A SAD NOTE

Alyssa Peterson, a tireless advocate for the people and the neighborhoods of Hartford has announced the passing of her father, James Peterson, after a long illness. The details are below. Condolences  to Alyssa and her entire family. Alyssa was faithfully committed to her fathers care over the last 10 years. Your compassion for your father is admirable.

James H. Peterson, 83, of Simsbury, passed away Saturday, October 18, 2014, after bravely fighting illness for many years. Born in New Haven to Greek immigrants Peter E. and Sophie (Yaknisi) Peterson, James or "Jim" moved with his family to Hartford during World War II and later settled in West Hartford. Jim attended Hall High School and UConn College of Pharmacy where he graduated in 1954. Jim spent two years in Germany on a tour of duty with the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He returned to Connecticut to work in the pharmacies of Maxwell Drugs around the Hartford area, and he managed the Torrington store for 17 happy years. He continued as a neighborhood pharmacist at the Doyle's in Newington before completing his career at UConn in Farmington in the Correctional Pharmacy. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Jim is survived by his wife of 55 years, Helen Karras Peterson, and his devoted children: Alyssa S. Peterson of Hartford; Demosthenes James "DJ" Peterson and his partner Daniel A. Nadeau of Los Angeles, CA; and P. Christopher Peterson and his wife Christine Bilotti-Peterson also of Simsbury, plus their four beautiful children, Alexa, Athan, James, and Nico. Jim also is survived by his very dear sister, Bette O'Brien of Farmington and his brother, Charles "Chick" Peterson of Charlotte, NC. The Peterson Family would like to thank the many talented health professionals of UConn Health Center and Avon Health Center for their years of extraordinary care. Jim's gentle style, hard work, compassion, and wry humor made him loved by all. His family will receive friends Thursday, October 23, 2014 from 5-8 pm at the Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center, 301 Country Club Road, Avon. A brief Trisagion prayer service will be held at 5 pm. The Funeral will be Friday, October 24, 2014 at 11 am at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 433 Fairfield Avenue, Hartford. Burial will follow in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. Contributions to honor Jim may be directed to a

charity of choice

. For directions or condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.

Published in The Hartford Courant on Oct. 22, 2014 -

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

 

The Foley Odalisque-definition "A  female sex slave in an Ottoman Sultan's Harem"

 

 

A lot has been made about Republican Candidate for Governor  Tom Foley and his $5 million dollar yacht. I was thinking you can't fault the guy for being successful. Besides, imagine the revenue the State of Connecticut must see from the taxes on Foley's yacht, not to mention the revenue from his jet.

Then I began doing the research. Foley's yacht is not registered or taxed in Connecticut. Neither is his jet. The yacht apparently is registered in Fort Lauderdale, but even more interesting is the name Foley chose to "name " his yacht.

The "ODALISQUE", according to Charterworld.com the is based in Palm Beach , Florida. You are probably asking yourself now what is an Odalisque? That is the troubling part to me. According to Wikipedia, Odalisque is defined as "a female slave or concubine in the household or harem of the Ottoman Sultan." . Yes, you read that right, Tom Foley's yacht is apparently named after a female slave. Now I understand politics  but a Governor who names his yacht after a female sex slave? I don't get it

I understand the nature of the beast, politics is a nasty business, made even nastier by close races. Sadly though, I don't think I know anymore about Tom Foley now than I did at the beginning of the Governor's race Despite the millions  spent, on both sides,  the only thing I definitely  know about Foley is that he has a strong dislike for his opponent, and has no problem naming his yacht after female slavery.

I do have to be honest and say I do like Foley's opponent. Dan Malloy. Governor Malloy is someone I would call a friend. Not close "hanging out on the weekend" friends but someone I do respect and talk to occasionally.

I don't flock to Malloy because of the potential of knowing the Governor, but I see him as a genuine human being. I first met Governor Malloy shortly after he began his first term in of all places  a bar. Imagine that, 2 Irish guys in a bar. Little things impress me and I guess, and the first thing I noticed was that Malloy would stand in line like everyone else to get a beer and took out his own credit card to pay for them. We eventually got on the subject of our Irish Heritage and somehow that got to the topic of our Irish Grandmothers.

Everyone tries to make Irish Sodabread  around St Patrick's Day,  but most people don't get it right. I told the Governor my grandmother used to bake it for me all the time, and hers was my favorite. He asked if I made it with buttermilk and raisins and caraway seeds. I told him that was the only authentic way , and baking it in the cast iron frying pan. Governor Malloy asked me to bring him some at the Capitol next time I baked it.

