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Our Hometown NewsP.O. Box 42187Brook Park, Ohio 44142

Serving the City of Brook Park and its more than 19.000 ResidentsJuly 28, 2014 Vol. No. 31, Issue 4

EDITORIAL

Brook Park Ohio’s 5th Safest City

By Tom Greenlee

Last month we addressed the closing, by the city, of the Fire Station on Ruple Rd.. We have since heard from many of the residents who live on the city’s west side, (west of Rte 237, Berea Freeway) that the closing of the station has left them without adequate fire and EMT medical protection.

The nationally recognized protocol governing the time for response to an emergency call, by either fire or EMT is 5 minutes at least 90% of the time. It should also be recognized that in addition to the more than 1000 residents impacted by the closing, the area also includes thousands of NASA employees and the industries on the Aerospace Pkwy who are now also being left without adequate protection. In these times of severe financial problems in our city, when our Mayor and his economic development department is working hard to bring new jobs and industries into Brook Park, as well as retaining those we already have, serious consideration should be given to the potential negative effect the closing of the fire and EMT station on Ruple Rd. might have in retaining and attracting new businesses.

As many of you may recall, it was through the sacrifice of the residents and their homes on the west end of the city that we were able to acquire NASA and its more than $4,000,000 a year in tax revenue. The ability to retain NASA is always in jeopardy based upon the budget proposed by the Federal Govt., however it would be a disaster if the decision to close or move NASA would include among the reasons that the city is not able to provide adequate emergency response for its thousands of employees on the far west side

We have seen recent response times from 30 days before and 30 days after closing the station as it affects NASA. And the difference is shocking. Before closing the time avg. was 4 min 40 sec, after closing the avg. was over 9 minutes. More than double with one response of 13 min and 9 sec. We certainly hope this was not in answer to a life threatening emergency.

We would urge city counsel and the mayor to review the decision to close FS #2 with regards to the health and safety of all of these residents and businesses.

The Beautification & Pride CommitteeThe Beautification & Pride

Committee is still accepting nominations for exceptional or most improved homes in Brook Park so nominate that beautiful house when you notice it!

If you have any spare time we could always use help on projects, our regular meetings are at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month lower level or the Recreation Center.

Remember we are not a garden club or complaint committee. The Annual City Wide Trash to Treasure garage sale is Saturday August 2nd so get your permit from City Hall to be on the list.

Tom TroyerMember B&P Committee and Ward 1 Councilman

For the month of June, our Food Pantry served: 520 families, for a total of 1769 people.

Food Pantry - Every Monday 11am - 2pm and Thursday 4pm-7pm (except certain holidays). Drivers License is required since we are a Cleveland Food Bank Pantry.

We welcome donations of food or you can make a monetary donation through the Cleveland Food Bank under Brook Park Community Church of the Brethren.

Thank you to all the volunteers and people in the community that continue to donate. As the need keeps increasing, only your generosity can help us meet the demands. If you would like to donate, please visit our website at: www.audreysoutreach.org or stop by Brook Park Community Church at 16845 Holland Road.

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUEVOTERS ASKED TO DECIDE ON NEW PROPERTY AND

INCOME TAX ISSUESThe goal of this newspaper is to provide the information to the residents necessary for them to be able make intelligent decisions on

important city issues. This requires that both sides on an issue, those for and those against, have an opportunity to present their position to you without any editing or changes by us. On August 5th there will be a special election involving two separate tax issues that the voters will have to consider. Issue #1 is for a new 4.5 mill property tax increase. Issue #2 is for an increase of .05% in the city income tax.

We are pleased that Mayor Coyne has chosen to come forward and present his reasons for asking the voters to vote YES on both issues. We are also pleased that resident Doug Flannery has chosen to come forward and present his reasons for asking the voters to vote NO on both issues.

On Tuesday, August 5th our citizens will decide the future of our City. Your vote will determine whether our City will continue to decline or will rebuild for a better future. You must take the 2 steps necessary to keep Brook Park’s dream alive. VOTE YES ON ISSUES 1 and 2.

Our loss of revenue denies us the ability to meet our operating and capital needs. Without new or additional funding sources our streets, our neighborhoods, our property values and our quality of life will continue to decline.

We have done all we can to reduce costs. Our City workforce has been reduced. Some of our employees have faced layoffs and others have had reductions in pay and rank. All employees now pay premiums for healthcare. Retirees’ supplemental healthcare subsidies are in the process of being phased out. We have just begun an aggressive economic

redevelopment initiative. But it will take time to produce additional revenue. Time we can ill afford. We must act now to take the two steps necessary to turn our City around.

Our Path to a Secure Future Takes Two Steps, Issues 1 and 2

What is Issue 1 All About?

Issue 1 is a new property tax that will generate approximately $1.8 million dollars a year.

What Will Issue 1 Funds Be Used For?

The money generated will be used for Senior Citizen support programs, operation of the Recreation Center, and Leisure Activities for all of our residents.

Why is Issue 1 Necessary?

Presently senior programs and recreation programs are subsidized out of the General

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 6151 Smith Rd. Brook Park, OH

Portable Food Pantry that is every third Saturday of each month: Saturday, July 19, 162 households containing 349 individuals were served through the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry at RLCBP.

While the food is usually fair to excellent, Saturday’s was all excellent! Fresh apples, cantaloupe, corn, lettuce, zucchini, watermelon, onions and potatoes were available.

It can’t be said too many times: thanks to all the volunteers from Brook Park churches and other helping organizations that make this event so much fulfilling fun for everyone! – at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Brook Park OH.

Mayor Coyne Urges Vote YES

Doug Flannery Urges Vote NO

By now most of you are probably aware of the upcoming Special Election on August 5. The City has issued its City of Brook Park Community Report 2014. They have had their say. I would now like to give a voice to the opposition.

Let me be clear. This let-ter IS “designed to promote the defeat” of the ballot measures and IS “intended to influence voters against” the issues… unlike the recent City of Brook Park Community Report 2014, which has a disclaimer on the back about not advocating a posi-tion while doing exactly that. The City’s “Report” states that the City has “done all we can to reduce costs,” which is an opinion and not an objective fact. The City’s “unbi-ased” “Report” conveniently omits any charts pertaining to expen-ditures that might illustrate these reductions. A truly neutral City “Report” might not have chosen 2007 (a high water mark for the City’s income) as the starting point for its revenue charts. I could just as easily point out that if the charts

had instead started in 2009, they would show that combined City Income Tax and Property Tax Rev-enue is actually UP $300,000.00 per year. Cherry picking your fig-ures is NOT unbiased. I would like to note that the City has used $30,000.00 of your money and my money to hold this Spe-cial Election in August (rather than holding it in November for free). The City has also used our taxpayer dollars to produce and mail out its “Report,” while the rest of us have to use what’s left of our hard-earned money to refute it. The City used part of the money I paid it (and you paid it) this month when I paid my property tax bill to tell me that I wasn’t paying high enough property taxes. The City used some of your income tax mon-ey to tell you that you aren’t pay-ing enough in income taxes. While the City is spending your taxpayer dollars to send every single one of the 19000+ residents of Brook Park a professionally designed “Report” to convince you to vote for the 2 tax hikes, I made a simple

Vote - p10Vote - p10

Page 2 Our Hometown News July 2014

SENIORS

Christmas in July was held at our Senior Center on Tuesday, July 22. Even with the temperature over 90 degrees Santa made a special guest appearance.

