Belfast City Hall Bankruptcy

Sent:	Tue 4/01/14 4:40 PM
To:	jslocum@cityofbelfast.org (jslocum@cityofbelfast.org); ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org (ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org); ward2councilor@cityofbelfast.org (ward2councilor@cityofbelfast.org); ward3councilor@cityofbelfast.org (ward3councilor@cityofbelfast.org); ward4councilor@cityofbelfast.org (ward4councilor@cityofbelfast.org); ward5councilor@cityofbelfast.org (ward5councilor@cityofbelfast.org); mayor@cityofbelfast.org (mayor@cityofbelfast.org); LAURIE ALLEN (laurieallen55@msn.com)

Joe Slocum, City Council and Mayor,

This request is necessary for public understanding of spending public funds. The City Attorney will have these billings to the City. Clearly, Joe Slocum has great difficulty with accountability documents. It is obscene to pay his salary and charge the public again for his inability to produce basic public documents and accounting's.

Christopher Hyk has been reporting to Council that the school tax this year could go up by 16%. Education and basic services are mandatory and automatic use of property taxes. Clearly, that is not the case in Belfast. Resident roads and infrastructure are denied, destroyed, private property used in place of sewers for City run off, and the school debt for Belfast is over 10 million and we're getting hit.

Below is taken from the Maine Municipal Association, charging for this accounting is not acceptable:

 You should be informed about your property taxes and be active during the decision 

making process in your community when deciding how your money is spent. 

 Maine residents should be proud of the quality of life they have created with their 

property tax dollars. While state tax revenue is used to finance statewide programs 

and projects, it is local property tax payers who have made a commitment to clean 

and safe communities and whose money has financed the maintenance and 

improvement of Maine’s legendary small towns and villages.

Through local control, either through elected councils or the annual town meeting, 

Maine citizens decide how much to spend on an array of services. They also can 

hold their local government accountable for implementing their decisions.

There are some basic municipal services that are so essential there is no debate in 

most communities over whether they are needed. They include fire, police and 

rescue services, trash disposal, road upkeep and upgrades, clean water and air, 

and enforcement of health and safety codes.

These services, and other popular local government services, such as libraries and 

recreation, are financed mostly with the property taxes that remain after the bills are 

paid to the school systems and the counties which totaled more than $1.2 billion.

Please provide the accounting for residents and advise when it will be done. Thank You.

I cannot afford to pay the fees charged by the agency or official to research my request or copy the records. Can I get a waiver?

The agency or official may, but is not required to, waive part or all of the total fee if the requester is indigent, or if the agency or official considers release of the public record to be in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. 1 M.R.S. § 408-A(11)

 

From:	Joseph Slocum (citymanager@cityofbelfast.org) This sender is in your contact list.
Sent:	Thu 3/27/14 5:19 PM
To:	LAURIE ALLEN (laurieallen55@msn.com); Manda Cushman (mcushman@cityofbelfast.org); Councilors (councilors@cityofbelfast.org)

Dear Ms. Allen,

 

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information Request. I have all of your request vetted through the City Attorney to make sure I am filing a proper response to you. Unfortunately I asked him to review my response and he just got back to me late today so I do apologize for the inconvenience...

 

There are not many lawsuits that the City has been involved with since 2011 but at least one of them was handled by our insurance coverage and I do not have access to what fees were paid by our insurance company. Any fees paid to the City’s regular legal Counsel would have to be identified by going through years of monthly statements to identify fees that were paid in regard to any lawsuit. Our monthly legal bills are not always broken down by topic.

 

Accordingly I am now asking you to pay $130 in advance before I assign someone to research out these requests. This is billable at the rate of $15 an hour and will be charged after the first hour is concluded. If the task requires more time I will ask for additional payment, if it requires less than I will provide you with a refund. I will be pleased to maintain an accounting and supply you with that. You may pick whichever task you wish us to work on first. I would estimate about 4 weeks to get this work done and back to you.

 

... as soon as you provide us up front with the $130 to cover the City’s cost for searching out the new material you requested, then we will promptly start working on it and provide you with an estimated time within which we can do this work.

Joe Slocum,Belfast City Manager

____________________________________________________________

 

Original Request

From: laurieallen55@msn.com
To: jslocum@cityofbelfast.org; ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org; laurieallen55@msn.com
Subject: Public Spending MFOIA 3/18/14
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:39:27 -0400

Joe Slocum-Belfast City Manager and Mary Mortier-Ward1 City Council,

 

Please provide the following years spread sheet cost accounting, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to current;

 

1. Identify each lawsuit to the City of Belfast including all employees and include verdict,settlement and all fees.

 

2. Identify each and all in-house counsel fees.

 

3.Identify each and all costs for grants, including application, if awarded, City funds contributed, including pending and final cost for each project clearly identifying total grant cost and monies received, vs. total City funds spent and those pending or underway to date.

 

4. Identify each and all public money consultations/studies for all (recreation projects scrapped and/or approved, harbor walk, rail trail, parking, lighting, education/schools, capital projects, etc.) sart to finish, underway and pending to date.

 

Certainly this is valuable information to all with the upcoming budget and disaster we are facing. To try to extort research wages from me would be outrageous and a call for public outcry.

 

Sincerely,

 

Laurie Allen

Californians Against Lawsuit Abuse Focus on Municipal Costs of Lawsuits

POSTED BY : DAN ONEYAPRIL 22, 2013IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS - EXCLUSIVE

A new report released by a group pushing for tort reform has outlined the costs of lawsuits associated with some of California’s local government. The 17 cities and counties included in the study a massed more than $1.09 billion in settlements and fees from lawsuits in just four years.

