Comments on: City Leaders Get First Look at Proposed Budget Cuts

By: Lloyd Crowther

Lloyd Crowther — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:19:08 +0000

Does Mr. Benton get to enter into the discussions as a full member of the gang of 12 (yesterday’s gang of eight) and does he have voting rights? If so, how come? If not, how does he get to sit at the table with the delegation of city officials and look bored?

By: MBX175

MBX175 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:08:11 +0000

Purchasing of the Hamlett Tract and 215 S Lee are proof that the City doesn’t know anything about buying real estate even if it is for preserving open space. Most of Hamlett is in a Resource Protection Area and the 100-year flood, so at most you could get one or two houses back there – nice use of $1.1 million plus the lost tax revenue.

As for 215 S Lee, the City bought that for over $500,000, so there is a loss of at least $38,000 plus two years of lost tax revenue.

Hey, I see Nick Benton in another City “leaders” photo. I’m glad that he is there to keep this under control.

BARRY BUSCHOW RESPONDS: The Hamlett Tract has been on the city’s (Advisory Board for Parks and Recreation list since the early 70’s when it was offered to us for $100k. We lost the Reese parcel next to it to the townhomes built on stilts and technically built in a resource protection area also. It was a GREAT use of funds since it is the last forested parcel of open space in the city. It has always been debated if anything could be built there and since no money hungry developer ever persuded it I guess it was a bad risk. Your grandchildren will one day thank FC for keeping it open. The 215 Lee street got caught up in a NIMBY, however the city did retain a good easement to give the community access to the open space. The money for the sale rightfully belongs to the Open Space CIP account.

By: CR Sanders

CR Sanders — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:09:47 +0000

Dan and all,

I’m having a difficult time understanding how the city “netted” $462k on the 215 S. Lee street property. What was the amount that the city paid to purchase this property three years ago?

By: Dan Maller

Dan Maller — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:03:15 +0000

One of many interesting bits of information from the presentation: (in response to John Lawrence’s excellent question about the $462k net proceeds of the 215 S. Lee sale) is that the City Manager is proposing that these funds be counted as part of the “undesignated” fund balance. My understanding was that these funds would replenish the “Open Space Fund,” but the answer seemed to indicate that these funds would lose their “designation.” This is one of many areas where the City needs to provide more detailed information to support the charts and worksheets so all stakeholders can be in a position to react intelligently to the particulars of the proposal.

By: Andy Rankin

Andy Rankin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:57:18 +0000

What is the Pendleton House and how did the City come to own 215 South Lee Street?

BARRY BUSCHOW RESPONDS: Pendleton house is the group house on E. Columbia that backs to Madison Park and is in disrepair and not used as a group house anymore. The city bought 215 Lee to gain access to the Hamlett tract and TJ Elementary. City bought Hamlett tract about 3 years ago to preserve open space. The neighbors did not want to demolish the house so the city reserved an access easement and sold the house to another individual. That money should go back into the open space CIP account where it came from.

ANDY RANKIN RESPONDS: Barry, thanks for providing the extra info about those two properties. As a fairly new resident, I like learning about these different aspects of the City.