Aberdeen Communities Together (ACT), the grass-roots community action group largely responsible for ushering the current mayor and city council into office, is preparing to ask Aberdeen officials to take specific measures, several drastic, to reduce what they believe is are unfairly high costs of living and conducting business within the city limits.
In an email distributed this week, ACT organizers invited group members and city property owners to a meeting this Friday evening at the Aberdeen Senior Center, during which they plan on finalizing a letter to city officials laying out a plan and recommendations with the goal of “reducing the citizens’ out-of-pocket expenses.”
The letter, currently only in draft form, lists 10 suggested ways the city could reduce its expenses including “eliminating give-away programs for businesses,” reducing the number of city employees, implementing five furlough days, eliminating or restructuring the use of city vehicles, restructuring health insurance coverage and retirement systems, and seeking new revenue through a hotel/motel tax.
Here is email that was distributed Tuesday morning:
Dear Concerned Citizen(s):
This is an electronic reminder of the Aberdeen Communities Together meeting at 7 PM, at the Senior Center (7 Franklin Street, across from Festival Park) this Friday evening.
Several items are on the AGENDA, one item is Fair/Reasonable Property Taxation, which the group has selected as an area to place our emphasis. Attached please find a draft of a letter that we will discuss at the meeting and then plan to provide to our City Council (LetterDraft121509.PDF) at a regular City Council meeting.
If you own property in the City, you may want to attend this meeting.
—
Best Regards,
Chuck Doty
Founding Member
Here is the attached letter, addressed to Mayor Mike Bennett and the city council, which is water-marked as “DRAFT” in its original form:
Honorable Mayor Bennett and Aberdeen City Council Members,
Aberdeen Communities Together (ACT) believes the majority of Aberdeen City taxpayers (residents and business owners) are concerned about the high cost to live and do business within the City limits. These “high costs” refer specifically to property taxes and water/sewer charges.
As the newly elected Council begins its term, we believe it is critically important for you to focus your efforts on maintaining or preferably reducing the citizens’ out-of-pocket expenses. Continuing increases are not acceptable.
Specifically related to property taxes, we believe it is particularly important for the City to reduce expenditures in order to reduce the taxpayer’s out-of-pocket expense for Aberdeen City property taxes. We believe there are many potential options for reducing City expenses. Specifically, we request the City Council consider the following:
1. Eliminate give-away programs for businesses. For example, do not give reduced water/sewer hookup fees or property tax credits to a retirement community because they may not use all City services.
2. Reduction in City employees. Look at opportunities to eliminate or combine positions. Potentially the reduction could be done over time through attrition.
3. Employee furlough days. This tack has been adopted by the state of Maryland. Reducing income by 5 days pay is better than losing one’s job entirely.
4. Eliminate or restructure use of City owned vehicles.
5. Restructure City contribution to health insurance coverage.
6. Restructure the retirement system.
7. Budget from the top down. In other words, give each Department Head a fixed budget and they must determine how to manage within that budget.
8. Continue to look for opportunities to eliminate the annual loss on Ripkin Stadium.
9. Continue to seek new revenue sources, such as a hotel/motel tax.
10. Create a citizen committee to study the City budget/finances and make recommendations. This allows for citizen input, fresh ideas, and additional “free” resources to help with the challenging task of reducing City expenditures.
Thank you for your public service and your consideration in this matter.
Chuck,
Your group has a few interesting ideas. Care to elaborate on how you would implement your plan? Your group has a few interesting ideas. Care to elaborate on how you would implement your plan? I’m interested in you ideas for items 2, 5, 6, and 10.
Most of the ideas on the list are non-starters, the city is already under funded in their obligation to the pension system, health care costs are going up every year no stopping that, the city vehicle issue saves almost nothing, yeah try and talk Cal into helping the city get out of the piss poor contract they orginally signed, the hotel tax is not going to happen and Aberdeen should be more concerned about the loss of hotel room nights to the Riverside exit which now has the main gate closer to their properties. Reduction in employees and furlough days are small numbers. The city needs more tax revenue, the anti-growth crowd is the problem.
Aberdeen Citizens Together is a major contributor to the current problem. Their campaign fueled by lies and huge distortions caused the anti growth movement to gain traction. ACT (read that Artfully) now controls the Mayor and Council, so the ability to develop new revenue sources is totally dead. Turn in the Charter and go away Aberdeen. The signs at the City entrances are nice though. After the city goes broke maybe they could lease the space, you know something like Elliott Village or Artburg, or Bennettcenter will provide a lasting legacy.
Chuck- You ACT folks captured the election and have shown you can control the city even though the bulk of your members are not residents. But how about a little compassion? Instead of the measures outlined above which is much like eating your prey while its still alive; why not just go for the kill? Make the motion to unincorporate.
I used to want to raise my kids in Aberdeen,now I am begging my husband to get another job so we can move. Unfortunately, he and other good officers are invested in the people of Aberdeen and stay. Good for the citizens even though few appreciate what they have.
Are you kidding?
what would I be kidding about? I am confused.
Sandi as one spouse to another I am right there with you. The average citizen does not and will not understand what our husbands or our entire family go through day to day. They do not care about the Officers Of Aberdeen…… just as long as someone shows up when they call 911 to deal with waht they can not handle or wish not to.
I heard that Chuck Doty was moving. Is that fact or rumor? Not that it matters, but one less bag-o-wind wouldn’t hurt.
Re-write the charter and have a full time mayor and get rid of the city manager position, that’ll save a good 50K and hold the mayor accountable.
