Happy Tuesday all,
Summer is finally here (Thank god), and so is the July issue of the Sherwood gazette. Click Here
After reading through 24 pages of fluff and propaganda, I read the crown jewell on the front page concerning the City Council approving the 11.4 million dollar budget. WOW!! If you read further through the article, The Sheriff of Nottingham states "City Manager Jim Patterson said the new budget includes no reductions in staff or city services.
However, Patterson has said a staff reduction could be possible if the city’s revenue and expense projections prove inadequate six months from now". Now I am sure that will not include him giving back the 17k in raise he got this year!
Next paragraph you get this: "Still, the approved budget does allow some leeway for hiring if the proposed red light cameras planned for Highway 99W prove to generate an increased workload for city staff. Patterson said if the statistical data provided by RedFlex Traffic Systems, the company expected to provide the cameras, is correct, additional staff could be hired". SO this reads if we generate enough from someone barely making it through a red light we can hire 2 more folks and pay our judge more for the added tickets! Maybe it would be better to have our Police sit by one of those magical stop signs they used to show in the movies.
the last paragraph breaks down the money we give away, "Meanwhile, groups that will receive grant funding and their respective amounts include: Robin Hood Festival, $16,000 (along with $7,500 in in-kind contributions); Sherwood Senior Citizens Inc., $8,000; Raindrops to Refuge, $7,000; Sherwood Cultural Arts Committee, $5,000; Sherwood Foundation for the Arts, $2,500 (with $5,000 in in-kind contributions); Sherwood Historical Society, $4,500 (which goes to the public works facilities budget for repairing the porch of the Morback house, home of the Sherwood Historical Society; Community Action, $2,000; and Faith in Action, $1,000". There are only 2 that I agree with, 1. Sherwood Senior Citizens Inc., $8,000; and 2. Sherwood Historical Society, $4,500 (which goes to the public works facilities budget for repairing the porch of the Morback house. No Clyde not because of you. Just kidding!
The raindrops for refuge is a PAC, Sherwood Cultural arts is nice but not needed right now, Community Action PAC, and Faith in Action religious group. Sorry that whole church and state thing. pesky little part of the constitution.
Now maybe these aren't big in their own right, but when we need to replace Police cars and hire more teachers we should be more fiscally conscience of what we spend our money on.
more to come Ta Ta
Robin
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
open letter to the City Council
The following was sent by the writer of the letter. it was sent June 16th and yet no answer from the city. Big surprise there!! Their policy is to ignore any question that does not coincide with their agenda. And they have an agenda. But we will see if this generates any citizens concern. Hmmm Ta Ta
Robin
6/16/2010
Good Morning Council,
I was shocked to hear that there was close to
$40k of staff time to supervise the Senior Center Parking Lot project and
$18k for architectural design from out side consultants.
It was a real EYE opener when Bob Galati
said it was normal for the Staff to add up 40% of the cost of the projects for there time. This certainly is not common in the private sector for
sure!
That is wrong in so many ways. What am I missing? That project is not complex and should not
require so much overhead cost.
Bob said that all projects were charged by the city the same
way. What a complete waste of tax dollars.
It was interesting that Bob could not provide a clear explanation
to Robin Folsom's question as to what exactly those additional Administrative
cost were. Oh do a little side step!!!! .
This is definitely something that the public should
be made aware of since it IS our tax dollars being spent!
You are in charge off this process!
You have the power to change it!
Now the ball is in your court!
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!
Truly unbelievable.
Robin
6/16/2010
Good Morning Council,
I was shocked to hear that there was close to
$40k of staff time to supervise the Senior Center Parking Lot project and
$18k for architectural design from out side consultants.
It was a real EYE opener when Bob Galati
said it was normal for the Staff to add up 40% of the cost of the projects for there time. This certainly is not common in the private sector for
sure!
That is wrong in so many ways. What am I missing? That project is not complex and should not
require so much overhead cost.
Bob said that all projects were charged by the city the same
way. What a complete waste of tax dollars.
It was interesting that Bob could not provide a clear explanation
to Robin Folsom's question as to what exactly those additional Administrative
cost were. Oh do a little side step!!!! .
This is definitely something that the public should
be made aware of since it IS our tax dollars being spent!
You are in charge off this process!
You have the power to change it!
