Budget woes

I would not want to be on the Capital or Operating Budget Committees this year.

I was interested in Councillor Halberstadt's remark in the Star:

"Coun. Alan Halberstadt said the $7.2-million cash settlement the city recently received to drop the MFP lawsuit "could be going to all these former lifeguards -- the whole bundle..."You talk about why we can't control our budget and we get something like that hurled at us," Halberstadt said. "It's unbelievable."

Nope here is what is unbelievable, and I doubt the list is complete:

1. $68 million loss from the MFP fiasco and nothing being done to recover a penny of it
2. $3 million perhaps lost on the Mady parking garage and no one taking the blame for structuring this deal
3. $1.9 million for "overtime" and no Citistat
4. Millions more being paid out for OMERS contributions (if you tell me whom to contact at City Hall, I will do a presentation on how to try to save money there!)
5. Millions in extra costs for the Tunnel ventilation building and the Mayor wants to buy Detroit's interest too.
6. $150,000 for a few trees as Phase 1 of a streetscaping plan that wasn't to take place until years from now, "interim measures delivered at the urging of [Mayor] Francis."
7. Mould problems at Huron Lodge at an unknown cost. So far "the city only has verbal assurances" that the contractor will pay. [another verbal assurance deal that the City might get burned on like the $100,000 at the Income and Security building?]
8. Numerous businesses could challenge to City licensing fees due to a Court decision (about $200,000 has to be paid back to dancers or strip club owners)
9. Unreported problem worth millions involving a major re-asessment, Income and Security Building extra costs due to another tenant problem, Enwin costs etc etc etc...

Do you see what I mean!