A few weeks later as St. Patricks Day approached I baked several loaves of Irish Sodabread. I called the Governor's Office to see if he could really accept food. His receptionist answered the phone and I was surprised that the voice on the other end was a good friend of mine, Shirley Surgeon. Shirley is a Hartford resident who also loves Hartford and works tirelessly to make our City a better place.

I explained the sodabread story to her and I asked her if the Troopers assigned to the Governor  allowed the food in. She asked me to hold on the phone for a second. Shortly she came back on the line and told me "The Governor says he will be here until five, he is expecting you". I had never been in the Governor's Office and I kept thinking how proud my Grandmother would be that I was delivering Sodabread made with her recipe to the Governor of our State. Like I said before, I guess little things impressed me.

I remembered to  being a toddler, maybe 4 or 5 years old, and my grandmother dragging me up onto a reviewing stand at a downtown parade to introduce me to then Governor Dempsey. It probably would have been a much different  outcome today with Troopers tackling my grandmother. Different times now I guess

I guess the sodabread was a hit. No troopers ever came looking for me for the recipe.

In the end, I don't think any election comes down to how nasty you can be or how much money you can spend to get elected. I think the more important question is di you leave the place better than when you arrived.

It was a terrible time in our State, but I am not sure anyone else other than Governor Malloy, with Lt Governor Wyman by his side, would have handled the Newtown shooting with the same level of dignity and leadership

Malloy and Wyman returned to his Office at the Capitol one morning after attending a funeral for one of the young victims. I happened to be in the Governor's Office and noticed Malloy's often cheerful selection of green neckties had been replaced by a black neck tie. In part defining the sense of mourning that all of us felt at that time. I could tell that the situation was taking a visible toll on the Governor, I don't think any human wouldn't feel it.

No one runs for office expecting theses situation. And Governor Malloy has had his share of trying times, but I doubt, actually No I know, none could take a bigger toll than a situation like Newtown yet Governor Malloy was there from the start right up until the end.

Malloy could have left the task of notifying parents their children wouldn't be coming home to them to State Police, clergy or others, yet he took on the task because that is what leaders do. They don't get elected to do it but when we need that leadership whether in a Hurricane, severe snowstorms  or unthinkable carnage, Governor Malloy has been there.

Unfortunately politics has become such a big business. It would be nice to have a few minutes to talk to our candidates and get to know them, talk about their Irish grandmothers or whatever nationality they are, get a feel for them. I wish that could happen but it's just not the reality.

Dan Malloy hasn't governed by looking to a political future. After years of indecision by others, Malloy made the tough decisions from the start regardless of the re-election consequences. Any one knows  elections are controlled by Unions, but when you are facing multi billion dollar deficits you do what the people elected you to do and make the necessary decisions.

The gunbill may have not been popular but we need to get guns off our streets. Just yesterday, two Hartford Police Officers took an assault weapon known as a Tec-9 off a residential street. The 32 round 9mm clip serves no purpose other that to kill and mame. Luckily the two suspects only had marijuana in their possession, if they were high on PCP or heroin, it could have been a much different outcome

HPD Evidence photo

I won't continue, I am sure half or you already have your minds made up about what direction you think our State needs to go. I am a firm believer that Dan Malloy has the integrity and leadership to keep the great State of Connecticut moving and I would ask you consider giving him the opportunity to continue that..

Our State didn't get where it is overnight and we aren't going to get out of overnight by hoping for a different outcome with baseless promises

Thanks for indulging my thoughts, and yes I know Foley is Irish also . I'm not sure they serve sodabread on the yacht.

NORTH DISTRICT CSO'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE

TEC-9 RECOVERED BY HPD OFFICERS YESTERDAY

 

Up until recently, North District Community Service Officers had been restricted to a Monday through Friday daytime schedule. Fortunately that has changed and two CSO's scheduled to work last night started their shift by recovering the machine gun pictured  above. The Tec-9 with the extended clip was recovered from two suspects who dumped it on Nelson Street.

 

 Officer's Pepler and Rinaldi observed the vehicle operating at a high rate of speed in the area of Garden and Westland Street. As they attempted to stop the vehicle the front passenger exited the SUV with a laptop bag. Officer Pepler recovered the bag containing the Tec-9 and Officer Rinaldi blocked the fleeing vehicle and apprehended the operator and the passenger.