Craftsmanshipyou canTRUST

ACADEMY HOME IMPROVEMENT“Over 50 Years of Trusted Home Remodeling”Windows & Siding18208 Kalvin DriveBrook Park, Ohio 44142(216) 433-1055

Ernie ZimaPresident

Pictured above from left to right: Joan Corrigan, Mary Ann La Quatra & Carol Palmer

Concerts at the Gazebo(Bring a chair!)

Thursdays 6p.m - 8p.m.August 7th

Little Billy FischerAugust 14th – Debra

RoseAugust 21st

Bob & Shelly OrlandiAugust 28th

Ralph Szubski (The Accordion Man)

Brook Park Senior Citizens Club

By Jan Powers

Brook Park Senior Center is located inside the Brook Park Recreation Center at 17400 Holland Rd. Mary Ann La Quatra 216-433-4136 is the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office on Aging. Joan Corrigan is the Senior Coordinator. Membership is open to all Brook Park residents who are 60 years of age or older. Brook Park provides free transportation to the Senior Center for members. We did not have a meeting on election day as our space in the Recreation Center is used for voting.

July 22 We had a great Christmas in July party, with silly gift exchanges. Everyone had a lot of fun and lots of treats.

July 29 We will have a talk with SWGH. Dr Lika an orthopedic surgeon will talk with us about how to take better care of our skeletal system. We will have hot dogs for $2.00.

We have had a busy summer and August is shaping up as very active.

Aug. 5 There will not be a meeting due to the community room being used for the special tax election.

Aug. 12 9:30am Our book discussion this month is “The Good House” by Ann Leary. Barbara Wilson from the BP Library does an excellent job for us. One of the healthiest things we can do for our brain is to USE IT ! Join our discussion and read something new that may stretch your comfort zone. At 10:00 am we will

have keyboard entertainment with Jack Hogue.

Aug. 19 The Annual Senior Picnic at the Kennedy Pavilion is at 10:00am. Our food will come from Mr. Chicken we will have games, bingo and prizes as provided by East Park. This is always a fun outing.

Aug. 26 We will have a talk with SWGH on Managing Prescription Costs, with Ann Zubricky-Kocur. Hot dogs for

$2.00

Thursday concerts in August will be held at the Gazebo at 6:00 pm to 8pm and in the event of rain, in Council Chamber.

These concerts are for everyone in the community.Aug 7 is Little Billy FischerAug 14 will be Debra Rose in concertAug 21 Bob and Shelly OrlandiAug 28 is Ralph Szubski, accordion man

CALL 216-267-4424info@rjmasciacor.com

R.J. Mascia Corp. offers creative ideas that will lead thetransformation of your yard into a personalized, comfortable,and aesthetically pleasing space. From standard drivewaysto unique curved walkways and custom-stamped patios, wecreate long-standing, durable surfaces that add function andbeauty along with increased property value. R.J. Mascia Corp.has built a reputation not only through our services andquality work, but because of the respect and appreciation wehave for our clients.

Dear Ward 1 Residents (Customers), I would like my Ward 1 Customers (and Russ) to know

that I am on all the Ward 1 streets at least 4 times a month either driving or on Council business at all hours of the day. If you have any issues that you would like to discuss I would be happy to pay you a visit or just talk on the phone or by E-mail. troyerward1@att.net

I would also like to (in print) ask the Mayor to do the right thing and re-open the Ruple Road Fire Station and if not, I ask Council to take action to re-open the Fire Station, IT’S ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY CUSTOMERS AND NOTHING ELSE FOR ME!

The flooding problems have not been addressed yet, and I will not forget or brush aside this issue. The TRAIN NOISE problem is a very different matter so I have contacted Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur on this issue so that maybe it can be addressed at the federal level. Thank you for your time and support,

Councilman Tom Troyer Ward 1 216 265-9159 Paid for by Friends of Tom Troyer, Tom Troyer Treasurer 18352 Kalvin Dr 44142

Ward 1

July 2014 Our Hometown News Page 3

Richard A. Goulder, Attorney at Law

15887 Snow Road, Suite 301 (216) 676-6800

Highest Martindale-Hubbell rating for more than 30 years for honesty and integrity

Russell Horner is a life-long Brook Park resident and currently works at a large public company Park-Ohio Industries, Inc. as their Director of Planning/Forecasting and Global Treasury Management. Russell is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and also holds many other certifications such as: Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified in Financial Forensics and is a licensed Private Investigator in the State of Ohio.

Russell is married to Debbie and has three children, Chris, Becca and Alex.

Horner’s CornerBy: Russell Horner

I want to thank all of you for submitting your questions and comments. Remember, if you

have a question on a financial, tax or any other topic, please let me know. You can send your questions to 21858 Forestview Circle, Brook Park, Ohio 44142 or call me at 440-243-0571. My beautiful wife Debbie will take a message if I am not available or you can leave it on my answering machine. Your question will be anonymous so there is no reason to be afraid of asking your question(s).

Dear Mr. Horner: One of my co-workers mentioned that I should invest in REIT’s. What is a REIT? Is it a safe investment? First question- A REIT is an acronym for “Real Estate Investment Trust”. REIT’s are entities that own and operate income producing pieces of real estate. These real estate properties are most often office and apartment buildings, warehouses, shopping centers, hospitals and hotels. REIT’s can also own oil wells, timberland and even mines. Real Estate Investments Trusts are similar to mutual funds, in that they allow for private investors to invest in their real estate operations. REIT’s can be owned privately or publicly. Publicly owned REIT’s are listed in the public stock exchanges- NASDAQ and NYSE. Second question- ALL investments carry some component of risk. An investment in a REIT is like being an owner of many different real estate properties and activities. Public REIT’s require a prospectus to be available to potential investors. This document will detail the properties owned and operated by the Trust. It will show prior years’ results (Income and Expenses), Net Asset Value, Funds from Operations and other key financial statistics. I recommend talking to a Stock Broker or Financial Advisor in choosing the REIT that will fit your tolerance for risk.

