Wednesday, April 21, 2010

$2,640.58 Loss/Day

According to the Fiscal Services department, ECP is currently losing $2,640.58/day. This means that the taxpayers are subsidizing this entity to the tune of nearly $80,000/month; $1 million/year.

Mayor Winters was frustrated at last night's City Commission meeting when members of the public kept talking about this very serious problem. He mentioned twice that the city is going to get out of its relationship with SME so can't understand why folks won't cut the Commission some slack and give them time to work it out.

Other than for Commissioners Jolley and Burow who are no longer voting in favor of payments going to SME, the others don't seem to have much concern about this bleeding.

What am I not understanding here?

H/T: J.T.

15 comments:

Lt. Col (R) Richard Liebert said...

If GFDA wants money, they should be help citizens in our concerns to stop the bleeding at ECP, an illegal enterprise and we CAN act legally and prudently IF WE WOULD STOP TAKING COUNSEL OF OUR FEARS.

It does 'take time to turn a battleship' but when there's a city staff person in the engine room sabotaging it, how can we make progress as we steer to the rocks aimlessly?

Anonymous said...

If "members of the public" want results in city government, they should stop filibustering and boring the pants off everybody! The commission KNOWS there are problems, the commission KNOWS who the "concerned citizens" are, the commission is WORKING at finding solutions. I don't blame Winters for feeling frustrated at a bunch of one note johnnies who simply WON'T shut up.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Winters is a paper tiger. It doesn't matter a hill of beans what he wants or doesn't want. He might as well be a mouth piece for himself. It's Mr Doyon, our City Manager, who has to come out speaking against SME but he doesn't dare because of our Fiscal Officer. Our illustrious Fab 3 Commissioners See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil.

Anonymous said...

Is it boring watching all the red ink grow? Winters, a leader in his own mind, all mouth, no action.

Great Falls Guy said...

If they, our city commission, are working so hard to extract us from this, then how come no formal resolution or motion to do so Mayor Winters?

Anon 1:38 I guess you think that illegally "bailing out" a defunct and "bankrupt" corporation (ECP) with taxpayer funds (one million per year and growing) is perfectly Ok? You must be our ex-mayor Donna Stebbins who supported and helped jump start this major fiasco.

Anonymous said...

OMG, but we were told it was turning around... they just failed to mention it was the wrong way.

SO how many more days are you going to let OUR MONEY piss away Mr. Winters?

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately I have to agree with several of you on your assessment of our exalted mayor. So far he does a great job of talking; so far absolutley nothing to show with the possible exception that now all of the commissioners are now the ECP Board. Just makes it easier for Tim G. to narrow down who SME sues. I am also curious as to the extent the new mayor has now become close "friends" with people who want the city to pay millions of your taxpayer dollars on the animal palace...er...ah...I mean shelter? Dona anyone??????

Anonymous said...

This is Great Falls after all, politicians and city administrators can be bought for pennies on the dollar when compared to Chicago, Miami and LA.

Why do you think Tim picked Great Falls?

Anonymous said...

I really did have high hopes for Mayor Winters! I voted for him, but so far I have been very disappointed. Hopefully he will demonstrate the leadership I believe he is capable of showing. So far it appears that Mary and Fred are the only ones who have the "kahunas" (sorry Mary, not sure what I should say for a lady) to stand up and be counted. All I see is thousands of dollars leaving the city bank account every month and so far nothing has stopped the bleeding caused by ECP. The city has been asked for millions for a new animal shelter and so far it appears the city is planning to proceed..........with taxpayer money and very input from anyone except the AF. And quite frankly, the AF are the "good guys"! Only they are asking for too much! And then there is the issue regarding zoning for medical marijuana.

Please Mr. Mayor, show us leadership and not an empty plate. We had plenty of that under the previous administration. PLEASE!

Anonymous said...

Winter's leadership... yup, we're working on it. Really, have patience, we're working on it. Really, we are. We didn't make this mess, so back off and be polite...Okay, now that we worked on it for a few months, we're going to hire a consultant to work on a recommendation for us. I can see it coming...again.

CYA, alive and well at city hall.

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight,

It has been a year since Winters "decided" he was the one that was more qualified than anyone as a "natural born leader" and yet now he claims he has had "only three months" to relieve his ignorance concerning ECP?

I suppose once the ignorance is relieved with coleen data, we will receive the standard excuse - It was intelligent to get in, then it was intelligent to get out. Thank you good and honest people for your great and honest effort.

I suppose the Mayor will thank coleen for her service, call her "good people" and give her a great big bonus like john lawton.

I can hear him now,

Thank you Coleen, for your honesty, your integrity, your cooperative forthright attitude, your selfless giving and going beyond the call of duty. I worship the ground you walk on and would hope that all city employees rise to your level of unparalleled excellence, you are "good people"

big sky husker said...

I'm disappointed with the Mayor's actions so far. ECP is losing money. It has lost money. It doesn't matter how Balzarini spins it, the city has lost a ton of money (and will continue to lose a ton of money) thanks to her incompetence. Not sure why it's so hard for Mayor Winters, or someone on the commission, to simply state why it's taking so long to sever the city's role with SME. How long is it going to take to close down ECP? If it's not going to be shut down, explain how the city functions when it's losing a million dollars per year. These are not nuclear physics questions.

Anonymous said...

There is only one commissioner, correction perhaps two, who get it (Jolley & Burns). The mayor and rest simply fiddle and talk while Great Falls goes down the tubes. No much for this so-called representative government.....

Anonymous said...

Burns???? I think you mean BUROW!

Anonymous said...

Ooops, yes, 'Burow's' it should be.

Thanks anon.....