Get rid of the permit person that can’t understand what replacing an existing fence means. Speaking of staff reduction, are we still paying the salary and benefits for someone to say Hi when you walk in town hall?
Toll booth on Long Drive on game days.
Hotel tax…..I agree……I actually agree with something coming out of ACT.
RW-Even though some of what you said was tongue in cheek you really did hit on some important points. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Simmons he did show the city that if you have a full time mayor there is no need for a city manager. The manager makes $110,000 and perks that include a car. And there are actually three people in the office of no permits whose salaries add up to another $150,000. Add in the Walmart greeter and you have a way to save $300k without taking away the police cars and down grading the employees benefit packages.
Aberdeen has A Mayor ?
I agree that Aberdeen should have a full time mayor and no city manager. As for the person who sits at the desk when you walk in, I have been there several times at various times of the day and have not seen this person once at that desk. It is a HUGE waste of city money to have anyone there.
I agree that some changes should be made at City Hall. But dumping the City Manager and having a full time Mayor run the place, I dunno…We’d need to ELECT someone who is qualified to run such an operation. It’s ok to have advisors, that’s what your department heads are for. But getting your marching orders and directions from unofficial sources is not the mark of a qualified leader.But,if your department head continually suffers from cranial-anal inversion, they should be replaced. AND those department heads who are know their jobs, should be let the hell alone so they can do them without petty interference. What the hell, let’s look at the entire proposal. First off you want lower taxes, we all do, that’s a no brainer. But ACT shot themselves in the foot and rang the death knell for annexation and development which would have REDUCED your TAXES. So lets look at their proposals for doing this. Item 1. “Give away programs” …Not gonna happen. these initiatives promote business growth and development..oops, said the “D” word sorry. # 2. Reduce in the work force, the government calls that a RIF..ACT wants to do that through attrition with no new hiring..So when the snow needs plowed or a water main needs replaced at 3:00 am there may not be enough workers to do the job and that’s a safety issue..Maybe we can call the the citizens committee you seem seem so fond of to volunteer their time to dig those streets up.. sorry, can’t do that, insurance liability issues. Maybe contract the work out, yeah that’ll save money alright. #3 Furlough days..how bout we furlough trash pick up on your street five days a year. #4 City owned vehicles..OK ya got me there, some cars should stay at City hall except for city business..but cops still get theirs, sorry, public safety issue, won’t budge on that. If you can show where an officer has abused that policy, he should lose the take home car for 30 days. #5 Couldn’t help you on that one that’s an HR program. #6. Another HR program. I just noticed, ACT didn’t offer any suggestions on 4,5,6,8,or 9. But I’ll chime in, #7 Budget from the top down…let’s start with the money we’re paying Harford County for water. Let’s get a federal grant(and thery are our there) to remedy our water problem. The City Council has the study in their hands with over a dozen solutions. Other than buying water from the county PICK ONE and go for it. In the long run it will save us money. #8. Ripken Stadium..There’s a lot of empty seats at this magnificent venue, come on out and enjoy a game, spend some money. Hold your next party up-stairs or in the CrabShack..Leave the parking ALONE. The close location of the stadium and the available free parking are a benefit to all. Make people pay to park and they’ll stay home. and one more thing, leave Cal alone, he’s busy. #9. Hotel/motel tax…Can’t argue with you on that one. If our elected officials can’t seem to sway our state senator on this issue, since ACT is all about the community, get on her schedule and go talk to her about it. Find out what it will take, what concession the city will have to give up in order for this to go through. Then encourage YOUR elected officials to do what has to be done. That leaves # 10. a Citizen’s Committee. I guess you guys want that job. Yeah, your suggestions will be unbiased and will benefit the entire community with your fresh ideas and recommendations. Just like the citizens committee that advises and recommends to the present administration. Why not start by sending a representative to each and every committee and board meeting on the city hall agenda? Get to know what’s going one and how the decisions made in one area impacts on others. Oh yeah, and thank you for your desire for free public service consideration in this matter.
Good analysis, George, but I object to #7, getting Federal grants for water. There’s a general belief that when you get Federal or State money, it’s free, a gift from above. It’s not, it’s still coming from our pockets, either directly through taxes or indirectly by piling up more debt at a higher level of government. I’d like to see a stop to all such transfers of money from a higher level of govenrment downward. Let the people see what they’re really paying for things instead of this shell game.
As an example, look at that mile-long flower pot they put down the center of Route 40 in Edgewood. We’d all have been outraged if Harford County paid that out of our hard-earned tax dollars, but since one of our polititians got some “free” Federal funds for the job, everyone applauded, not realizing that they were ultimately footing the bill.
Let’s see, weekend, large snow storm coming, most city employees off, cash strapped operating expenses, what if the city didn’t pay DPW workers to come in and plow the streets. Instead of time and a half or double time because it’s a weekend, the city just shuts down. That will save a bunch of money and I’m sure the ACT folks, with Doty leading the charge, will be more than happy to come out and volunteer to shovel the streets. (I admit, a little tongue in cheek).
Here’s a reality check, what if there is a good size water main break this weekend along with all of the snow? Couple that with a sick out because employees are sick of being in limbo. Can you say recipe for disaster? Just because it hasn’t happened does not mean that it can’t or won’t happen. I’m seriously wondering how well this administration could handle something of magnitude proportion.
Just a little food for thought……now I’m off for milk, bread, and toilet paper (just kidding).
Don’t do it pal! I was at the ol’ Giant at about 10AM and it was a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dunno, I kinda like that flower bed. Who’s responsible for the weeds we have growing down the middle of rt 40 in Aberdeen?