Dear Mr. Horner: My son is off to college this fall and he will need his own

car. I plan on getting a new car and giving him my current car. Is it better for me to buy or lease a new car? Your question is a difficult one to answer because it is based on many personal components. First off, most financial experts will tell you that leasing is very tempting, but not the way to go. Financial advisors argue that your monthly payments build no equity of value in the future and when your lease ends, you are left with nothing. Leasing appeals to most individuals because there is usually no money needed for a down payment and the monthly payments are usually 1/2 to 2/3 lower than if you purchase the vehicle. Although these are usually the tempting deals that the manufacturers and dealerships offer you, sometimes they may not be the best fit with your personal finances. When making this difficult and important decision you will need to look at five (5) key factors: 1- The Cost: You will need to look at all the costs associated with each of your choices. These costs will include monthly payments, length of the lease, down payment requirement, mileage restrictions on lease option (these can be very costly), estimated maintenance costs, fees, taxes, and licensing costs. 2- Your current Budget: Generally leases offer the lowest short-term benefits because usually there is no deposit required and the monthly payments are significantly lower. However, continuing to lease a vehicle over a 10 year period (Estimated life if car was bought), would almost always be more expensive than buying a similar car. 3- Current Life Situation: Do you plan on moving across the country in the short term or plan on needing a different type of vehicle. If your life style is changing in the near term, leasing may give you the flexibility you need until things are stable. 4- Driving Habits or Requirements: In addition to charging hefty fees for exceeding the mileage restrictions in the lease, charges for any damages can also add up. Individuals that drive a lot or are hard on their cars should not go the lease route. If you are an individual that takes care of your vehicles and primarily drives

locally, purchasing your vehicle may be the best choice in the long-term. Based on the details that you have given me (below) and reviewing your current personal situation:

• Single Mom (Child starting college)• Down Payment- approximately $3,500

available to put down• Own a home (access to line on credit is

necessary)• Steady Job (car payments can be

absorbed)• Car Loan- Set up for 5 years• Work and drive primarily local (Less

than 10,000 per year)• Type and Model Car- History of being

dependable and durable

I recommend that you purchase your vehicle instead of leasing.

Dear Mr. Horner: My parents always purchased US Savings Bonds for my children on their birthday. I want to continue this, any thoughts? US Savings Bonds are still good as a safe long-term investment option. Savings bonds are different now from when your parents were purchasing them for your children. EE savings bonds purchased before 1997 earned interest at different rates depending on when they were purchased. EE savings bonds purchased between May-1997 through April-2005 earned interest at a variable rate which changed every 6 months. Today, EE Savings bonds purchased between May 1, 2014 through October 31, 2014 are fixed at an interest rate of 0.5%. Interest can be earned for up to 30 years at this fixed rate. The rates are updated and the fixed rate is announced by the US treasury department May 1st and November 1st. US Savings bonds can be purchased in amounts from $25 up to $10,000. The interest earned on US Savings bonds is taxable for the Federal (Unless they are used for higher education- then they are tax exempt) and tax-exempt for the State. US Savings bonds can be cashed in after a year, but if you cash them in before five (5) years, you will lose the last 3- month interest on them. Based on the answers to some of the questions I had

for you, I would continue to buy the US Savings Bonds for your children.

Dear Mr. Horner: Our City is broke…..any suggestions? Wonderful question, but I’m afraid I am not the correct person to answer that. I think Mayor Coyne or Finance Director Cingle deserves to tackle that one since they are dealing with the day-to-day finances of our City. However, I will say that there is ALWAYS something more we can do to get us through any financial crisis. An example of this is the action my Company took during the economic downturn in 2008. My company employees more than 4,000 people world-wide through a total of 17 different businesses. The CEO and Chairman of my company mandated that a wages decrease be taken by ALL employees from the Chairman down to the plant floor sweeper. The CEO and Chairman decided that for employees earning salaries of $30,000 or lower a reduction of 5% would be enforced. All employees over $30,000 would have a reduction of 10%. He felt that since we were all in this together, everyone should contribute to helping us through this downturn. We were able to get through the downturn without being forced to reduce our workforce. After two years, all of our salaries were reinstated and businesses once again supported wage increases. Personally, I believe that asking for a tax increase (Property or Income Tax) is taking the easy way out. We have been told that we made all the tough decisions necessary already, but I don’t believe that. We elected the Mayor, Finance Director and Councilmen to be creative and come up with ideas to get us through the City’s economic downturn. ANYBODY can take the easy way out with a tax increase……I will NOT support ANY tax increase until I am convinced all other avenues have been exhausted.

I hope everyone continues to have a GREAT summer. Sooner or later the temperature will align with the calendar and we will be wishing for cooler temps.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR COMMITTEECity of Brook Park, Ohio

Councilman Richard A. Salvatore, Chairman

City Council passed Resolution No. 41-1997 for the formation of a Citizen of the Year Committee and the committee’s mssion is to promote citizenship within the City of Brook Park. The committee consists of eight voting members appointed by City Council and the committee members serving for 2014-2015 are as follows: Patti Astorino, Dale Kolesar, Debby Doud, Karen Higgins, Mary Ann Skiba, Carol Henninger, Jen Rocco and Brian Walsh.

At the upcoming organizational meeting the committee will establish all duties and criteria to be used in the selection process for Citizen of the Year. Nominations should be turned into Michelle Blazak, Clerk of Council at 6161 Engle Rd., Brook Park, OH 44142. The committee will select a winner at the final Citizen of the Year Committee held at the end of the year. The presentation will be made at the upcoming Best of Brook Park event sponsored by the Brook Park Chamber ofCommerce that is usually held in April; also the winner will serve as Grand Marxhall for the Home Days Parade.

By order of Citizen of the Year Chairman, Richard A. SalvatoreMichelle BlazakClerk of Council

Page 4 Our Hometown News July 2014

EDITORIALS & LETTERSLetter to the Editor:

We are being asked to vote on two new taxes on August 5 and the schools are going to ask us for a new tax levy on the November ballot. I think it is deplorable how our citizens are being bombarded with scare tactics to pressure them to vote for these two new taxes.

We are and always have been a nice quiet family oriented city. Do we really need to go “Head Over Heels” in debt and straddle our citizens with this tax burden?

That mere 43 cents per day = 3.01 per week = one gallon of milk for our low income people who are already struggling to keep food on their table.

I hear city employees are going out to the ball field and telling our young parents without the passage of these taxes the recreation center and the playgrounds will close and then their children will have to play in the streets.

The seniors are being told the recreation center will close, all recreation employees will lose their jobs and senior services will be curtailed.

People with vote no signs in their yards are getting phone calls telling them some version on the same threat.

The 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is available on the state auditor web site. Go to Ohio.gov and click on state agencies. Go to auditor and click on search audits. Type in Brook Park for Cuyahoga County for 2013. Page 5 of the management analysis shows that our ending unassigned balance grew by over 3 million dollars compared to 2012.

Please vote intelligently. Use your common sense.Jan Powers

June 26, 2014Letter to the Editor

Re: August 5, 2014 Special Election 0.5% income tax increase and 4.5 mills property tax increase

Dear Sir:

Two new taxes!! What are they thinking??

The elderly will be putting their homes up for sale if these tax levies pass. Our income is stretched to the limit now. What are we supposed to do? Call Social Security and tell them we need a raise to pay our Brook Park taxes?

