CARMEL TOWN BOARD

January 2010

This year government employee pension plans will increase all our tax obligations. Unemployment is rising, businesses are closing and taxpayers wonder how they will pay for these expenses. During this crisis the Carmel Town Board has approved spending for 15 officers & employees to attend a conference in NYC. No cost restrictions were applied.

All attendees were given the option to spend 2 nights in a NYC hotel. A member of the public suggested to the board, that carpooling both days in lieu of staying overnight, would save the taxpayers thousands of dollars. Their reply was - networking after conference meetings was a vital part of this event. The Board was also asked about the per person cost. They stated that all expenses were included in the 2010 budget and actual costs would be calculated after expense sheets were handed in. Even though there were numerous choices affecting the per person cost, all spending was at the discretion of the attendees and not the town budget line.

Such a bold action approving wasteful spending by the Carmel Town Board, shows their lack of responsibility and concern when it comes to spending our money. No guidelines were set; no restrictions on cost were mentioned; no research was done on cutting costs. If such little regard is taken on this type of expenditure, how do we know if any in-depth study is done on each expense line of the budget?

This time I speak out on thousands of YOUR dollars – next blog it’s about MILLIONS!!!