Does a Headline Tell The Real Story?

Geneva council OKs $83.6 million budget amid queries

McQuillan Gets Bristly at Budget Hearing

McQuillan raises questions at Geneva budget hearing

The headlines above correspond to the same story, The Geneva City Council Meeting on Monday April 15, 2013.  If you didn’t attend or watch it live on Comcast Channel 10, which headline would catch your eye?  Which headline tells the real story?  Which headline includes the writer’s own personal opinion?

You don’t have to rely on others to report the story; you can watch the meeting video at 7am, 1 & 7pm right here.  The video just might change your mind about how the story was reported.  Watch the video and view the following:

• A Geneva resident (me) asked several questions about the proposed 2013-2014 budget at the public hearing on the budget.
• The first question was whether or not the budget was balanced.  A fair question of any budget.  The Mayor said that it was and accepted a spreadsheet from the Assistant City Administrator to read the numbers.  The numbers did in fact reflect a balanced budget, more revenue than expenses. The problem was that their budget didn’t match the one that I printed off the website on March 17th.
• The Mayor clearly states that he didn’t know why the numbers were different.  The Assistant City Administrator asked if I was reading off the original budget or the revised budget.  I was reading off the budget that was presented to the alderman and public on March 18th.  Well that turned out to be the original budget, not the revision that was posted sometime after the 18th.  She admitted that no notification of a revised budget was sent to the public.  More surprising, no one knew who found the mistake in the original budget.
• You can watch the Mayor’s response to the revised budget and the responses of staff and alderman to other questions that I asked.

On Wednesday the 17th, the Mayor was quoted in the Kane County Chronicle as follows:

“There is no conspiracy here,” Burns said. “He printed the wrong budget. ... Bob’s passion is admirable, but his points are way off. I cannot and will not sit there and listen to him accuse staff of being liars, deceitful and dishonest.”

Burns said the council’s job is to set policy and steer the city in the right direction.

“Bob wants to find conspiracy in everything,” Burns said. “It becomes exhausting. I do not know how someone can stay angry so long. ... There is no ‘grassy knoll’ at City Hall.”

I did not “accuse staff of being liars, deceitful and dishonest,” in any of my questions.  I was not angry; I asked questions that even several aldermen said where fair.  I will not allow the Mayor to slander me and I expect a public apology from the Mayor for his remarks.

I was also criticized for not calling city hall and asking if the budget presented on March 18th was correct.  Why would that be my responsibility?  The city sends out a weekly e-mail, shouldn’t the revised budget have been mentioned there?  Also from the Wednesday Kane County Chronicle:

“We received communication from [city administrator] Mary McKittrick that the figures were revised, based on an accounting error,” Burns said. “That is why we looked confused, because the budget had been revised.”

Burns said McQuillan could have cleared things up by calling City Hall or his aldermen.

The answers to some of my questions were very interesting:

1. There are two large worker compensation claims filed against the city.  The city’s “retention level” for each claim is $500,000.
2. In the past, the city never budgeted for repayment of principle on bonds.  You read that right; they never budgeted for principle payments they knew how to be made.  Wish I could do that on my mortgage!
3. This year the Motor Fuel Tax Revenues (MFTR) will not be used to resurface streets as in the past.  It sounded like the MTFR was being used for normal repairs to streetlights and potholes.  Street resurfacing, if done, will be funded by the general funds.
4. The red light violations from the past three years are not listed in the red light violations category but rather in Circuit Court Fines.  Seems strange since you have a red light violations category.
5. My question about printing charges appearing to double was explained as a change in accounting.  The printing costs are now actually being recorded as printing costs.
6. The $429,000 increase in police overtime includes holiday pay, on call pay and overtime.  This year $480,000 has been budgeted because an officer has been out on some type of disability.  Next year $479,000 is budgeted because the person will probably remain out.  My question was, wouldn’t it be cheaper to hire a new officer than to pay so much in overtime.  The new officer could then replace anyone retiring in the next year or two.

I’ll leave you with this thought.  I was told that I should have asked my questions prior to the meeting so that the staff could prepare the answers.  I have two concerns with that:

1. It appeared that all the department heads attended the public hearing.  Shouldn’t they be able to answer questions about what’s in their budget?
2. A public hearing is the appropriate time for the public to ask questions.  A resident should not have to make an appointment, during the business day, with city staff or have to e-mail questions prior to a public hearing.

I’m willing to accept criticism when warranted but in this case, my questions were fair and should have been treated that way.  If someone runs for public office or decides to work in a taxpayer-funded job, they should be willing to be accountable to their employers (us).  Just maybe the residents of Dixon, IL are wishing someone had questioned where their money was going several years ago.  Asking questions at a public meeting is a right that should be protected not frowned upon.

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