What do our elected officials expect us to do? Shovel s_ _t? Or maybe they expect us to pick up garbage along the highway like the prisoners do.

What about the disabled? Should they ride their wheelchairs around Brook Park, looking for work?

Maybe we should round up everyone with wheelchairs, walkers, canes and oxygen and have a parade to the Mayor’s office. We’ll tell him we will work cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors in the city buildings, and the Mayor can pay us $80,000 a year like so many other Brook Park city employees are paid. And then maybe, just maybe, we will have enough money to pay the darn taxes!!

RoseBrook Park, Ohio

BROOK PARK, WHAT DOES OUR TAX DOLLAR BUY?A $110,000 Mayor to govern 19,212 population.

Most of our Directors: Recreation, Safety, Service etc. are paid $83,000 to $93,000. Are our folks being overpaid?

Sadly, at this time, what our tax dollar does not buy for us is a Fire Station on Ruple Rd. Keeping that Fire Station, which by theway, was already on the budget, would have made our entire city a safer place to live and would have fulfilled our promise to NASA by offering them quick local Emergency coverage from Ruple Rd. when they discontinued their own fire dept.

Funding is already in place for all Recreation and Senior programs, THEY ARE NOT GOING AWAY! What I want to know is where will the money already set aside for these programs be spent if the tax issues pass?

If EITHER tax issue passes the Mayor plans to get a $40 million bond to build NEW CITY BUILDINGS. As he explained, most people bought homes with a 30 to 40 year mortgage, we should think of this as a 30 to 40 year mortgage to the city”. In my opinion, with most of our homes older than our city buildings none of us think it is better to tear down our homes and build new from the ground up. NO, we would clean up, fix up, modernize a little at a time as our budget allows. The city should do the same…… Isn’t it very poor stewardship to neglect the maintenance of a building that is in your care. Then say it needs to be replaced because of maintenance neglect.

“ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY; NEITHER SHOULD OUR CITY BE REBUILT IN THE NEXT 2 OR 3 YEARS”. Do we really need to be the show place to our neighboring cities? At what cost to our citizens?

The entire economy, nationwide, is in trouble right now.

It is not the time to go into debt for grandiose dreams!

Let’s look for ways to save money and refurbish, remodel, and look to other cities here and abroad where buildings are maintained and used for hundreds of years.

Another way we could save money is to share services with our neighbors. Are you aware that we are paying over $1,800.00 rent per month to temporarily hold a few cats and dogs? Some of our tax dollars go to help pay for the county animal shelter. Why not take our animals there where their owners can pick them up?

NEIGHBORHOOD HAPPENINGS

Most of the problems I hear are that we do not enforce our ordinances, such as the leash law. I receive reports of people being threatened by dogs on Paulding and Doris Drives. Apparently these owners have not been cited for breaking the leash law. What are we waiting for? Will it take a person to be attacked before we enforce the ordinance? What if enforcement could prevent a child from being attacked?

Also, residents are asking me why the City is so adamant about citing people about their property maintenance issues when the City does not maintain its own city properties. Many neighbors also complain about nuisance violations that are not being enforced, such as noise violations and blocked driveways.

Our street repairs are another complaint. Many times a crew will come out and mark the street and set up the orange barrels and barricades. Then they do not return for many days, sometimes for weeks, for the actual work. This is a major disruption and inconvenience for the residents as they have to dodge the barrels while no work is being done. The City has a Safety Director, a Service Director and an on-site inspector to make sure these jobs are being done properly.

Paid for by Committee to Elect Jan Powers, Jan Powers Treasurer, 16110 Harrison Dr, 44142 216-676-4372

NO ADDITIONAL TAXESBy: Russell Horner

Issue – 1….. Additional Property TaxIssue-2……. Additional Income Tax

I am strong against ANY additional taxes and consider it to be the “EASY WAY” out. We have been told “Everything that can be looked at and change has been”……I personally don’t believe it. Merely putting a wage freeze on salaries that our City cannot afford is not the answer.

1). We should sit down with all the unions represented in the City and ask for some across the board pay cuts.

2). We need to have some level of pay cuts from all non-union City workers.3). We need to introduced legislation to decrease salaries of Elected Officials

(Future Terms). The union members at FORD Motor Company were willing to give up

compensation in order to save member current and future jobs………should it be any different in our City?

An additional tax increase is taking the EASY WAY out.

I would like the residents to see a listing of the top 40 salaries in our City (No names or job titles, just a listing of the salary amount. The majority of the residence in the City would not support any additional tax and would clearly see the problem. A City of our size, geography, demographics and complexity would not justify these pay levels.

Our City’s pay structure is severely broken and creativeness, hard work and concessions are the only way to fix the structure. This problem was initiated back when FORD Motor Company was in full operation. You may remember the Mayors salary as being one of the top-3 in the State. Other salaries within the City were grossly overstated as well. All during the downturn and the loss of business at FORD, we continued to give the customary 3% salary increases. LESS MONEY MORE EXPENSES.

Don’t merely ask for more money with a tax increase. You are not fixing the real problem and eventually you will need even more money in the future.

Don’t be Fooled, Look for YourselfThe City’s financial reports do not match up with the current rhetoric about a

terrible financial condition. At the end of 2012 the city had $818,143 available for spending. At the end of 2013 the city had $2,967,565 available for spending.Money available for spending increased by $2,149,422.00 during 2013.

In 2012, the General Fund’s unassigned fund balance was $1,172,557, or 5.5% of expenditures.

In 2013, the General Fund’s unassigned fund balance was $3,070,287, or 14.96% of expenditures.

The General Fund’s unassigned balance increased by $1,897,730.00 during 2013.The recent mailer sent from the city shows 2012 revenue at $17.7 million dollars.The report with the State Auditor shows 2012 revenue at $17.7 million dollars.The recent mailer sent from the city shows 2013 revenue at $17.6 million dollars.The report with the State Auditor shows 2013 revenue at $18.1 million dollars.There is a $500,000.00 discrepancy in the 2013 reports.

Please don’t be spoon fed this information by anyone. Check out this information for yourself at https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/Search.aspx.

I Love Brook Park

To the Editor,

The general fund of the City of Brook Park has been subsidizing the Recreation Center for many years to the tune of $1.1 million in 2013 and an estimated $1.14 million this year ( and yes, I reluctantly voted for the present budget). It is not fiscally responsible to continue taking over a million dollars a year from the general fund when we are using reserve funds to balance the budget. We must stop this madness! I will not vote for a budget that does this again. That said, I believe that “If you don’t give a child something to do, the child will find something to do and you probably won’t like it!” We must keep our children’s recreation programs intact. I don’t believe we will need to close the Recreation Center if issue #1 doesn’t pass, but adult programs will have to be greatly diminished and it may be necessary to reduce the staff. The bottom line is if you want great Recreation Programs and are willing to pay for them Vote for Issue #1. If you want a bare minimum Recreation Department Vote against Issue #1.