Now the ball is in your court!
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!
Truly unbelievable.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday
So I have now been writing about the inadequacies of our town employees and Mayor for almost a month and I would say most of the response has been good. There have been a few negative e-mails sent to me. Today I will address them, Q. Why am I slamming the city and if I don't like like it I should move. A. I like Sherwood and it could be a much better place to live if our trusted servants would actually serve a purpose other than their own. Q. Why do you hide behind a fictitious name? A. It was spelled out once before but I guess you missed that, I use Robin Hood because he was a champion of the people. I am not afraid to use my real name but I would rather not confuse the issues. I want change not a public office or any other political gain. Q. You can't change anything, this has been going on since the beginning and will be going on long after you leave. A. Status Quo is not and excuse for poor management, strong arm tactics, or just plain illegal behavior. I would like to remind you that in 1776 a few folks started a revolution because they were tired of being cheated, lied to, and bullied. now we know how that worked out! Q. When are you going to stop this? A. NEVER!!! As long as the Sheriff of Nottingham and his cronies are still here I will not stop. Get over it! Change is coming like it or not. If you enjoy giving your money away there are several charities that can always use donations. Why are you so set on lining someone else's pockets? Are you that naive or just plain oblivious to reality in your drug soaked mind? A real question for you to ponder as you get another bong hit.
There have been a few really nasty ones laced with profanity and conjecture. I just delete them and chalk it up to the juvenile uneducated part of our town. That means they probably came form some low level employee of the city that is afraid they are going to lose their PERS. Enough said for today.
To the members of the council and the employees of our city, We Are Watching and you cannot escape. There's change you can count on! Ta Ta
Robin
There have been a few really nasty ones laced with profanity and conjecture. I just delete them and chalk it up to the juvenile uneducated part of our town. That means they probably came form some low level employee of the city that is afraid they are going to lose their PERS. Enough said for today.
To the members of the council and the employees of our city, We Are Watching and you cannot escape. There's change you can count on! Ta Ta
Robin
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sherwood Broadband Part 2
Here is a list of questions and answers provided to me by one of our concerned citizens. My Commentary will be after each question with my name in front of it.
Questions (bold):
Quotes (Italic):
What companies? Demonstrate that this has "attracted businesses to Sherwood"
"50 public and private businesses"
ROBIN: The only companies Sherwood Broadband would help is the coffee shops and maybe the little restaurant that has changed owners a million times.
What is the math on this? 20Mb Comcast Business line is $200 per month 6 city facilities plus 6 School District (12x200x12=28,200).. also, as part of the Comcast franchise agreement Comcast is obligated to provide certain services as negotiated.
"SBB has saved the City of Sherwood’s general fund over $200k and provides $100k annually in combined savings to both the city and school district"
ROBIN: ROFL, You have got to be kidding me, This is the bill of goods shoved down our throats. The city Generates about 300k of the 1,500,000.00 it costs us annually. This must be magic math, you know the same kind as our Board of Education uses for graduation rates.
What is the benefit? How many Sherwood residents use this system on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. What is the utilization (bandwidth use) of the system? I have never used it.
"While Sherwood Broadband has contributed many benefits to the community it has come at a financial cost."
ROBIN: ie I get rich off this garbage deal and you get the shaft. OMG I cannot believe this.
Why? We have two alternate service providers who market these services actively (how many FIOS flyers do you get in one week).
"Promote broadband utilization within Sherwood, and stimulate Economic Development
through the use of broadband services."
ROBIN: How stupid are we to allow these morons to run our city?
The following is a brief from another concerned citizen and their questions they want answered. BTW these and many other questions have been asked by many folks and never answered. I guess we are not adult enough to handle the truth or they just plain don't know...
I cannot find anywhere (in any document), where the estimate was 10M, $200-300K is all. This is public record, they should provide proof. Besides, this is 10Years later.. fiber is now more ubiquitous.
"In early 2001 staff proposed a project called the Sherwood Community Access Network
System (SCANS). The scope of this project was to build a community network and deliver it to every home in Sherwood via fiber optic communications. The price of this project was estimated at the time at about $10 million."
Total revenue is 325k in "past performance for 2009-10" then drops to 203,500 in "projected performance for 2009-10"?? What does this mean? The numbers don't make any sense
What does this mean? Who are the partners? Are other entities making money on the infrastructure that was installed and paid for by Sherwood residents?
