By: Diane Benjamin
David Hales City Manager report for September is now on-line: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=9344
Interesting notes:
1)
7,369 divided by 47 events = 157 people per event.
.
Doesn’t the BCPA lose around a half a million a year? Doesn’t this clearly show too many events that not enough people attend?
2)
ZOO:
This paragraph is on page 26 (Their numbered page)
Revenue from the gate admission was up 11.3% for the current fiscal year compared to last year’s revenue. Last year, the revenue raised from admissions broke the all-time record for the Zoo in a fiscal year. This represents the fourth consecutive year the all-time attendance revenue record was broken. Attendance was down 4.8% for the current fiscal year compared to last year’s attendance. A 4% Amusement tax began on 1 August 2014. The tax is included in this amount. Admission prices were raised on 1 January 2015. Revenue from Education Program Fees and Rentals was up 8.3% for the fiscal year compared to last year.
The first line talks about Revenue up. The third line talks about Attendance down 4.8%. The third and fourth lines say the 4% Amusement Tax if included in Revenue. The fourth line admits to price increases, but it doesn’t say how that affected Revenue.
The zoo is subsidized by taxpayers for over $600,000 per year: http://blnnews.com/2015/08/08/truth-about-the-zoo/
Obviously, even with price increases, the zoo is nowhere near breaking even.
3)
The Finance Department report is NOT included this month.
That means the chart showing tax receipts is missing.
More extreme transparency from the City of Bloomington!
If the private sector took over 30 days to report financial results, the investment community would be questioning the veracity of results. This public outfit with lots of employees still out sources the report and can’t get in done in a timely manner.
Financial statements take 6 months! ridiculous
But, Hales’ Monthly Reports are “Award Winning”–he brags.
Got to agree with Stan. More than adequate staff plus outsourcing and still can’t get it done. Hales is incompetent and should be fired! What a joke!
In THIS day of electronic trading on WALL STREET-where they know what the market is doing RIGHT NOW!, one would THINK that a small little burb like Bloomington could get numbers out in a week-MONTH TOPS!!!! So we have a city manager??? and his council and mayor??? and HIRED consultants??? And between ALL these people they can’t get a timely report of numbers out? WHAT darn department are they in? Hell, WALLY from the DILBERT cartoon could run a tighter ship then this!! This is either lazy, not caring, incompetent, or just plain complacent-ANY of which should be addressed! AND NOT BY MORE CONSULTANTS!
#1 This is a textbook example of gross incompetence as per rational thinking. However since it is clear that the Hales/Renner culture change agenda is moving right along I suspect that parts are intentional to serve their underhanded purposes.
What is going on with that fraudulent mess!!