In closing I would like to say that I think we should have a separate levy for the Recreation Center, but this amount is more than we need for general programs.

Tom Troyertomol@att.net

July 2014 Our Hometown News Page 5

CITY OF BROOK PARKPARKS AND RECREATION

From the Director,

I can not believe how fast time is flying by and my first Summer is almost completed. I would like to thank all of the wonderful sponsors, volunteer coaches, parents and participants who assisted us in making this year’s baseball and softball program a success. I am happy with the overall

outcome and know that each and every year we are going to improve and get better. I am eagerly anticipating Fall and our upcoming Football Season. This is a truly an amazing City and I am very excited to be apart of it.

Maryann FieldsRecreation Director

AAA All Star Team

Boys AA Salvatore’s Back to Back City and Tournament Champions.

Championship GameSalvatore’s 15 Middleburg Heights 5

AA Fastpitch Softball

Congratulations to the following baseball teams who have been deemed Brook Park champions in their respective league!

Boys Pitching MachineReds

Andrew GregerDylan KoehnleinDylan Kuharik

Aidan LitherlandConner Pickryl

Joey BoundBrendan GreenBrody O’Neill

Ben SalmNoah Sandahl

CJ Snyder

Head Coach: Chris GreenAssistant Coaches:

Annie GreenJohn Osborne

Rosemarie Green

Boys “A” LeagueAthletics

Ian CaldwellJackson Collins

Alex KovachVincent Pleva

Tom SchroederGarrett ZieglerJohn Eckerfield

Cameron CupachAlberto Diaz

Christopher GallAdam HrabakEric Kolman

Caleb Kramer

Head Coach: Sean PlevaAssistant: Katie Schroeder

Boys “AA” Councilman Salvatore

Matthew DavisEvan ColburnBlake GennaroJakob Knittle

Donovan KruegerJoshua LouckaMario Alberino

Anthony DavisChase Ivancic

Dallas SchlatterDean Schlatter

Joshua TownsonSalvatore Rocco

Head Coach: Rick Salvatore

Fall Learn to Swim Registration

August 11 – September 14, 2014All ages

Classes start September 15, 2014Call the recreation center for more information

Page 6 Our Hometown News July 2014

Brook Park News, Summer 2014 Mayor Thomas J. Coyne

NEWSBrookParkHHH

HHH

The City of Brook Park invites you to “come home” and participate in our 2014 Home Days activities. We are very excited about this year’s festivities. All of our traditional events such as bocce ball, horse shoe and tennis tournaments will be conducted as scheduled as in the years past. A new feature this year will be having all of your favorite carnival food served to you in Food Truck Alley. We will have a variety of local vendors and food trucks serving up amazing treats and food. Food Truck Alley will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 noon until 9:00pm. We are adding a car and bike

show on Saturday with Michael “Cousin Vito” Vitale from 12:00-9:00pm.

Miss Brook Park will be held on Saturday, July 12 at 6:00pm at

Ford Elementary School. On Sunday, July 13 the parade

will our Home Days Tail Gate it starts at 7:00pm. We will offer residents reserved parking on a first come first serve basis, contact Director Maryann Fields at (216) 433-1545. Arrive early to get a good spot for the fireworks display; we will have assigned sections for graduating classes. Fireworks begin at 10:00pm.

We look forward to bringing back a Brook Park tradition and reuniting family and friends!

Hope to see you at our Home Days Celebration.

Thomas J. Coyne

Home Days Celebration

Thomas J. Coyne

Mayor

Family Tail GateHome Run DerbyYouth Male

BOYS 7-8 YEAR OLDS1st - Nick Hoff

2nd - Danny Bowser3rd - Danny Grayson

In the picture above is the home run derby winner for Boys 7-8: Nick Hoff

BOYS 9-10 YEAR OLDS1st - Mason Gardner

2nd - Brody Puchmajer3rd - Gavin Berger

Pictured above is Mason Gardner

BOYS 11-12 YEAR OLDS1st - Joey Ramic2nd - Ryan Short

3rd - Gabe Sanchez

• • • Home Days Results • • •

From our.....

BOYS 13-14 YEAR OLDS1st - Kory Collins

2nd - Randal Syder3rd - Dylan Pickryl

Youth Female7-11 AGE CATEGORY

1st - Peyton Smith2nd - Julia SalmJena Zaremba

In the picture above from left to right: Julia Salm, Peyton Smith & Jena Zaremba

12 AND UP1. Jamie Smith

2. Heather Raines3. Alyssa Burke

From left to right is Alyssa Burke, Jamie Smith and Heather Raines

CITY OF BROOK PARKPARKS AND RECREATION

Annual Dog Swim Location: Alice M. Hassing Water Park

Date: August 23, 2014Time: 9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m.

Free pictures of you and your dog! 10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

Arts & Crafts Days: Tuesday and Thursday

Time: 1:00p.m. - 3:00p.m. Ages: 8 – 17

Free for Brook Park Recreation Center Members!

AdultWe had 29 people registered

1st - Zack Messer2nd - Kevin Thomas

3rd - Jim Beyers

Pictured above is the winner of the Home Run Derby Zack Messer with Mayor Coyne.

Car ShowWe had a total of 52 cars registered

WINNERS1. John Host (1956 Chevy No Mad)2. Road Quake (1971 Chevelle)3. Danny Murphy (1941 Chevy Master

Deluxe)

First Place Winner, John Host with Joey Krucke

Bike ShowWINNERS

1. Rob Huey (2000 Harley Softail)2. John Klimo (2013 Harley Custom)3. Lou Cayet (2013 Harley Ultra Limited)

Bocce Ball1ST PLACE WINNERS

Leonard Petitti and Pat DiBello

Horseshoe Tournament

SINGLES1st Jeff Hill

2nd Virgil Porter3rd Ryan Hill

DOUBLES1st Kevin Delury,

Gayle Weber2nd Virgil Porter,Anthony Siggia Jr

For our attendance we had 34 for doubles and 28 for singles.

July 2014 Our Hometown News Page 7

From left to right: Miss Brook Park 2012 First Runner Up Taylor Charvat, Miss Brook Park 2014 Victoria Charvat, Miss Brook Park 2011 Brandy Horlacher

Miss Brookpark2014 MISS BROOK PARK

VICTORIA CHARVAT

1st Runner Up - Thalia Benavides2nd Runner Up - Kyla Johnson

3rd Runner Up - Aleasia Schleimer

Family Movie Night (The Lego Movie)On Saturday, July 12 at approximately 9:23pm. Kennedy Football Field was

turned into a walk in movie show. It was an amazing site to see all of the families spread out across the field on their lawn chairs and blankets. We had over 100 people in attendance. We would like to thank Pastor Dave Walters of the Crossroads Lutheran Church and all of his volunteers for brining the huge movie screen and assisting us with this Family Fun Movie Night! We will be planning more exciting events this Fall together!