 

Angel Gonzalez , 27 , of 133 Westland Street and Jerry McKeithan , 33, of 2604 Main Street were both taken into custody and charged with Possession of an assault weapon, Possession of a high capacity magazine, criminal possession of a firearm, theft of a firearm, weapons in a motor vehicle, and carrying a pistol without a permit

 

The weapon recovered is a Intratec Model AB-10 with a 30 round clip. In addition, 36 rounds of 9mm ammunition , $481.00 in cash and a small amount of marijuana was recovered in the vehicle. The weapon had been reported stolen from a Garden Street address in 2003.

 

A great job by Officer's Pepler and Rinaldi and all other assisting officer's getting a very dangerous weapon off Hartford's streets

I ADMIT, I AM BAFFLED

I guess I can't get over my state of confusion.

I was in Glastonbury Center this morning and saw a community that is growing and bustling.

The new Five Guys Restaurant was packed. As I drove further South I noticed a lot of new Construction ( usually a good sign of Economic Development). Just about every store and restaurant was busy. Even the Hardware store looked busy. I didn't see any big signs announcing "Store for Rent" like I do on Pratt Street or Park Street , Albany Avenue or throughout Downtown Hartford.

But as I hard as I looked , I couldn't find a baseball stadium. I tried and tried, but no stadium. I had to keep asking myself how Glastonbury can do it without a baseball stadium. I kept having to ask myself what was Glastonbury's "spark"

After all , we are being told by Segarra and his Economic Guru Deller that the baseball stadium is going to be the "spark" that sets us free from the burdens of poverty, crime and poor planning and poor government. Just believe in them and their plan.

I really wanted to stop and tell some of these business owners in Glastonbury they were crazy investing because all of their efforts would be futile. They have no baseball stadium. They have no "spark"

Maybe they might have some common sense leadership and people that understand that good government and common sense "spark " development, not baseball stadiums.

CAN PEDRO DO ANYTHING RIGHT? ANOTHER BAD AUDIT

I guess some people just aren't cut out to manage anything. It becomes clearer everyday that Pedro Segarra is one of them.

The Hallmark of Segarra's administration has been his high turnover and lack of stability in the leadership of his Department Heads. Police, Fire, DPW MHIS have all seen the revolving door of "Acting Department Heads" and the list goes on.

Who in their right mind would move into the City to become a Department Head under Segarra and inherit the messes both he and SKB have created?

This has resulted in no tone being set for the Administration and resulted in the City being a free for all. There has been very little discipline resulting from many serious chronic problems including drug and alcohol use by employees, serious policy violations and abuses, including credit card misuse.

And now another bad audit of DPW operations. Including questions about thousands of gallons of gasoline unaccounted for and the lack of electronic security safeguards over the system.
 
I guess nothing will change until some real leadership arrives at City Hall, or until Segarra and his flunkies resign.

THE DPW AUDIT

Works Equipment Services Division Accounts and Operations Audit

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

I love using this picture, it is about as phony as the leadership of this City

 

 

It might be interesting to ask how Mayor Segarra and his staff think they can manage a baseball operation when nothing else seems to function properly. The report below is just one more example of a City spiraling out of control with no management or leadership.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense using City funds to shore up City Departments that are falling apart due to a lack of funding before throwing money at a baseball stadium?

 

Read the report below, it pretty much speaks for itself. After reading it, ask yourself "is it any wonder we can't attract reasonable economic development with this kind of "leadership"?

Dpw Report0001

HPD DEPUTY CHIEF SUSPENDED OVER RACIST AND SEXUAL COMMENTS

The Internal Affairs Investigation is complete and now comes the discipline. The investigation ordered by Hartford Police Chief James Rovella. It began after complaints by HPD officers related to complaints against Deputy Chief Robert Ford that the officers felt were racist in origin. The investigation also developed information related to sexually inflammatory  comments that Ford admitted to making.

Once the investigation was completed, it confirmed the behavior that the officers alleged. The entire report can be read below. The report upheld that Fords behavior was a violation of the Departments Code of Conduct. Under the code, the punishment could be nothing , up to a maximum five day suspension. Apparently due to the severity of the actions, Ford was given the maximum punishment of a five day suspension.

It is somewhat uncommon for a member of the command staff to receive a suspension . Ford's disciplinary paperwork and his admission to the behavior are below.

