Just when you thought City spending couldn't get any worse - TPD Chief to remode

[shadows]

I'm sure everyone who currently lives in that neighborhood moved in before the jets did..

uh-huh...

The development of the jet engines was by Germany in WWll.   A row of houses along Memorial was removed and the land is now vacant.  Van started the housing addition where the insulating is being done and had financial troubles with the houses, remaining in the unfinished state for a time.  Housing shortage caused by the war created the market for returning families to live. Spartan and East Central  are in the flight danger zone along with ILS touchdown just feet above other commercial buildings.   At one of the board meeting I questioned while other progressive cities were moving their airports out of town we were building a town around the airport.  I don't believe some of the board members know Tulsa has a major airport.
 

[MDepr2007]

Ouch. That's going to leave a mark.

Not when it comes from people who don't know why it's being done and why people originally agreed and why people fealt obligated to do it by Susan Savage and others pushing it.
Funny how nobody likes to complain at the squandering of this same money and making sure it's all on the up & up. Then again Tulsa already got rid of the only 2 that were stealing from the system in town 

[Conan71]

The only thing that jumps out is the engineer estimate versus the private sector bids. The city should remodel their own offices.

More like inefficiency than a taxing situation.

Not too uncommon.  Engineers will call and ask for a "budget price" on a project.  The bid may never be let for six months after the estimate comes in.

[FOTD]

Not too uncommon.  Engineers will call and ask for a "budget price" on a project.  The bid may never be let for six months after the estimate comes in.

Why does the city not build out the space themselves?

[MDepr2007]

I just don't get it... most of those residents moved in AFTER the jets were here. So they got a house cheap BECAUSE it was noisy. Are they upping the assessed tax values as soon as soundproofing is in?

Houses were in the upper 30's to lower 40's in 1990. I paid $38,000 for mine in 1990 .
in 2001 the taxable market value was $48,614, 2002= $51,036 , 2004= $56,272, 2008= $64,500 . My house was done in 2002/2003.
The corner lot next to me went for $70,000ish this year and was $42,000 in 1990

[Conan71]

Why does the city not build out the space themselves?

Hah! They can't even repair a pothole.  Can you imagine what their carpentry work would look like?

[MDepr2007]

Not too uncommon.  Engineers will call and ask for a "budget price" on a project.  The bid may never be let for six months after the estimate comes in.

Bids are always lower than the engineer's estimate at the airport

[rwarn17588]

Not when it comes from people who don't know why it's being done and why people originally agreed and why people fealt obligated to do it by Susan Savage and others pushing it.
Funny how nobody likes to complain at the squandering of this same money and making sure it's all on the up & up. Then again Tulsa already got rid of the only 2 that were stealing from the system in town 

The fact remains that for all the complaining you've done about city spending, you've been sucking pretty hard on the municipal teat yourself.

A fair number of folks would call that hypocrisy.

[MDepr2007]

The fact remains that for all the complaining you've done about city spending, you've been sucking pretty hard on the municipal teat yourself.

A fair number of folks would call that hypocrisy.

Didn't know I did that much but it's very little compared to the personal complaints you have on people here that adds nothing to the topics.

The municipal has spent about squat on my house . Oh until The FAA demaded that Tulsa repay the money they gave the airport during the phase I was in. Now Cinnabar is getting their money from the city after suing for the work they did during my phase...hmmm looks like you're paying twice and I have to spend close to $10,000 to fix the mistakes made for that same work if I want to sell my house and the municipal gets to keep their paper on my deed. By the way the sound program is funded 90 to 95 % by the FAA not Tulsa.

[Conan71]

Hmm, I think RW just got schooled. (actually we all did.  I forgot this was an FAA pork pickle)

[rwarn17588]

Hmm, I think RW just got schooled. (actually we all did.  I forgot this was an FAA pork pickle)

C'est la vie.

[Steve]

The comment about banking the money is just silly, ...

To get back on topic...

You may think it is silly, but many of us do not.  According to today's 11-19-09 Tulsa World, Palmer has decided to put the remodel project on hold, for exactly the reasons I cited:  Timing and appearances, or "public perceptions."  I think he made the right decision.

Sometimes doing the right thing is just silly, I suppose.

 

[Conan71]

To get back on topic...

You may think it is silly, but many of us do not.  According to today's 11-19-09 Tulsa World, Palmer has decided to put the remodel project on hold, for exactly the reasons I cited:  Timing and appearances, or "public perceptions."  I think he made the right decision.

Sometimes doing the right thing is just silly, I suppose.

 

What amazes me from all this is that our PD leadership could be so deft that they couldn't figure out a remodel job of the chief's office would go over like a fart in church right now. 

Why even think twice about it, much less let it get to the point it's up for public consideration?  It's amazing all these little slush funds in the county and city that we don't appear to know about and all the funny restrictions and ordinances as to what the monies can and cannot be used for.  I'll be curious to see what kind of cajones Doerflinger will have as auditor (or whether there are more ordinances that won't allow him to investigate these little fiefdoms).

Say, isn't Chief Palmer an at-will employee now?  Who's to say he will stay on and serve at the pleasure of Mayor Bartlet (sic).

[Steve]

What amazes me from all this is that our PD leadership could be so deft that they couldn't figure out a remodel job of the chief's office would go over like a fart in church right now. 

Why even think twice about it, much less let it get to the point it's up for public consideration?  It's amazing all these little slush funds in the county and city that we don't appear to know about and all the funny restrictions and ordinances as to what the monies can and cannot be used for.  I'll be curious to see what kind of cajones Doerflinger will have as auditor (or whether there are more ordinances that won't allow him to investigate these little fiefdoms).

Say, isn't Chief Palmer an at-will employee now?  Who's to say he will stay on and serve at the pleasure of Mayor Bartlet (sic).

The paper says that the funds for the remodel are to come from asset forfeitures and cannot be used for salaries.  I suppose the thinking behind that rule is a conflict of interest issue, to prevent unfair asset siezures by law enforcement just to pad the payroll account.

Palmer said putting the project on hold is "no big deal."  Sounds to me like the remodel is unnecessary and shouldn't be done at all.   

[patric]

The paper says that the funds for the remodel are to come from asset forfeitures and cannot be used for salaries.  I suppose the thinking behind that rule is a conflict of interest issue, to prevent unfair asset siezures by law enforcement just to pad the payroll account.

Its still a conflict of interest because it is being used at the pleasure of the department head.
If we were to take the moral high ground on forfeited assets, it would go to schools or something similar.