Crossroads Lutheran Church volunteers.More parade action: 2014 Miss Brook Park Victoria Charvat and a Little Princess Cara Pecorelli long with Phyllis and Marty Healy driving the two beauties the parade route.

Page 8 Our Hometown News July 2014

• • • Brook Park Home Days • • •

July 2014 Our Hometown News Page 9

WE WANT OUR FIRE STATION #2 BACK!Where the people fear the government you have tyranny. Where the government fears the people you have liberty.

(1914 quote from John Basil Barnhill, publisher and writer)

Q: Who are the members of the Initiative Petition Committee to re-open the Ruple Rd. Fire Station?A: We are a group of like-minded Brook Park residents, who have joined together to petition City Council in order to re-open the West End Ruple Rd. Fire Station (Fire Station #2). Through the use of our Initiative Petition, we will ask government to represent the people.

Q: Why are you doing this Initiative Petition?A: THE INITIATIVE PETITION IS ABOUT SAFETY. When fire safety goes…danger grows! The top three rapid response priorities in any city are police, fire, and ambulance services. People who have experienced the need for an ambulance or fire truck know that minutes matter. We believe that the health and safety of over 1,500 West End households, along with the West End businesses, have been severely compromised with the closing of the fire station. The longer the response time between dispatch and arrival, the greater the risk that someone will suffer dire health conse-quences as well as the risk that property will be totally destroyed by fire. For example, brain damage begins four minutes after a person stops breath-ing. A fire doubles in size and intensity every minute. Small fires not suppressed become large fires quickly. If a city can’t protect our health and possessions, what else do we have?

Tom Coyne said the citizens will get to cast their vote on the level of services they prefer and the public facilities they demand. However, he closed the fire station without a vote. We are asking for the same consideration that Council provided to the Mayor when they placed the tax increases on the ballot. Why won’t they let the citizens of Brook Park vote on the Fire Station?

Q: Is Tom Coyne correct when he claims the response times are now “about the same” as before the closing of the Ruple Rd. Fire Station?A: Absolutely not! According to city records:

• From April 2nd to May 10th there were 20 calls to West End residents and businesses. The average dispatch to arrival times of these calls is 4 minutes 16 seconds, which is within the recommended and acceptable 5 minute standard for fire and/or ambulance calls. • Since the closing of Ruple Rd. there were 27 calls to the West End in May and June. The average dispatch to arrival times of these calls is 8 minutes 39 seconds. The average response time has more than doubled, and does not meet the acceptable standard. • In fact, of the first 27 emergency calls after the station closed, only one response time was less than the acceptable standard of 5 minutes.

Again, based upon city records, Tom Coyne’s claim that “response times are about the same” simply does not prove to be true. Safety for that area has been severely compromised. Time is proving Tom Coyne wrong and the station needs to be reopened.

Q: What is your response to Tom Coyne’s claim that “The fire station on Ruple was a myth.”?A: Tom Coyne’s claim that the Ruple Rd. fire station was a “myth” is ludicrous on its face because nearly half the runs from that station were to West End residents. Also, public meetings were held where West End residents spoke about how the firefighters and paramedics responding from the Ruple Rd. fire station saved their lives; the lives of their loved ones; or saved their property. For these residents…and many, many more who did not speak…the Ruple Rd. Fire Station is not, was not, and never will be a myth. Calling the station a “myth” is a good indication that Coyne has zero understanding of how a fire service works. Also, we believe he is trying to create a “sound bite” to support his extremely poor decision to close the Ruple Rd. Fire Station. For anyone to call the Ruple Rd. Fire Station a “myth” is an insult to the intelligence and the lives of the West End residents.

Q: What is your response to Tom Coyne’s claim the Initiative Petition is about “politics”?A: THIS ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS, THIS IS ABOUT SAFETY. Dozens of West End residents of all ages appeared at Public Meetings and pleaded with Tom Coyne and City Council to keep the Ruple Rd. Fire Station open. Their pleas fell on deaf ears. In our opinion, Tom Coyne and long-time members of City Council (Brian Higgins, Rick Salvatore, Carl Burgio, Dennis Patten and Tony D’Amico) are career politicians who iden-tify everything as being “political.” When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail! They don’t get it. This is about safety, not politics.

Q: What were Mayor Elliott’s plans for the Ruple Rd. Fire Station?A: According to Angelo Nuzzo (former Brook Park Safety Director), Mayor Elliott planned to locate the hook and ladder truck at the Ruple Rd. Fire Station.

In 2013, recognizing recent reports submitted to Brook Park recommending the continued need of the Ruple Road Fire Station, City Council passed an ordinance to renovate the Ruple Rd. Fire Station. The Ordinance was passed by unanimous vote of Council and $150,000 was set aside (encumbered) for the renovations. The members of that City Council voting in unanimous support of the renovations were Rick Salvatore, Carl Bur-gio, Danny Colonna, Patti Astorino, Mike Lane and Brian Kirksey.

Even if Tom Coyne is somehow completely unaware of Mayor Elliott’s plans, this does not excuse the 2014 re-elected Councilmen Burgio, Hig-gins and Salvatore from bringing this information to light. They were all members of City Council when this Ordinance was passed to fund Mayor Elliott’s plan for the Ruple Rd station. Ask yourself the following question, “Why did Councilmen Burgio, Higgins and Salvatore abruptly change their minds and agree to Tom Coyne’s closing of the Ruple Rd. Fire Station when less than a year before there was unanimous support with Mayor Elliott’s plans?

With the closing of the fire station it is our understanding the current Administration has plans to give away our hook and ladder truck to Middle-burg Hts. For the first time in decades the City does not have a Ladder Truck to provide fire and rescue to NASA’s high-rise buildings, as well as to other high-rise buildings in Brook Park. Closing the station has created longer response times and less protection.

Q: But I don’t live on the West End. Why should these response times concern me?A: The West End residents are your neighbors and friends, and life is precious and should be treated with dignity and respect. The current Admin-istration has a legal and moral responsibility to provide the West End residents with the same fire and ambulance services that you receive. Addition-ally, NASA is the largest generator of revenue for the city. A former Fire Chief reported that without the Ruple Rd. Fire Station the response time to NASA is an issue. According to city records:

• Prior to the station closing, in April and May, the average response time to NASA was 4 minutes 20 seconds. • Since the station closing, in May and June the average response time to NASA was 9 minutes 58 seconds, more than double.

NASA has hundreds of employees and contractors, as well as multiple buildings across multiple acres of land. We should be giving the Federal government every reason to keep NASA in Brook Park. Longer response time to NASA and compromising the safety of NASA employees and build-ings, is certainly no way to treat a highly valued Brook Park employer and tax payer.

IN CLOSING, THIS PETITION IS ABOUT SAFETY. This petition is not about politics. This petition is not about the Brook Park firefighters, their salaries, contract negotiations, or their Union. This petition is to reopen the Ruple Rd. Fire Station to provide safety for the West End residents, the businesses and their employees. Nothing more. Nothing less. As we stated in the beginning, government needs to be reminded to do their job and we believe that through our Initiative Petition, we will ask the government to represent the people.