"Partnerships" “ Partnering with other Internet Service Providers has the greatest
opportunity for Sherwood Broadband to both increase utilization of the network as well as revenue. With the sales force these ISPs offer they have a much greater opportunity to sell service in Sherwood than what SBB could do on its own."
What is the benefit to Sherwood residents (tax payers)? How does this make Sherwood more livable? Prove it! What research? Again, there are already two service providers in Sherwood offering services.
"Sherwood Broadband, as with most utilities, provides community services beyond its pro forma and break even analysis that can be measured better in terms of "livability".
Considerable research has concluded that the presence of broadband services assists a community in attracting businesses, as well as making a community more attractive for its residents."
OK Folks it is time to rise up and push these idiots out. City of Sherwood you are warned!!! RESIGN RESIGN RESIGN, or you will be forced out in disgrace. Ta Ta
Robin
PS: WE ARE WATCHING AND YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP!!!!!
Questions (bold):
Quotes (Italic):
What companies? Demonstrate that this has "attracted businesses to Sherwood"
"50 public and private businesses"
ROBIN: The only companies Sherwood Broadband would help is the coffee shops and maybe the little restaurant that has changed owners a million times.
What is the math on this? 20Mb Comcast Business line is $200 per month 6 city facilities plus 6 School District (12x200x12=28,200).. also, as part of the Comcast franchise agreement Comcast is obligated to provide certain services as negotiated.
"SBB has saved the City of Sherwood’s general fund over $200k and provides $100k annually in combined savings to both the city and school district"
ROBIN: ROFL, You have got to be kidding me, This is the bill of goods shoved down our throats. The city Generates about 300k of the 1,500,000.00 it costs us annually. This must be magic math, you know the same kind as our Board of Education uses for graduation rates.
What is the benefit? How many Sherwood residents use this system on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. What is the utilization (bandwidth use) of the system? I have never used it.
"While Sherwood Broadband has contributed many benefits to the community it has come at a financial cost."
ROBIN: ie I get rich off this garbage deal and you get the shaft. OMG I cannot believe this.
Why? We have two alternate service providers who market these services actively (how many FIOS flyers do you get in one week).
"Promote broadband utilization within Sherwood, and stimulate Economic Development
through the use of broadband services."
ROBIN: How stupid are we to allow these morons to run our city?
The following is a brief from another concerned citizen and their questions they want answered. BTW these and many other questions have been asked by many folks and never answered. I guess we are not adult enough to handle the truth or they just plain don't know...
I cannot find anywhere (in any document), where the estimate was 10M, $200-300K is all. This is public record, they should provide proof. Besides, this is 10Years later.. fiber is now more ubiquitous.
"In early 2001 staff proposed a project called the Sherwood Community Access Network
System (SCANS). The scope of this project was to build a community network and deliver it to every home in Sherwood via fiber optic communications. The price of this project was estimated at the time at about $10 million."
Total revenue is 325k in "past performance for 2009-10" then drops to 203,500 in "projected performance for 2009-10"?? What does this mean? The numbers don't make any sense
What does this mean? Who are the partners? Are other entities making money on the infrastructure that was installed and paid for by Sherwood residents?
"Partnerships" “ Partnering with other Internet Service Providers has the greatest
opportunity for Sherwood Broadband to both increase utilization of the network as well as revenue. With the sales force these ISPs offer they have a much greater opportunity to sell service in Sherwood than what SBB could do on its own."
What is the benefit to Sherwood residents (tax payers)? How does this make Sherwood more livable? Prove it! What research? Again, there are already two service providers in Sherwood offering services.
"Sherwood Broadband, as with most utilities, provides community services beyond its pro forma and break even analysis that can be measured better in terms of "livability".
Considerable research has concluded that the presence of broadband services assists a community in attracting businesses, as well as making a community more attractive for its residents."
