32 Comments by voter
Source: Bernard will be tapped as budget officer in East Hampton Town
Not Good if true...Town needed some professional people to wright the ship..." Dec 8, 09 7:56 PM
Bernard returns; Adams will be new East Hampton town attorney
I hope hiring Bernard and paying more than $10,000 over his predecessor is not indication of how this new regime plans to operate. The finances of the town are not as complicated as the press and politicos make it out. The simple fact is the town spends more than it receives. Cut spending. Sell long term assets to cure long term liability from past, i.e. under accrued pension liabilities.
Transparency is mantra of the day. Any business today can close its books any time it wants. The town should close its books every month and report to public where it stands. The public and rating agencies would be enlightened by such reporting. Time to get ahead of the curve not stay behind it."
Jan 5, 10 12:11 PM
East Hampton Town to hold deer summit after wildlife group protests
The whole deer issue is about safety and economics. There simple too many deer! The deer are a serious hazard to drivers. A serious vector for Lyme Disease. They are destroying all the flora. The situation is out of control. Hunters are the only solution that provides a temporary relief. More needs to be done." Jan 14, 10 8:46 AM
Airport control tower gets go-ahead from East Hampton
I agree as a pilot that the control tower will do little if any thing about the noise. In most instances, noise my increase over some areas with tighter patterns and sequencing.
I like to know more about the FUND the airport has to pay for this. Taxpayers should not be paying anything for this airport. Charge more, reduce costs.
How big was the town's loss last year operating the airport. The budget for 2010 is a joke...look at fuel costs and declining revenues.
"
Jan 17, 10 8:50 AM
Legion seeking $15,000 for van to transport older veterans
The Town of East Hampton Transportation bus will provide wheel chair accessible transportation to scheduled doctors appointment throughout Suffolk county with at least 48 hours notice. Suggested Donation is 50 cents. Their number is 324-4443. http://www.town.east-hampton.ny.us/Transportation.pdf" Jan 26, 10 1:20 PM
MTA plans to shut down train service to the North Fork
Privatize the tracks...allow lease of tracks for independent service...remove politics, bureaucracy, unions and all the other silliness that public transport is buried under...." Jan 26, 10 9:18 PM
State representatives request amended legislation to ease East Hampton Town deficit
The Town should resolve the deficit by selling town property, freezing capital spending and halting the expanding employee base. The town's legal responsibilities for under accrued employee liabilities incurred by previous administrations force immediate action. Wilkinson and company needs to cure this deficit by selling unused town property now. Sell the property to CPF (irony)! Get the deficit resolution back in East Hampton hands, remove the jokers from Albany as fast as possible. Do something locally, stop waiting on Albany for a solution...stop running for re-election...move forward...show some control of the situation! " Feb 16, 10 6:12 PM
East Hampton School Board considers charging students for test preparation courses
East Hampton has no business paying for these courses and exams. Never did.
How many students were even taking advantage of the $110,000 per year cost? My guesstimate (35% of high school seniors go to 2/4 years of college) would be around 100 students at best, meaning a cost of $1,000 per student. Not fair to the others. What a joke? "
Feb 21, 10 11:06 AM
East Hampton police contract caps annual raises at three percent
Devils in the detail....should be no increase in 2010 over 2009!" Feb 26, 10 3:46 PM
East Hampton Village increases revenue by more than $300,000 with Sea Spray auction
Even with the higher rental, the math of this investment is still lousy.
If the original $3.5 million was conservatively invested it would be worth $40 million today.
The market value of the property with 17 bathrooms and 23 bedrooms is probably about $80 million ($5/acre). The village earns about 1% best case here.
The village should sell part or all of the property and redeploy the money elsewhere in the village or reduce taxes.
If the villagers want the natural beauty of this property, it should be open to the public. Cottages should be removed and the land preserved. Sell it to CPF for $x millions."
Mar 2, 10 10:26 AM
East Hampton plans to cut number of departments in half, offer early retirement
Devil's in the details...Town needs to reduce headcount and also packages of those with the bloated union contracts, i.e. police department. Town police department is almost as bad as the county. Some control needs to be exercised...last contract still falls short." Mar 31, 10 10:00 AM
New budget officer unveils plans to right East Hampton's financial woes
The fact that the Town is still spending more than it takes in is mismanagement.
The past financial fiasco needs to be resolved with the guilty exposed. BUT, continued spending must come under control. Just drive by the Town Hall.
"
Apr 5, 10 5:53 PM
East Hampton plans to eliminate leaf pickup, sell assets
Get real...the Town is broke..Leaf Pickup is the least of the issues or savings.
The Town needs to do more cutting and selling. When a balance sheet finally materializes reflecting all the liabilities the Town has taken on in shadows, further and deeper cuts in the operating budget will need to occur.
In addition, the sale of Town assets should accelerate. Unused land should be the first to go. People live in a fantasy world that the $30 million hole is not real. Too many people looked the other way when all this occurred, now is the time to fix it. A long term plan to cover the long term liabilities assumed by the town must be made. Too many political shenanigans, have produced this mess. "
Apr 6, 10 11:21 AM
East Hampton puts assets on the chopping block but new Town Hall will stay
Auction is a pittance, but a least its a start. Town wasted money everywhere. The heavy lifting still needs to be done soon. Town coffers are still empty.
The New Town Hall will be a permanent reminder of how much kool aid was in the water fountain.
"
Apr 14, 10 4:57 PM
Questions abound over East Hampton CPF transfers
Thank you Mr. Cohen for shedding some light on this absurd mess.
Everyone has been looking at this mess from 10,000 feet. It's good to know someone rolled up their sleeves to look at the details. The auditors should be fired for missing all this activity.
The reality that the Town over spent more money is now blatantly obvious, but the great irony is that the Town is continuing to spend more than it has.
What ever happen to balancing the books in a timely manner?
"
Apr 21, 10 1:07 PM
East Hampton to state comptroller: No kidding. We're cutting the budget
Time to stop talking...more drastic actions are needed now...spend less, sell more...pretty straightforward plan." May 5, 10 11:19 AM
State Legislature passes financing bill for East Hampton
Very funny pun that "we are in their debt" - the Democratic machine that socialized the town to its collapse.
Town should do a pre-packaged bankruptcy guaranteeing to pay the debt holders. More borrowing is wrong.
The Town employee contracts should all be voided in the pre-packaged bankruptcy, then renegotiated reflecting the current economic reality.
Unused Town lands sold be sold.
Taxpayers should be protected from the "out of control" legacy.
Wilkinson and company are taking too long."
May 25, 10 12:30 PM
No jail time, fine for Hults after guilty plea; grand jury does not indict McGintee
System is broken...
Time to more on....
Time to fix the financial mess these two fools saddled the Town.
Sooner rather than later. "
Jun 21, 10 11:30 PM
Lawmakers behind CPF legislation defend the initiative
Let's Sell the Town to the CPF for $27 million and wipe out the debt!
What better preservation serves the community!"
Jul 21, 10 1:28 PM
East Hampton Town government will move into "new" digs next month
Should have had the CPF pay for the rest of the building as an administrative expense. CPF needs to help the community not just buy land. CPF is just a tax entity with a defined mission...things change, so should the CPF." Aug 4, 10 8:46 AM