If you agree with us and would like to sign our petition, please contact us by email at: keepourfirestationopen@gmail.com.

Thank you. This advertisement was paid for by members of the Initiative Petition Committee.

Page 10 Our Hometown News July 2014

Fund. They compete with Police, Fire, and Service Operations for revenue to operate. With the passage of Issue 1, senior services and recreation will have a dedicated funding source and will be secured.

What Will Issue 1 Cost?

A homeowner with a value of $100,000 will pay $158.00 annually. That is a mere $0.43 cents per day as estimated by the County Recorders office.

What is Issue 2 All About?

Issue 2 is an increase in the City income tax of ½ percent. It will generate approximately $5 million dollars annually.

What Will Issue 2 Funds be Used For?

The money generated will be earmarked for our Capital Improvement Fund. The Capital Improvement Fund provides the revenue to repair and replace our streets and sewers, improve our parks and playfields, and replace inadequate Police and Fire facilities, and inaugurate new initiatives in housing and neighborhood redevelopment.

What is Issue 2 Necessary?

The average age of our City streets is 58 years. They are beyond repair and must be replaced. The price tag is $300 million dollars. Our sewer system continues to be a multimillion dollar challenge. Our parks and playing fields are worn and outdated. Our Recreation Center is energy inefficient and needs renovation. Our Police and Fire departments struggle to operate in a substandard work environment.

What Will Issue 2 Cost?

A wage earner making $50,000 per year will pay an additional $250.00 per year or $0.69 per day. Seniors on retirement income will pay nothing. If you presently work in a City with a 2.5% income tax rate, you pay nothing.

What Will Happen If Issue 1 Fails?

Senior support programs and Recreation Center operations will compete with police, fire, and service operations for funding. We lack the revenue to provide for all of our needs. Clearly Safety and Service operations will be priorities. YOUR VOTE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE RECREATION CENTER WILL REMAIN OPEN AND WHAT LEVEL OF SENIOR SERVICES WE CAN DELIVER. This is the harsh financial reality. What kind of City do you want to live in? THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY IS IN YOUR HANDS.

What Will Happen If Issue 2 Fails?

Our streets will continue to deteriorate and our sewer problems will persist. Road and sewer repair projects would have to be funded by direct assessment of the property owners. This burden on the homeowner has never occurred in our modern history. This will be the harsh financial reality. What kind of City do you want to live in? THE REMEDY FOR OUR CITY’S DECLINE IS IN YOUR HANDS.

Gone are the days that Ford Motor Company and NASA’s employment paid our way. We all have to step up and provide for ourselves. What kind of City do you want to live in? How much are you willing to pay for it? For the cost of super sizing your fast food meal, only you can create the footprint to make Brook Park the kind of City where we all want to live. I urge you to Vote YES on ISSUES 1 and 2

Mayor Coyne Urges Vote YES

Doug Flannery Urges Vote NOyellow and black sign myself and bought 50 of them to pass out to my neighbors. The City is trying to stack the deck against the citi-zens of Brook Park by forcing us to use our money to fight against our money.

According to the City’s own “Report”, their combined revenue from Income and Property Taxes was $19.1 million (in 2013). The two ballot issues (if passed) would generate approximately $8,000,000.00 in NEW revenue for the City. This represents over a 40% increase in the taxes the City will collect from you and me. We elected our government, in part, to meet our city’s fiscal challenges, but it doesn’t take a financial wizard to balance a budget if he can raise his revenue by 40% with a huge tax hike. Why does the City need NEW taxes to gen-erate more revenue when its revenues are already beginning to recover?

On page 5 of the City’s own Regular Audit for 2013 (that is is required to file with the State of Ohio), “At the end of the current fiscal year, the City’s governmental funds reported combined ending fund balances of $17,288,258, an increase of $3,282,302 in comparison with the prior year’s amount. Approximately 17.17 percent of this total amount, or $2,967,565, is available for spending at the government’s discretion (unassigned fund balance) without externally or internally imposed constraints.”

“At the end of the current fiscal year, the General Fund’s unassigned fund balance was $3,070,287, or 14.96 percent of General Fund expenditures (not includ-ing other financing uses).”

In other words, the City of Brook Park in 2013 ran a SURPLUS of nearly $3.3 million. You can have all the fancy accounting you want, but if the City’s bank account is $3.3 million larger in 2013 than it was in 2012, that sounds like a surplus to me. Why would the City need $8 million in NEW revenue if it is running a $3.3 million surplus?

If declining revenues and evaporation of the City’s reserves were the driving force behind the trimming of expenditures in the past, what incentive would the City have to continue its cost cutting and to be responsible with the taxpayers’ money in the future if that pressure were removed by an $8 million influx of NEW revenue? Why pinch pennies when you just got new dollars? What would stop the City from ramping up its expenditures to match (or exceed) the NEW revenue? What would happen to all of those “frozen” city employee contracts and “unfilled” posi-tions if the City had NEW money to spend? Would you trust someone with a “maxed out” credit card to act responsibly if you raised their credit limit by 40%?

The proposed property tax increase, we are told, is to be earmarked for “Senior Citizen support programs, opera-tion of the Recreation Center, and Leisure Activities”. This will be done so that they will have their own funding source and not have to “compete with Police, Fire and Service Operations for revenue to operate.” In response to this, I would pose to my fellow citizens two questions.

First, why do we need a NEW “funding source” (also know as a tax hike), for EXISTING programs? How has the money already allocated to these programs been spent to this point? If the City has mismanaged this money previously, why should we give them even more money to mismanage in the future? (As an aside, why does the Rec-reation Department need a Director and an Advisory Board with 5 [salary collecting] members?). Why does the City need MORE money to do the SAME job it has been doing all along?

Secondly, if this property tax hike is meant to give recreation programs and senior citizen support a new funding source, what will the City do with the General Fund money it was previously spending on these pro-grams? Notice that the ballot measure does not require the City to maintain the previous level of General Fund spend-ing on these programs, only that the NEW money will be allocated to it. Will next year’s Rec. budget be $1.8 mil-lion larger than this year’s (the amount of the Property Tax hike)? Or will it be less than that? If it is less than $1.8 million larger, and the City spends some of it on other bud-get items, didn’t the Property Tax hike just go to pay for whatever the City wanted instead? How would that not be a budgetary shell game designed to sell the Property Tax hike as being “for the recreation programs and senior citi-zen support”, when in fact it is just a general tax hike for the whole budget? If you give your college student son money for textbooks and then decide to give him a credit card as well, when he uses the cash to buy pizza, didn’t you buy his pizza for him?

