Does Spending a Quarter Billion Dollars in Five Years require a Five Year Plan? Mayor & Finance Director Oppose Idea?

Mayor & Finance Director Oppose Five Year Financial Forecast in Charter with City Budget at One Quarter Billion over next Five Years!

     At the Charter Review Commission meeting on March 10th, Mr. Sengstock proposed that the Mayor with assistance of the Finance Director prepare a five year financial forecast as a sound basis for evaluating possible financial issues before they become a crisis which was met with opposition from Mayor Procop and  Finance Director, Howse as they called it a policy issue or perhaps a job description.  Mr. Sengstock respectfully disagreed with them both and reminded the commission that the City currently only follows the required one year budgetary process and timeline as explained by the Finance Director.   Mr. Sengstock, stated that the City is required to follow the outline and time table of the Ohio Revised Code because it is the Law, not a policy issue or job description.  Expanding the financial forecast by four more years would be proactive and informational to both the citizens and City aiding in identifying and preparing for future potential financial risks and crises.  An example and reason for a Five Year Financial Forecast was just reported and that would be the compounding effects of increases in health care over a five year period which have increased over $809,000 annually according to the adopted budget (which is more than a 30% increase); that one change over five years is $4 million plus potentially!  Has anyone heard from the City as to how they plan on preparing for this issue and what the budgetary impact will be?  This issue deserves serious consideration and will most certainly impact this City’s budget in the future.  Financial planning  over five years results in a responsive financial plan and a one year budget results in a short term reactive budget at best, which do you think is better suited at addressing a potential financial crisis in the future?  As the old adage goes, ‘those that fail to plan, plan to fail’.  Our City is fortunate to have citizens that are concerned for our community, the least our Mayor and Finance Director can do is provide a reasonable effort in preparing a sound five year financial forecast and plan?  You can be sure that without a Charter change we will never see a five year financial forecast, it takes a legal requirement like most financial issues in government to see compliance with the peoples wishes.  Most of us do not wait until one year before retiring to beginning planning for our future, why should the City be any different?

     The Mayor and the commission members discussed the issue of City Manager/Council  Vs. Mayor/Council forms of government for administering our City.  Mr. Sengstock said that with a current $54 million annual budget, eight (8) bargaining units, and over 160 plus employees that Twinsburg should at least review the plus’s and minus’s to each form of administrating our City.  The Mayor and several commission members liked the electing a Mayor idea, however, Mr. Sengstock pointed out that the qualifications for electing a Mayor are that they are an elector and must win a popularity contest at the pools and remain in authority for four years with limited means of removal if undesirable results are encountered.  The plus’s to a City Manager is that they we can require specific educational and experience qualifications, have professional career resume’s, and removal for undesirable performance is accomplished with a majority of our seven elected council members.  Having City Council members running for an elective Mayor position, just sounds like the old monarchy systems of England to me, what do you think?  The City of Twinsburg due to population size, complexity of operations, and many indicators should at least open up discussion among the community for what is best for Twinsburg.

Well, that is enough for now, but don’t forget to check out the videos at www.activecitizensoftwinsburg.com for the latest meetings of the Charter Review Commission and see your government in action.  Remember that it takes more than political demagoguery to keep Twinsburg the community we all love; it takes honesty, truth, transparency, and accountability!

If you have any questions you can contact me at citizenauditorohio@yahoo.com and I will do my best to answer your question(s) or point you in the right direction to getting them answered.