The Observation Deck

The City of Lakewood will receive about $50 million in ARPA money over the next twelve months:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-BB1feTTK

The ARPA funding was created to replace lost revenue and added expenses due to the economic disruption caused by the COVID virus.

Total general fund receipts for 2020 were about $1 million less than 2019.
Total general fund expenditures where about $43.9 million in 2019 and $41.7 million in 2020.

So, the net result of lower revenue and lower expenditures is a positive $1 million. The general fund unencumbered balance increased by about $1.2 million.

Since City lost $2 million per year when it moved the Hospital to Avon one could argue that that decision did far more financial damage than COVID.

I am generally opposed to “stimulus” spending. Very little gets built and what is built is way to expensive and usually unneeded and wasteful. The funds just become a grab bag for special interests and a funding source for stupid ideas.

Like the $1 billion dollar per mile train track:

https://www.worldtribune.com/off-the-ra ... -per-mile/

One curious requirement of the ARPA funding is that the money must be spent by the end of 2024. What is meant by spent? Is it money actually paid? Or does spent mean money allocated for a specific purpose that can be spent over time? If it’s the former then ARPA money is just ghost money passed out to various special interests. If it’s the latter then it can actually do some good.
If Lakewood and Cites throughout Ohio decide to spend their ARPA funds on infrastructure what infrastructure gets built? Who decides? Is infrastructure a welfare check? Is infrastructure raises for government employees? Is infrastructure spending $10 million for a bridge that should cost $1 million?

https://www.gfoa.org/american-rescue-pl ... principles

What have we stimulated when we hand out $1 trillion to the American people so they can purchase Chinese manufactured goods?
Why do we spend so much on infrastructure and get so little?

https://theweek.com/articles/449646/why ... ge-america

How about the $80 million elevator?

https://slate.com/business/2019/09/mta- ... blems.html

If it is spent on infrastructure that generally means concrete, asphalt, excavation, water/sewage/gas lines

ryan costa wrote:If it is spent on infrastructure that generally means concrete, asphalt, excavation, water/sewage/gas lines

Ryan - What you describe is HARD INFRASTRUCTURE. Don't forget SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE: the various services (and associated institutions/organizations) needed to maintain a society's cultural, economic, health, and social standards.

Peter Grossetti wrote:

ryan costa wrote:If it is spent on infrastructure that generally means concrete, asphalt, excavation, water/sewage/gas lines

Ryan - What you describe is HARD INFRASTRUCTURE. Don't forget SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE: the various services (and associated institutions/organizations) needed to maintain a society's cultural, economic, health, and social standards.

And we've got plenty of everything that needs attention. I'd like to see more spending on soft infrastructure.

Dan Alaimo wrote:

Peter Grossetti wrote:

ryan costa wrote:If it is spent on infrastructure that generally means concrete, asphalt, excavation, water/sewage/gas lines

Ryan - What you describe is HARD INFRASTRUCTURE. Don't forget SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE: the various services (and associated institutions/organizations) needed to maintain a society's cultural, economic, health, and social standards.

And we've got plenty of everything that needs attention. I'd like to see more spending on soft infrastructure.

OR there is the $50+ million dollar project they are getting ready to raise our taxes on. You know that little sewer project that was only $10 million when first thought of. But 3 Mayors later we are quickly arriving at $60 million.


.

Here's what I think I know:

1. The City of Lakewood does not have enough funds to organize the functional equivalent of a health department.

2. The City of Lakewood does have enough funds to grant $9,000,000 in future tax relief for developers.

3. Water/sewer rates have been doubled over a 5-year period to fund the EPA-mandated sewer upgrade projects.

4. The City of Lakewood has committed itself to "safe" dining on public sidewalks, streets, and parking lots at a cost unknown to the residents.

5. The costs to be born by the City of Lakewood for the redevelopment of the former hospital site are unknown to the residents.

What am I missing?

These people in Hong Kong like to pay 900 million dollars an acre. Just sell it to some billionaire from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

https://www.businessinsider.com/hong-ko ... ord-2021-2