In addition to all of the NEW spending the City plans to do with its NEW tax hikes, it also plans to bor-

row $40,000,000.00 for the construction of new city buildings in a central location. So, after jacking up our taxes next year, and raising its revenue by 40%, the City plans on asking us to pay back $40 million (plus interest). Where does the City expect its older taxpayers (on fixed incomes) to come up with the extra money to pay it all back after sending them a higher Property Tax bill twice a year? How does the City expect a young family with children to pay higher income taxes, higher property taxes, pay back their share of the $40 million the City wants to borrow AND save up for their kids’ college tuition?

There is talk that the Rec. Center will “have” to close if the property tax hike is not passed on August 5. I am highly skeptical of this notion. First, it already has an existing budget. It is not a NEW service dependent upon a NEW source of revenue. It wouldn’t NEED to be closed. If it were closed, it would be for political and not financial reasons. Secondly, I find it extremely difficult to believe that any elected official in Brook Park would want to stand before the voters for re-election in 15 months hav-ing voted to close the Rec. Center and lay off all of its employees.

In the unlikely event that a majority of the City Council did decide to take this action, we could replace them in November 2015 and a reconstituted City Council could reverse that decision and re-open the Rec. Center. Our elected officials work for us. If they don’t do what we want them to do, we can just fire them and hire new ones. Any-one telling seniors that their senior center will be closed or telling parents at little league games that their children will be cut off from these and other services if the property tax hike doesn’t pass are engaging in false and reprehensible politicking, especially on a matter that is supposed to be the “will of the people.” Arm twisting is NOT free will.

It has recently come to my attention that the Berea City School District will have a NEW Property Tax Levy of 3.9 mill and the Cuyahoga Community College District will have a 1.2 mill renewal and a .9 mill INCREASE Property Tax levy on the November 4th ballot. Taken together these 2 NEW levies would be a 6 mill Property Tax increase on top of the 4.5 mill increase the City of Brook Park is propos-ing. Even if we take the City’s formula for the current tax hike as correct, the NEW levies will mean an increase of $137 for Berea SD and $74 for Tri-C (per $100K of home value). Taken together with the $158 (per $100K) the City wants, that would mean a combined increase of 10.5 mills or $369 (per $100K) if all of these tax hikes passed. This would represent an increase of well over 15% in Property Taxes for the average Brook Park home (16.3% in my case) for 2015. Once again, how is someone on a fixed income supposed to come up with an additional 15% to pay these higher property taxes? Since we in Brook Park will not be only ones voting on these additional NEW levies, the August 5 Special Election will be the only time this year when we can fully control our own tax future. Please take note that the City spent $30K of our tax dollars to hold this Special Election early so that we wouldn’t realize that there were more tax hikes coming our way until AFTER the City got theirs.

If all of these various tax hikes pass in August and November the average Brook Park household earning $50K and living in a $120K home will end up paying an extra $693 in 2015. All of this may be sold as “pennies a day”, but nearly $700 is not a small amount of money. I can think of a few things I would like to do with $700, and voluntarily giving it to the government isn’t one of them. By voting down all of these tax hikes we can choose to keep our money and not fork it over to the Tax Man. If the City is coming up short with its budget, why should we have to do with less so the City can have more? If members of our community can manage to live on a fixed income, then why can’t the City? If you or I couldn’t balance our house-hold budget, would we be able to march into our boss’s office and demand that he give us a 40% raise to help us cover our bills?

In summary, these tax hikes are unnecessary, ill-con-ceived, WAY too big and deceptively timed. They are being sold to us with strong-arm tactics and misleading state-ments and figures in “Reports” that were paid for with our money. There are more tax hikes coming our way in the fall, and we should take this opportunity to stop the ones we can stop now. Don’t let the City sneak this one past us. Please join me in voting NO on Issues 1 and 2 on August 5.

Thank you,Doug Flannery

P.S. For anyone interested in checking up on any of my facts and figures, the City of Brook Park Regu-lar Audit for 2013 is available from the State of Ohio for download at https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/detail.aspx?ReportID=109009

City of Brook Park, Ohio Management’s Discussion and Analysis (Unaudited) For the Year Ended December 31, 2013

5

The discussion and analysis of the City of Brook Park’s (the City) financial performance provides an overall review of the City’s financial activities for the year ended December 31, 2013. The intent of this discussion and analysis is to look at the City’s financial performance as a whole. Readers are encouraged to consider this information in conjunction with the additional information contained in the financial statements and the notes thereof. Financial Highlights Key financial highlights for 2013 are:

� Revenue from municipal income and other taxes totaled $18,134,634.

� Total assets increased by $2,843,700 or a 2.94 percent increase from 2012.

� Total net position decreased by $701,266 or a 0.85 percent decrease from 2012.

� Total capital assets increased slightly by $12,657 or a less than a 0.02 percent increase from 2012.

� Total outstanding long-term liabilities increased by $4,402,174. This was a 48.16 percent increase from 2012 which is mainly attributed to the City’s issuance of general obligation bonds.

� At the end of the current fiscal year, the City’s governmental funds reported combined ending fund

balances of $17,288,258, an increase of $3,282,302 in comparison with the prior year’s amount. Approximately 17.17 percent of this total amount, or $2,967,565, is available for spending at the government’s discretion (unassigned fund balance) without externally or internally imposed constraints.

� At the end of the current fiscal year, the General Fund’s unassigned fund balance was $3,070,287, or

14.96 percent of General Fund expenditures (not including other financing uses). Using This Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) This annual report consists of a series of financial statements and notes to those statements. These statements are prepared and organized so the reader can understand the City both financially and operationally. The statements proceed to provide an increasingly detailed look at our specific financial condition. The Statement of Net Position and Statement of Activities provide information about the activities of the whole City, presenting both an aggregate view of the City’s finances and long-term view of those assets. Major fund financial statements provide the next level of detail. For governmental funds, these statements tell how services were financed in the short-term and what dollars remain for future spending. The fund financial statements also look at the City’s most significant funds, with all other nonmajor funds presented in total in one column.

Excerpt from Page 5 of the 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)(the financial report the City of Brook Park files with the State of Ohio each year)

The highlighted section illustrates that the City’s combined funds balance was $3.28 million higher at the end of 2013 than it was at the end 2012. The City’s bank account was $3.28 million larger at the end of the year than it was at the start.

In other words, the City of Brook Park ran a $3.28 million SURPLUS in 2013!

How is it possible that the City would not be able “to meet its operating and capital needs” (as stated in Community Report 2014) if it ran a $3.28 million surplus last year?

The chart on the right shows the combined Property and Income Tax revenue collected by the City of Brook Park from 2009-2013 and what the City would collect in 2015 if these 2 tax hikes pass.

If the City can manage to have a $3.28 million surplus with $19.1 million in combined Property and Income Tax revenue in 2013, why does it need $27.1 million in revenue for 2015?

See the entire 2013 CAFR for yourself: https://ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/detail.aspx?ReportID=109009

City’s Combined Funds Balance Stands at $17.3 Million!

City of Brook Park Reports$3.28 Million SURPLUS in 2013!

Vote NO on Issues 1 and 2 on August 5th!