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Park Improvement Fund - Florissant voters have approved two 1/4 cent sales tax increases for Parks and Recreation improvement.  The first improvement tax was passed in April, 1998 and the second improvement tax in November, 2006.  The City of Florissant has estimated for the fiscal 2008 budget that these two sales tax increases will generate approximately $3,100,000 in revenue.  In order to meet total budgeted expenditures of $3,374,467 the fiscal 2008 budget adds money from interest revenue ($50,000) and the "emergency fund" ($224,467).  At this time we can only conclude that of the $3,374,467 in the 2008 Park Improvement Fund only $562,410 or 16% will be spent on actual improvements or 83.4% will be spent on non-improvement items.  Is this what you voted for?  April 30, 2008 complaint filed with the Missouri Attorney General's Office.

 

Account #

Account Name

Amount Budgeted

  

On March 26, 2008 a request was submitted to the city for year to date expenditures on Park Improvement Fund accounts 928 through 955 in an effort to determine if tax dollars are being spent appropriately.  The fiscal 2008 budget includes detailed information for account 961 expenditures, therefore, we requested detailed information that would justify the amounts budgeted in accounts 928 - 955.  In the past, the city has exported detailed expenditure data from their accounting software.  We requested the city once again export the data and send via email.

910

Salaries

 $           815,851

 

913

Employee Benefits

 $           338,411

 

914

Residency Incentive Program

 $             14,400

 

921

Uniforms & Allowances

 $             16,750

 

926

Utilities

 $           386,390

 

On April 1, 2008 the following response was received:
Karen,
Please advise Ms. XXXX that she may come in and look at the monthly reports showing the activity in the various parks accounts identified below.  The Finance Department does not produce an electronic report detailing account activity as a normal course of business and as such we would not be able to fulfill that request.  To facilitate a review of the monthly reports Ms. XXXX will need to contact the Assistant Director of Finance, Barbara Wieland, to make arrangements for a time to view those reports.  The Assistant Director of Finance may be contacted at 921-5700.

The backup materials supporting the budget allocations for the park fund total 8 pages and include information on all the accounts identified below, including the debt service account.  Ms. XXXX can view the backup pages at the same time she reviews the monthly reports.
Thanks, Randy McDaniel (Director of Finance)
 

927

Gas & Oil

 $             44,000

 

928

Merchandise

 $           102,750

 

929

Bldg, Maint, & Supplies

 $             65,000

 

930

Maintenance/Supplies

 $             46,800

 

931

Recreation Supplies

 $             51,150

 

932

Office Supplies & Maint.

 $             33,700

 

933

Materials & Supplies

 $             80,000

 

942

Dues, Travel, Training

 $               7,640

 

950

Professional Services

 $           198,415

 

954

Publicity

 $               9,800

 

955

Debt Payment

 $           601,000

 

961

Capital Additions

 $           562,410

 

 

Total Expenditures

 $        3,374,467

 

 

On April 9, 2008 the following response was emailed to the City Clerk:

 

Karen,

Please forward my email to Randy McDaniel Director of Finance, Mayor Lowery and the City Council.

 

Mr. McDaniel,

 Regarding your response to my request for year to date expenditures on certain Park Improvement Fund accounts:

 

Section 610.029 of the Missouri Sunshine law states in part:

A public governmental body keeping its records in an electronic format is strongly encouraged to provide access to its public records to members of the public in an electronic format.

 

Section 610.023 of the Missouri Sunshine law states in part:

Each request for access to a public record shall be acted upon as soon as possible, but in no event later than the end of the third business day following the date the request is received by the custodian of records of a public governmental body. If records are requested in a certain format, the public body shall provide the records in the requested format, if such format is available

 

As stated in my original email records have, in the past, been exported from the city’s accounting software and emailed to me, therefore, I know that “such format is available”.

 

Furthermore, Mayor Lowery signed an agreement making the City of Florissant a Sierra Club “Cool City” by signing the US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.  When the Mayor signed this agreement he promised to, among other things reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.  By sending the data I requested electronically not only would you be complying with the Missouri Sunshine Law but you’d also be helping the Mayor keep his promise to the Sierra Club.