OK Folks it is time to rise up and push these idiots out. City of Sherwood you are warned!!! RESIGN RESIGN RESIGN, or you will be forced out in disgrace. Ta Ta
Robin
PS: WE ARE WATCHING AND YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP!!!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sherwood Broadband
OK I am finally done reading over this mess called Sherwood Broadband, wow the inconsistencies, and double speak astounds even me. I am still missing a few things but once I get them I will give a much more informative report. The simple solution is to shut it down, get our money back from the thieves who took it, and terminate any City Employee for Conflict of interest, and open an investigation for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Now that I got that off my chest, I want to thank the Cruisin Sherwood gang for a job well done and creating something positive here in our fair city. It was a gorgeous day and a great time for all who attended. I really have a lot to rant about today but I think I will wait another day as I enjoy the great weekend event. Till tomorrow, Remember City of Sherwood... WE ARE WATCHING!!!!!!! Ta Ta
Robin
Robin
Thursday, June 10, 2010
UPDATE #2 !!!!
Hi fellow inhabitants of the forest, I promised you the full scoop on the Broadband Issue and how it came to be, well I now have all the documents, meeting notes, and proposals and am going through it with a fine tooth comb. OMG after just reading through a small portion of it I am aghast at how this was done. The former Sheriff of Nottingham should probably retain a lawyer as I think he will need it. Well back to my reading and I promise this will be all clear to you in a few days... Ta Ta.
Robin
Robin
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
New Resident Info carefully edited for the truth!!
New Resident Information
Dear New Resident:
On behalf of your neighbors, elected and appointed officials, welcome to the City of Sherwood.We recognize that moving to a new community often causes a sense of upheaval, but let us assure you that you will soon grow to enjoy Sherwood for its unique blend of small-town hospitality and big-city amenities.
"(And lets not forget needless fees and fines so that we can spend millions on things you don't want or need but thank you anyway!!!)"
One of the great strengths of Sherwood is its tradition of citizen participation. (NOT) We hope that you will continue this tradition by becoming involved with one of the City's many boards, commissions or other volunteer activities. (ONLY IF YOU AGREE THAT i RUN THE SHOW AND YOU DON'T) Please feel free to contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 503-625-4251 if you wish to volunteer for City endorsed activities within the community. (YOU WILL BE PROMPTLY IGNORED UNLESS YOUR A RELATIVE AND BE INVESTIGATED FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND) If your interest does not lie with local government, we encourage you to get involved with one or more of the many school, civic or church organizations that are active in the community.
Finally, as a new resident of Sherwood, you become a shareholder in the City. (WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT) We welcome your ideas (AND ALL YOUR MONEY) on how we can make the community a better place for our families, and hope that you will call us with your suggestions and comments. (AGAIN PROMPTLY IGNORED UNLESS YOU AGREE WITH ME)
We hope you come to enjoy the community as much as we do. If there is anything that we can do to facilitate the transition to your new home, or make your living in Sherwood more pleasant, please let us know.
Jim Patterson, City Manager
If you wish to read this with out my commentary CLICK HERE
Dear New Resident:
On behalf of your neighbors, elected and appointed officials, welcome to the City of Sherwood.We recognize that moving to a new community often causes a sense of upheaval, but let us assure you that you will soon grow to enjoy Sherwood for its unique blend of small-town hospitality and big-city amenities.
"(And lets not forget needless fees and fines so that we can spend millions on things you don't want or need but thank you anyway!!!)"
One of the great strengths of Sherwood is its tradition of citizen participation. (NOT) We hope that you will continue this tradition by becoming involved with one of the City's many boards, commissions or other volunteer activities. (ONLY IF YOU AGREE THAT i RUN THE SHOW AND YOU DON'T) Please feel free to contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 503-625-4251 if you wish to volunteer for City endorsed activities within the community. (YOU WILL BE PROMPTLY IGNORED UNLESS YOUR A RELATIVE AND BE INVESTIGATED FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND) If your interest does not lie with local government, we encourage you to get involved with one or more of the many school, civic or church organizations that are active in the community.
Finally, as a new resident of Sherwood, you become a shareholder in the City. (WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT) We welcome your ideas (AND ALL YOUR MONEY) on how we can make the community a better place for our families, and hope that you will call us with your suggestions and comments. (AGAIN PROMPTLY IGNORED UNLESS YOU AGREE WITH ME)
We hope you come to enjoy the community as much as we do. If there is anything that we can do to facilitate the transition to your new home, or make your living in Sherwood more pleasant, please let us know.
Jim Patterson, City Manager
If you wish to read this with out my commentary CLICK HERE
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