These documents were obtained pursuant to an FOI request made to HPD

UPDATE:  Chief Rovella's Letter of Discipline was left out of the original scan, here it is below

Chief's Letter0001

THE FORD INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT

FORD IAD by kevinhfd

DEPUTY CHIEF FORD DISCIPLINE REPORTS

Ford Discipline0001

PLEASE....OUT OF RESPECT

Normally I encourage your comments and in most cases welcome them.

Out of respect for the tragic death of Firefighter Kevin Bell and his family as well as the other firefighters injured last night, I would ask that you refrain from comments regarding HFD or  its "leaders".

If you sent a comment this morning and are wondering why they aren't being posted, I am holding them back. Let's get through the grieving process and show our respect for our first responders. Including our firefighters , police officers and EMT's who worked so valiantly as a team yesterday to save a life. To the EMT's who worked over an hour and a half trying to revive Firefighter Bell, to HPD who blocked intersections along the ambulance route to Saint Francis to facilitate a quick response to the trauma center and foremost to Firefighters who were in a building that most of us would have run from.

Yes, there are problems  but now is not the time to focus on them. Let the investigation proceed and see what the results are. If changes need to be made , so be it, but in the meantime , respect the brave first responders that our on our streets for us day in and day out.

I will save any information I receive and post it at the appropriate time in the future.

WHERE ARE THE REPORTS?

With the Bond Rating dropping, tax collections unaccounted for now for several months , how can the City really know what its financial position is?

 And where is the Council on any of these issues? By Charter, the quarterly financial reports should have been submitted to the Council at their first meeting in September. One City Hall source says the reports aren't even done yet and definitely have not been submitted as the Charter requires. This should raise a red flag for the Council and they should be demanding these reports immediately. But in true Council fashion... nothing.

We need a government that functions and is accountable. Otherwise we might as well throw the City Charter out and continue in the direction we are going

IS A BASEBALL STADIUM REALLY THE SPARK THAT HARTFORD NEEDS?

As I watch more of the "process" for this baseball stadium, I keep asking myself if this is really the spark that is going to get Hartford moving ahead?

As much as I would hope that it could be, I think it has only gone to reinforce the image that Hartford is a City of fools, run by fools. Nothing about this project has gone smooth  or been presented well. The busway was rolled out smoother than this single, much simpler project . Hartford's Economic Development people were born too late, they probably would have had great futures launching the Edsel.

I think this project was doomed from the start due to the secrecy and lack of information supplied to the populace. The second launch after the original outcry wasn't much better, still no facts, very little financial detail. Just more of the "trust me" from a Mayor whose trustworthy ratings aren't riding too high right about now.

I just keep wondering what will really spark  economic development in Hartford. I don't believe it is stealing a baseball team from one of our neighboring suburb. I really do think that a properly run City Government would draw more attention from developers and business people than any baseball stadium.Wouldn't it be great to hear business leaders saying "we want to be in Hartford, it is so well managed , and it is the place for us to be"

Wouldn't it be nice to hear a developer announce that they are coming to Hartford because they believe in the potential and think Hartford is moving in the right direction. They see the fiscal responsibility at City Hall and want to be part of the growth. Not because a broke City is willing to throw $65million dollars at the feet of greedy developers to buy their love for the City ( I know the $65 million figure has been changed, but can anyone supply real  numbers for the project)

I look at a smaller town like Middletown, that is vibrant and seems to have no problem with Economic Development. Their Main Street is busy and I don't think we hear too much of the bickering and nonsense coming out of Hartford coming from Middletown.

These things make a difference. What developer wants to take a risk on a City like Hartford where more energy is put into corrupt activity like scheming to hand pick an Assistant Fire Chief, who just happens to be sleeping with a City Official. And a Mayor that is willing to put his New Year's Eve Dinner and his caviar on his City Credit Card probably won't impress a hardworking developer that understands the meaning of hard work and proper management to get ahead.

I think if Hartford got its act together and began using basic management skills, that would impress more for the potential of actual Economic Development than gambling on a baseball stadium whose future and potential is sketchy at best. If you really want to gamble , head to Ledyard , not Hartford, our track record isn't the best.

THE COST OF SEGARRA'S INCOMPETENCE:"AT LEAST WE AREN'T DETROIT"

 

Word began circulating yesterday afternoon that Hartford's Bond rating would be taking a hit today, as it would be downgraded by Moody's, one of the Major Financial rating agency's.

