Toledo talk proposed comment - jun 12, 2017 - c

City of Toledo 2017 Approved Budget - March 2017

• 2017 Approved Operating Budget Book - pdf file
• 2017 Approved Operating Budget Detail - pdf file

General Fund Revenue and Other Sources

Fines and Forfeitures
Fines and forfeitures revenue includes red light camera revenue, court costs and fines. Total 2017 estimated revenue is $7,055,815. Revenue received from red light and speed violations is estimated at $4,300,000 for 2017. Of this total, $2,000,000 is anticipated from stationary cameras and $2,300,000 is anticipated from hand-held cameras.

Mayor PH2 said in May 2017:

"What we have is some good news," the mayor told The Blade. "And the good news is because of ... the handheld speed cameras and some other revenue things that are happening."

When did dangerous driving get labeled "good news"? It sounds like a disastrous epidemic.

What are the 2017 Toledo candidates running for mayor and city council at-large proposing to end dangerous driving?

I refuse to believe that Toledo politicians would be joyous, like Hicks-Hudson appears to be, over revenue collected from deadly driving antics. Even Toledo politicians would not sink that low. Would they?

Toledo Talk thread from 2008 that referenced a July 2008 Blade story

Toledo is $2.5M in red; deficit may hit $5M.

... revenue from traffic enforcement cameras have fallen short.

My comment back then:

As to the revenue problem with the cameras, I guess that means the cameras are doing their job, and people are driving safer, which is what I thought the traffic cameras were all about.

In that same TT thread, it was shown that back in 2008, councilman Mark Sobczak slipped up.

City mulls $120 fines for traffic violations.

Council President Mark Sobczak said the increase request does not seem to have opposition from councilmen. "No one likes to raise fees but, quite frankly, we are trying to balance the budget," Mr. Sobczak said.

Also from that same thread, Lisa Renee at Glass City Jungle astutely observed in February 2008:

The City is counting on the increased revenue to help the budget which means, they are counting on residents of NWO to run red lights and to speed through intersections.

After all, if you all slow down and follow our traffic laws by driving safely then imagine the horrible affect it would have on our budget.

Our traffic camera revenue schemes have existed since the early aught years. Multiple Toledo mayoral regimes and city council compositions have endorsed these revenue streams.

It's politics. It's the job of politicians to invent ways to take money from the citizens.

I think that a sensible line of questioning for the 2017 Toledo mayoral and city council at-large candidates should focus on the health of the city. And I'm not referring to our drinking water nor the opioid addiction issue.

1. When and how will the city of Toledo stop taking money from the capital improvements plan to help pay police and fire salaries that are the biggest expense in the general fund?

2. When and how will the city no longer be dependent upon the revenue, generated by the traffic enforcement camera scam?

3. When and how will the city no longer be dependent upon the revenue, generated by the illegal refuse fee tax?

The political candidates will probably propose feel-good solutions
for Lake Erie and drug addiction to give the appearance of caring. All of the candidates will say similar things on those two concerns.

But which candidates will focus on our finances?

1. In 2017, Toledo government was expected to transfer over $11 million from the capital improvement fund to the general fund.

2. For 2017, the traffic enforcement cameras were forecast to generate over $4 million, but the city is on pace to receive over $6 million from these cameras, thanks to greater-than-expected revenue generated thus far by the handheld cameras.

3. According to the 2017 budget, the illegal refuse fee tax is forecast to generate (steal) nearly $12 million.

That's nearly $30 million that the general fund for a healthy city SHOULD NOT receive, especially regarding the CIP money and the illegal refuse fee tax.

For the latter, nearly $12 million will be stolen from Toledoans in 2017. That's money that we could have saved or spent, including spending on local businesses.

• When and how will Toledo's general fund collect the $30 million from tax revenue, generated by visitors, new businesses, and the businesses and residents who have moved back into the city, making the city no longer dependent on our current scams?

• Or when and how will the city reduce the general fund budget to make the $30 million unnecessary?