Overall, I am pleased with the budget outcome. The Rockville Community Coalition advocated for staff pay raises, no $100 property tax rebate, and increased capital improvement spending (http://rockcom.org/home/budget022712.php). Most of those recommendations were included in the final budget. My thanks to the Mayor & Council.

Peter,

I mostly agree. Although, growing fixed costs is clearly not the responsible thing to do at this time. It sets up an inevitable tax increase next year which, given all the increases at other levels of government, should have been avoided at the municipal level.

I thought Mr. Hall was more fiscally conservative than that and could have distinguished himself by joining Councilmembers Pierzchala and Moore in opposing this.

We will know who to thank next year when our services barely hold steady while our taxes go up.

Piotr---I am surprised about your thoughts about Mr Hall . One just has to look at his contributions during the campaign to see where he would line up --He was in the Marcuccio ---Newton camp all along ---

You are right Theresa---It is scary how little these people know about municipal financing ---

Rocky,

Councilmember Hall has always been Republican leaning (he has worked for a Republican congressman in the past). Perhaps it is a naïve expectation of mine (a lifelong Democrat that I am) that such folks should be reliable fiscal conservatives. So it surprises me when I find myself more fiscally conservative than they.

Also, Councilmember Hall has often argued in favor of lowering taxes. Meanwhile, his position to support increasing fixed costs will decidedly lead to increasing taxes (or decreasing City services) in the future.

Piotr---I would suggest we keep this non-partisan. Neither party can claim sterling financial management --

Allocating long overdue and much needed funds to hard working employees is not fiscally irresponsible. Mayor Marcuccio and Councilmembers Newton and Hall were gutsy in their support and steadfast in their belief of Rockville employees during these recent budget debates. The City of Rockville is not in dire straits, which Lodge 117 discovered after hiring a well respected economist to examine the city's last four budgets and to trend it's financial behavior.
In fact, the city is economically robust. For example, the Government Finance Officers Association recommends an available fund balance of approximately 15% of an annual budget. In 2009, the worst year of the worst recession since The Great Depression, Rockville had a reserve balance over 19%. It was over 21% ending FY11. During the four budget years examined, the total value of governmental capital assets increased by more than $54 million, an increase of over 21%. Finally, at the end of FY11, as was typical with previous FYs, the city ended with $6.7 million higher than its budget for that year. Yet during this same time, employees were only given 1% increases each year, gas prices increased to almost $4 a gallon, the consumer price index continued to rise, and more people moved into the city (47,388 in 2000 census and 61,209 in 2010. A 29.2% increase).
At some point in time, you have to recognize that there are people, with families and their own fiscal needs, behind those city services. They did the right thing.

Mr. Pfaehler,

The irony is that over the time period you describe, it was Counclimembers Pierzchala, Britton, prior Mayor Hoffman and I who pushed through those 1% pay increases. Councilmember and later Mayor Marcuccio actively opposed them, voting against them.

It is not that I do not trust the Gazette, but this report...

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120522/NEWS/705229987/1022/img/hidebtn-nocheckin.png&template=gazette

...seemed so bizarre that I made a point of checking with another source present at last Monday’s meeting.

(Of course, the meeting and the Mayor's statement can now be viewed on video tape on the City’s website.)

The last two paragraphs in the Gazette story are exactly right:

"'A mayor and council cannot just look at the present budget,' Pierzchala said. 'It has to look in the future.'

"Marcuccio disagreed, saying she is concerned with the present only." (?!?!?)

I also saw this and thought it was a missprint. If it is true, it is shocking. I would hope the Mayor would have a follow up to this and further explain her statement.

"Marcuccio disagreed, saying she is concerned with the present only."

Wow.....how in the heck did she become Mayor. What an irresponsible thing to say and the sad thing is that this is not the first time.

Ms. Defino, I made no misstatement and, therefore, need no correction. Thank you anyway. And I made no mischaracterization. You are assuming too much. I was clear in my point...city employees have personal financial burdens and need to be properly compensated as economic conditions improve around us and the city has the resources to do it.

Here are the facts, the city has had a recent history of maintaining excessive reserves, heavily investing into capital assets, and inconsistently providing fair compensation to employees. Rockville has a wealth of funds. A 1% salary increase ($340,000) does not, by any stretch, jeopardize the city's future financial security, borrowing capabilities, bond rating, or what have you when the city consistently has an excess balance at the end of each fiscal year of several million dollars.

You can examine and review the same financial and budget information that we have. It's all on the city's website. That's what we did.

John,
Thanks for thre information that Post 117 researched and reported on. Has this been made public? The data you cited refutes all the myths, innuendos, amd falsehoods that certain folks have used to accuse City staff of not providing them with factual information. I hope it will be publicized.

Jim, the Lodge hired and paid for an outside economist to get the data John refers to. If anyone is interested, they can listen to both John and Amy (the economist) testify at CF on May 14. She did what we have to in order to get the data...dig it out as best we can from the information posted on the City website. I can't say whether or not Gavin or any other City staff person aided in the research.
For all those so quick to criticize Councilmember Newton, she has been citing the same data for the past three years, asking the same questions. It is safe to say some data asked for has yet to be provided. As for the criticism directed toward Mayor Marcuccio, what former councilmember and past Mayoral candidate Gajewski says is true...she voted against pay increases 4 or 5 years ago. That was at a time when our country hit bottom....millions lost jobs and no one in private or public sectors were getting raises. Susan Hoffmann did indeed vote to raise salaries at a time when no one else was, as did you, Mr. Britton and Mr. Pierzchala. One reason Marcuccio defeated Hofmann in the Mayoral race was because of the vote on pay increases. I would like to know why Mr. Pierzchala has a different view this year.
How long can he and Mr. Moore keep their heads buried in the sand....when is it the right time to finally do the right thing for City employees?

Mr. Gajewski has used words such as "decidedly" and "inevitable", referring to a need to raise taxes in FY 2014, words that mean "without doubt" and "impossible to prevent or avoid". What crystal ball does he have to make such statements? Based on history, the City's ultra-conservative budgeting process will somehow "find" funds that are needed to pay for this additional 1% (yes, 1%) increase, and the sun will still rise in the East.
If you all are looking for something to gripe about, what about the 11th hour surprise that we taxpayers are footing the bill for Pierzchala and a staff member to go to China. I can think of many ways I would like to see over $7000 spent. It is unprecedented for the City to cover these costs for anything other than a recognized, actual Sister-City, of which Rockville has one.

John and Ms Defino -- Thank you John for your support of the employees of the City of Rockville -- What is not mentioned in this article are the facts that this was a cost-of-lving raise AND that the performance raises have been rescinded for the last two years. So workers who recieve Highly Satisfactory in their Performance reviews for the last two years, have received $0 in the salary increases that they were supposed to get.