OOPS! The Hotel Needs Another $1,000,000.00

February 20, 2009 3 comments

At the special city commission meeting today, 4pm Friday, 2/20/2009, City Manager Fred Enderle told the City Commissioners that the Toone P’s project will require the city to borrow an additional $1,000,000.00 in order to complete it.

John Martin asked serious questions and had reservations. Bill Vogt questioned the viability of this latest project.  Lucy Fess was absent (on vacation).  A 3-1 vote approving  the sole resolution under consideration has given the city manager the green light to prepare the contract.

Bill Vogt cast the lone dissenting vote.

DispatchPolitics article: “$1 billion in (state) worker givebacks sought”

January 20, 2009 Leave a comment

Be sure to read the entire article using the following link:   “$1 billion in worker givebacks sought” – Columbus Dispatch Politics.   Quoting the sidebar from the article:

Rough cuts

Highlights of proposed state employee concessions (annual savings unless specified)

 • 5 percent across-the-board pay cut ($163.1 million)

 • Mandatory furloughs ($80 million)

 • Reduce standard workweek to 35 hours ($350.8 million)

 • Eliminate holiday premium pay ($213 million); eliminate all paid holidays ($108 million)

 • Freeze “step” pay increases ($90 million over two years)

• Increase employee share of health-care premiums ($50.8 million over two years)

• Freeze conversion of sick leave ($15.6 million) and personal leave ($12.6 million)

Source: Negotiations memo

Reminder: City to Host Public Hearing on CDBG programs on 1/23

January 20, 2009 Leave a comment

Quoting an excerpt from this recent city of Piqua press release

The City of Piqua will hold a public hearing on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. to inform residents of various Community Development Block Grant programs in which the City of Piqua can apply. The meeting will be held in the City Commission Chambers at the Municipal Government Complex, 201 West Water Street.

POINT members are encouraged to attend.

Hamilton County BoE — “mistake” or was this intentional?

January 17, 2009 Leave a comment

Either way someone in the Hamilton County BoE should be fired over this matter. Quoted below is a portion of a recent Columbus Dispatch article that can be read in its entirety at:

Columbus Dispatch Politics : “Ohioans billed for tax levy that failed”

Officials say the Hamilton County Board of Elections made a typographical error that led to the incorrect charges for more than 2,000 Columbia Township residents.

A levy for road money that would have cost the owner of a $100,000 house $120 a year failed in November. But the elections board sent the county auditor’s office an official document for the election results with the “for” and “against” numbers transposed, indicating the issue passed.

Officials say the mistake was discovered this week by a township homeowner looking up his property taxes online.

Don’t believe everything you read on the City of Piqua website

January 16, 2009 2 comments

The following screen capture was taken at 6PM on Fri., 1/16/2009.

This coming "Monday" is "January 19, 2009", not the 20th!

Just one of many fallacies you'll find on the City of Piqua website.

Here’s a hint — “January 20, 2009” is this coming “Tuesday“.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

January 15, 2009 1 comment

As most of you probably know, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced on Wednesday that he would take a medical leave until June 2009 to focus on his health problems.  Emedded below is a very candid 15 minute speech that he delivered at a 2005 Stanford commencement speech.

You can get a copy of the transcript at:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

An inexpensive, long range wireless, weatherproof camera w/ “Night Vision” mode

January 15, 2009 Leave a comment

The solution consists of a weatherproof camera (with automatic “Night Vision” mode) combined with a long range wireless A/V transmitter & receiver pair. Currently it’s only $119 for the complete package demonstrated in the following two videos.

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