Today it became official. According to sources at Hartford City Hall, one of the major reasons was that Moody's apparently felt that Mayor Segarra was less than truthful when he promised the rating agency last year that Hartford's Rainy Day Fund would be maintained at a level close to $30 million dollars. That apparently didn't happen and is far below that amount. Moody's also cited the City selling off assets to balance the City's budget as a factor.

In a detailed report they felt that the City's actions under Segarra and the Council "put a strain" on the City's abilities to close its deficits. That detailed evaluation can be viewed at moodys.com.

This downgrade will most likely also affect the over $350 million in outstanding bonding the City has out. It most likely will also make it more difficult to borrow money for future projects such as baseball stadiums and schools. Moody's also indicated the rating could most likely be downgraded more if the City doesn't clean up its financial situation.

Below is a release from Councilman David McDonald regarding the downgrade:

Today’s news from the Moody’s that Hartford’s credit rating was downgraded from A1 to A2 with a negative outlook comes at a very inopportune time for our city as we are about to issue $82 million in bonds later this month. This will increase our debt service and negatively affect all future bonding in which several important schools are scheduled for renovation such as Weaver High School.

Also the City Council is currently debating the financially risky development of a baseball stadium in Downtown North. This proposal has the strong possibility of further negatively impacting our budget and worsening our already weak financial position, which in all likelihood will lead to further reductions in our credit rating in the future. 

A downgrade on our credit rating will increase our debt service and cause our already $50 million dollar annual structural deficit to grow even larger. This is why City Council has worked so hard to balance our budgets without using the Fund Balance or mill rate increases. It’s the administration’s responsibility to properly manage the budget to avoid using the Fund Balance. The Mayor promised the credit rating agencies that he would not touch the Fund Balance, yet he has done just that, reducing it from $30 million to around $14 million.

Rather than being fiscally prudent, this administration has been spending millions on a stadium development proposal, appropriations that Council never authorized. This proposal is extremely likely to increase the city’s annual deficit in Years 5 and out. This proposal is not “budget neutral,” as claimed, and it relies on rosy revenue projections that are not tied to realistic revenue assumptions. It will increase the city’s annual deficit, which will further decrease our credit rating, starting a downward spiral not unlike what Detroit experienced.

The people of Hartford deserve much better from their city government. The news of Hartford’s credit rating downgrade heightens the risk associated with the proposed stadium development.

I urge all of my colleagues on the Court of Common Council to reject this unaffordable and financially risky proposal to build a stadium in Downtown North and instead promote affordable and sustainable development for DoNo and focus on protecting our residents and businesses from any potential need to increase taxes. Hartford has many businesses and residents who are struggling with the current tax rate. People can’t afford any higher taxes, and yet this mayor spends money without regard to the struggles of everyday people in Hartford. 

 Contact:  David MacDonald

Harford City Councilman

860-805-8935

 

Here is a more detailed report from the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters:click here

 

NBC Connecticut's Len Besthoff was the first to break this story Thursday

IF THE COUNCIL WON'T DO IT, THE FEDS WILL

Reading the headline you are probably thinking it refers to investigating corruption at City Hall, but no, I am referring to obtaining funding for the Hartford Police Department. The money from a US Justice Department grant announced this week, $3.6 million, will be used to hire an additional 15 officers

Hartford is the only municipality in Connecticut to receive any funding under the program and received one of the highest amounts awarded nationwide.

Don't expect to see the officers on the streets anytime soon though. The City still has positions from a 2012 grant that have never been filled , despite the City's urgent need to fill vacant positions. HPD's staffing levels are currently the lowest they have been in years and dropping quickly due to attrition and retirements

MORE ON THE INCOMPETENT PEDRO

This just keeps getting worse and worse, but the bottom line is it all comes back to Hartford's incompetent Mayor, Pedro Segarra The latest brush up has been exposed in an e-mail from Councilman David McDonald to the Internal Audit Commission. McDonald is requesting the IAC look into procedures in the Finance Department, specifically the Tax Collector's Office.

According to McDonald' request, over $127,000,000, yes that is $127 million dollars is sitting in the Tax Collectors Office and hasn't apparently been deposited in the bank since July. Besides being extremely risky from a security aspect, it also seems to be an extremely poor financial practice. How much interest alone is lost when that money lays in City Hall rather than in a bank account?

The e-mails below pretty much lay it out clearly, but it should make anyone question if there are any sound business practices in effect at Hartford City Hall .The answer appears to be a solid NO!

