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Nothing has changed in the city because an 18 month old report has finally been published providing a snap shot as of June 30, 2018.

I have to actually agree with Hal's comment, that there's virtually nothing the mayor could have done to improve the city's budget that much in just 45 days. In fact when you compare the fiscal 2019 budget spending before and after the so called austerity cost saving measures you will see the following:

The 2019 revised municipal budget was $150,932,468 in which the spending broke down to

6% Capital & Debt Expense

52% Active Employee Expense

28% Retired Employee Expense

14% All other spending (including the massive $5 million increase for paving)

The 2019 projected municipal budget was $147,433,235, in which spending broke down into

6% Capital & Debt Expense

53% Active Employee Expense

29% Retired Employee Expense

12% All other spending ($3 million taken from paving re-allocated to other line items. most likely fire overtime which was over spent by $2.3 million) (BTW - according to the city charter the mayor should have disclosed through a resolution to the council all the line items where funds were redistributed to plug holes during the budget process. That was not done)

So my point is, if the city financial position is improving as a result of "Solomon’s administrative decisions as having a positive impact on the city", why then was the 2020 fiscal budget proposed at $156,980,615, or $6,048,147 greater than the 2019 revised budget or a WHOPPING $9,547,380 more than the 2019 projected budget.

And out of that $6,048,147 if the structural problems specific to the unsustainable increase in legacy costs was corrected, why would $3,067,181 or 51% of the increase be allocated to increasing legacy coast in the 2020 budget?

The fact is, nothing has changed. Avedisian can claim through his actions that the city was left in great financial shape but the hidden numbers in the audit tell a different story of a city drowning in retiree expense debt over $1,000,000,000. And the percent of the city budget allocated to pay for these costs ticking up another basis point from 28% in the 2019 budget to 29% in the 2020 budget.

Solomon refusing to acknowledge that over the last 15 years when legacy cost consumed 19% of the budget to where it stands now at 29% has meant that in that span of time from 2004 - 2020 out of the $61,237,885 in new tax dollars spent, 44% or $26,898,459 was spent on legacy cost. That more than what was spent on active employees at $26,008,952 or 42% of the funds.

Only $8,330,474 was spent on everything else (including capital & debt expense)

The city is upside down now with more retired employees then active employees.

Anyone unwilling to acknowledge these facts and the need for immediate reforms is perpetrating a fraud upon the residents and business in the city.