Over a month ago, I sent a check to pay my newly increased water bill. It took city hall a month to deposit the money. Meanwhile, I paid my local occupation tax bill - over a month ago. That one still hasn’t cleared.

You would think in a budget crunch, the first order of business is depositing checks.

I guess not, if you wanted to create a crisis. Is that what this is all about?

1. Cutting the tax abatement for new homes from 10 years to 5
2. Increasing the sewer rate by 15%
3. Increasing the real estate tax by an amount to be determined

Notice that all this is beyond the Mayor’s control, or so he says. It’s all the fault of health insurance increases, delivering services to tax exempt entitites, the steel industry, e-911 moneys “that could not be obtained,” and a rate swap opportunity on Parking Authority bonds that was missed because it took too long to be approved. I assume that last item was City Council’s fault? Oh, I forgot - also there were decreased parking revenues. I guess that all the suburbanites here on the weekends don’t pay to park. May I suggest running the meters 24/7?

http://www.blogs.pennlive.com/default.asp?item=248621

http://www.wgal.com/news/9877282/detail.html

“unpaid vendors continue to pressure the city, with suppliers of bullets for police officers and an Internet provider for patrol car computers threatening to cease shipments and services.
“Vendors are cutting us off,” King said. “We’re talking about no Internet service for officers in the field; no bullets for officers.”

I guess the officers will have to get bullets at Wal-Mart and will have to check for warrants the old-fashioned way.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1161743109112960.xml&coll=1