In a message dated 10/1/2014 12:57:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, MACDD001@hartford.gov writes:

Greetings,

This is very troubling. Especially given our budget challenges. I am requesting that the Internal Audit Commission perform an audit of the Reconciliation of Tax Receipts and related processes.

David MacDonald
Councilman. The ltest
 

Sent from my iPad

On Sep 30, 2014, at 3:11 PM, "Cloud, Adam" <CLOUA001@hartford.gov> wrote:

> Ms. Ralls,
> Thank you for your prompt response, however I would like to clarify a few matters:
>
>  1.  No communication was ever made to this office regarding the time frame associated with resolving these issues by the end of September. Also, it has come to our attention that the batches will be posted back to the months that the deposits were incurred. This is contrary to what was stated in your e-mail from this morning.  Please provide clarification as to when the batches will be posted and why was the decision made not to post to September.
>  2.  Although sending staff is appreciated, what we request is to have the attachments to the tax batches be explicit in the their descriptions. Our challenge isn’t with the work load, we are very capable of executing our responsibilities.   Rather, our ability to discern what deposits at the bank tie to the batches that are being posted is at issue .  Instead of sending the accountants to us, I would recommend that you send them to the Tax Office to provide them with assistance.
>  3.  Although you may believe that this issue will not have a negative impact on our audit, it does not change the fact that significant City revenue has not been reported on our general ledger and as such, doesn’t present the accurate condition of our financials.
>
> Regards,
>
> Hon. Adam M. Cloud
> Treasurer
> City of Hartford
>
>
> From: "Ralls, Leigh Ann" <RALLL001@hartford.gov>>
> Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 07:28:46 -0400
> To: Treasurer Cloud <cloua001@hartford.gov>>
> Cc: "Hill, Darrell" <Darrell.Hill@hartford.gov>>, Shawn Wooden <stwooden@daypitney.com>>
> Subject: RE: Reconciliation of Tax receipts
>
> Treasurer,
>
> Thank you for your email and I recognize and understand your concern.  I would like to let you know that the following corrective measures are in progress to address this issue.
>
> Since assuming the Acting Finance Director role last week, I met with the Tax Collector twice regarding these outstanding tax deposits and we have status meetings set up throughout this week.  The tax office will have these receipts reconciled in Munis by the close of September’s books.  This timeframe has been communicated to your staff.  The tax office has been short staffed and have just come out of their busy collection season.   Also, the office has recently filled a crucial role of junior accountant.  This junior accountant’s primary training has been on reconciling these receipts.  These reconciliations are also a major part of his daily responsibilities going forward.  I apologize for the inconvenience this has placed on your staff.  I am more than willing to send one or two of the accountants from Accounting and Control to your office to help your staff reconcile these deposits which will help relieve the burden that this places on their day to day responsibilities.
>
> As far as the auditors, I do not believe there will be a negative impact on our audit.  These deposits are recorded in the QDS system which is the system of record for tax and all of the money has been deposited at the bank.  According to discussions I have had with the auditors during implementation of QDS, the frequency to which we bridge over these transactions is our decision.
>
> Please let me know who I should coordinate scheduling with on your staff to assist with the reconciliations.
>
> Leigh Ann
>
>
>
>
> From: Cloud, Adam
> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2014 5:19 PM
> To: Ralls, Leigh Ann
> Cc: Hill, Darrell; Shawn T. Wooden
> Subject: Reconciliation of Tax receipts
>
> Leigh Ann,
> I am writing to express my concern over the delay in the reconciliation of the tax receipts for both the pooled cash account and the fast pay program.  As you are aware, my office has on numerous occasions  informed both finance and the tax department to no avail about the failure to properly post these entries.  This failure has an immediate and significant impact on how my office does its job in that we are charged with reconciling these accounts and rather than being able to process these transaction we are literally at a stand still.  Further, it will be an undue burden for my staff to have to dedicate its time and resources to reconcile these accounts all at once simply because the tax office has failed to do its job.  In addition, this delay  will have a negative impact on our audit.  The fact that we have $127m of deposits not journaled since July is unacceptable and most certainly will be a matter that will be raised in the management letter from our auditors.
>
> Therefore, I formally request that the finance department respond to this concern immediately so as to not place any further burden on my staff and to avoid any future consequences resulting from the upcoming audit.
>
> For your benefit and review below is the outstanding bank entries on Pool Cash for Tax that have not been brought into MUNIS for July and August 2014.  It is a total of $117,312,021.96.