Inclusion by Michael Donovan

• The Economy

  Number of comments: 6
  Greetings:
  
  For those who have interest, two reports that are very accurate at forecasting.
  
  [tinyurl.com] and [tinyurl.com]. [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 7:47am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget Hearing tomorrow evening -- 11/24

  Number of comments: 1
  Greetings:
  
  Tomorrow night, 11/24, public safety departments will review their budgets. [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 4:13pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget Analysis

  Number of comments: 30
  AN ADDED THOUGHT: Funny how people want better management, but when analysis shows what the sacrifice truly is (or how idiotic was some past decision), many wish to turn away or just continue to whine for their own self-interest. Ever wonder why it is difficult to get people to run [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 4:21pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Tonight's Budget Hearing

  Number of comments: 16
  Greetings:
  
  Tonight was Community and Economic Development.
  
  Here, there is always the question of strategy. Exactly what are assigned resources attempting to accomplish. Within that question, the budget is primarily grant funded. I asked how much. The answer is between 60 and 70%. That is a lot, and [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:37pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• President Obama's visit

  Number of comments: 42
  Greetings:
  
  I could not be more pleased that the President will visit the city in December. When Mrs. Obama was here last year, I had a chance to speak with her briefly and asked that she relay to her husband the importance of establishing new policies for America's small [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:24am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Tonight's budget hearing

  Number of comments: 2
  Greetings:
  
  Community and Economic Development: 6:30pm
  
  Council chambers. [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:56am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Eagle Scouts

  Number of comments: 4
  Greetings:
  
  A little ruckus over the past few days concerning volunteering and work rules, as expressed by the SEIU at our budget hearings.
  
  Here is what I said on both nights.
  
  On Tuesday, when we were told we (city management personnel) could not pickup a shovel without [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 7:36am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget adjustments

  Number of comments: 0
  Greetings:
  
  You know, when you have the detail, one can at least offer their opinion of what might be adjusted.
  
  That is what I have been doing this evening.
  
  I have been asking for the detail for a year. I am pleased that the departments are providing [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:19pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget Hearings -- Next Week

  Number of comments: 2
  Ugh...which way is up?
  
  We have Community and Economic Development on Tuesdsay.
  
  Finance, Human Resources, Risk Management, Debt Service - Equipment and Capital Projects on Wednesday.
  
  Also on Wednesday, City Council.
  
  Spent the afternoon going through the CED budget. Good discusson on Friday with some department [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 4:41pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Health care

  Number of comments: 3
  Interesting article in a recent Business Week Magazine:
  
  [www.businessweek.com] [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:25pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Interesting Information about Allentown Tax Burden

  Number of comments: 8
  Adjustment: When I posted these yesterday, I grabbed earlier files that I had made that included exempt properties. I had also performed the analysis without those properties. There are about 1,400 of these. There are about 200 additional properties that do not have a land tax, but do have a [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 3:32pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget Hearings -- Week of 11/9

  Number of comments: 7
  Tuesday, 11/10:
  
  Revenue:
  
  Council took issue with the administration's forecast. From my point of view. We are offering a pessimistic forecast. The administration is offering an optimistic forecast. All I want is consideration of a range. That is what I have done throughout my career, and what I' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:57pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Parks/Recreation and Public Works

  Number of comments: 6
  Greetings:
  
  I'll have time to comment tomorrow on both hearings.
  
  Best regards,
  
  Michael' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 2:15pm EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Mental Health

  Number of comments: 15
  Greetings:
  
  Back in 1994, while part of a team of people looking at problems in Portland, Maine, I suggested that mental health was becoming a serious issue, not only in Portland, but also throughout the country. Unfortunately, the idea of developing some form of response to growing mental health [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 9:21am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• Budget Hearings -- The Beginning

  Number of comments: 14
  Greetings:
  
  The mayor provided his budget message last evening. I made a statement based on analysis that I have performed starting last Friday when I got the budget book. I have also been analyzing over the last few weeks the distribution of taxes on the approximately 34,000 properties that [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:48am EST
  by Michael Donovan

• The Budget

  Number of comments: 22
  Greetings:
  
  Received the budget about 4pm on Friday, just at the last moment allowed by the charter. Oh well. I tried for a year to request (actually often demanded) that it be available at least 5 to 10 days earlier, but alas, no.
  
  I have made my first [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 9:33pm EST
  by Michael Donovan