In addition to the now infamous settlement that pushed Mammoth Lakes into bankruptcy, the report outlines several other settlements with significant implications to local budgets. In one case from Half Moon Bay, the CALA reports that the City settled a case for $16 million – nearly double the City’s annual budget. The size of the settlement nearly caused the city disincorporate. Instead of folding, they say, the City issued $16 million in bonds and won a settlement from their insurance company.

While the $16 million settlement was a pittance in the overall $1.09 billion price tag, other cities and counties accounted for large portions of the billion dollars. Los Angeles County, for instance, spent $213 million on verdicts and settlements during the four years, and $146 million for outside legal services, the City of Los Angeles spent another $221 million on settlements and $59 million for legal services; bringing the combined totals for Los Angeles to $434 million and $205 million for settlements and services respectively. San Francisco paid $117 million in settlements and $6 million for legal services.

“[The] report examines the cost of verdicts, settlements and outside counsel to some of California’s largest cities and counties,” reads the CALA Report. “It does not take into account the cost of in-house counsel and other administrative costs associated with the enormous number of lawsuits facing cities and counties.

“While this report does not present an exhaustive accounting of the cost of litigation to cities and counties in California, the data it contains make one point exceedingly clear: it is unacceptable for cities and counties to continue paying out-of-control legal costs while vital social service and public safety programs face budget cuts.”

RE: Public Spending 2nd req‏

RE: Public Spending 2nd req

LAURIE ALLEN

4/24/14

To: LAURIE ALLEN, ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org Cc: jgiles@penquis.org

Councilor Mary Mortier,

This is a poor response in support of cowardly corruption in Belfast City Hall. Reality sold in deception to the innocent and honest, by Belfast reality agents (below is your support in the reality corruption). Disgracing and disgusting the residents, children and visitors. 

I wanted to give another chance to step up, to be the Elizabeth Warren of Belfast. 

My request is to you and stays with you, my elected ward Councilor. I hold you accountable.

Sincerely,

Laurie Allen

Dear Mary,

Please provide full archive MLS listings for 31 Seaview Terrace listed in 2011/12, 27 Seaview Terrace 2012, and 23 Seaview Terrace 2011/12.  Please advise when I can pick them up.

---

Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:24:14 -0600
Subject: Info
From: mmortier@grfrealestate.com
To: laurieallen55@msn.com

It seems I will not be able to provide you with the Information you requested, per my office &

Insurance. 

---

Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:12:03 -0400
From: mmortier@grfrealestate.com
To: laurieallen55@msn.com; jslocum@cityofbelfast.org
CC: jgiles@penquis.org
Subject: Re: Public Spending 2nd req

Dear Ms. Allen,
I forwarded your 1st request of 4/17/14 on 4/17/14 to City Manager Joe Slocum.
Mr. Slocum replied to you via email on 4/18/14.
I will forward a copy of the response to you, since it appears you may not have received his reply via email.
Sincerely,
Mary Mortier

On 4/23/2014 11:31 AM, LAURIE ALLEN wrote:

Councilor Mary Mortier,

 

I see the budget is underway, televised 4/22/14. Please advise if you are obtaining this critical information on City spending.  A concise spread sheet is necessary for ease of public review.

Your refusal to comply will be a very poor reflection on your accountability to the tax payers. Please respond today so that I may take appropriate action, ie, a petition and ombudsmen assitiance.

Sincerely,

Laurie Allen

I. NEW STATUTORY FEE WAIVER STANDARD

Prior to its amendment in 1986, the FOIA provided for the charging of fees for document search and duplication, and further provided that such fees should be waived or reduced wherever that was found to be "in the public interest because furnishing the information can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public." 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A) (1982).

---

From: laurieallen55@msn.com
To: ward1councilor@cityofbelfast.org; laurieallen55@msn.com
CC: jgiles@penquis.org
Subject: Public Spending
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 13:39:33 -0400

Councilor Mary Mortier,

As the representative for Seaview Terrace, I am requesting this public accounting. All of the public will benefit from the knowledge of where our tax dollars are being spent. I made this request publicly in the 4/15/13 City Council.

City Manager, Joe Slocum stated he has given you his budget plan. The 4 year spread will is necessary to compare spending to the drowning and destruction of Seaview Terrace since I began pleading for infrastructure 4 years ago to no avail, just further abuse.

 

As stated prior, the City Attorney's accounting for these billings is a minute request. The others are certainly already on an accounting sheet in Belfast City Hall.

I copied Jayne Giles because Jayne has spoken at the same budget meeting that I attended. Jayne was very concerned that residents were being squeezed out of in town. I understand that Jayne has experience and influence to the workings of government and banking. That said, I believe Jayne would like to see these numbers as well. I sent this as  message to Jayne Giles facebook page as well.

Please provide the following years spread sheet cost accounting, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to current;

1. Identify each lawsuit to the City of Belfast including all employees and include verdict,settlement and all fees.

2. Identify each and all in-house counsel fees.

3.Identify each and all costs for grants, including application, if awarded, City funds contributed, including pending and final cost for each project clearly identifying total grant cost and monies received, vs. total City funds spent and those pending or underway to date.

4. Identify each and all public money consultations/studies for all (recreation projects scrapped and/or approved, harbor walk, rail trail, parking, lighting, education/schools, capital projects, etc.) sart to finish, underway and pending to date.

Certainly this is valuable information to all with the upcoming budget and disaster we are facing. To try to extort research wages from me would be outrageous and a call for public outcry.

Sincerely,

Laurie Allen