The last-minute recognition that a Planning Commission recommendation had to be secured before city councilors could vote on purchasing the two proposed sites for new schools raises an obvious question: is there anything else that could block the project?
The answer is yes.
The answer is yes.
Aside from the planning panel's recommendation, which the council can ignore if it can muster a two-thirds vote, the site plans are also going to need a thumbs up from the Zoning Commission at some point, officials said.
By then, though, a lot of cash will have been spent on architectural renderings and details, which might make it hard to call a halt to the whole thing.
But the Board of Finance may well have a say sooner than that.
Though the finance panel appropriated $105 million to cover the city's share of the project last year -- far more than is likely to be needed in the end -- it hasn't done anything to put the financing in place to pay the bills.
To do that, the finance board would need to agree to sell some bonds to cover the city's share of the tab.
Comptroller Glenn Klocko said today that without the financing in place, any spending would be coming out of the city's reserve fund -- and that isn't enough to cover the costs of a project this large.
What that means is that finance board could refuse to put the financing in place, if its members aren't happy with what they see. It wouldn't be the first time they've hit the brakes on a project that other city boards were pushing for.
It's probably unlikely that finance commissioners would pull the plug on the project, but it's not impossible.
Stay tuned.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
8 comments:
Who is in charge??
Nobody, as far as I can see.
The city at its best trying to pull another one over on the tax payers. It looks to me like a bunch of idiots thinking they know more then the tax payers because they are in office when truly they have no clue what is going on. How come the taz payers do not have a right to vote on weather we build new schools and close down 4 of them? What the hell is going on in this dump of a city? Where is the leadership? Where is the voice for the tax payers? It appers that the DEMS that keep voting in all these people feel its alright to keep spending tax payer money like monopoly money!
Now we can ALL see why Ward got rid of Soucy and replaced him with another Mize vote.
"How come the taz payers do not have a right to vote on weather we build new schools"
Kinda says it all right there, doesn't it?
at least 12:13p.m. left little doubt about his/her lack of educational prowness i.e. taz=tax and weather=whether?....for our kid's sake, let's hope that the person isn't a teacher or a member of the board of education....
Stop demeaning people.
It's a low tactic.
A bully is a person who deameans others in an attempt to elevate themselves or their position in the the eyes of others.
Perceived minor flaws of another, are used as a tool for this purpose.
9:10
If you hold an opposing opinion, express it and explain why!
Meanwhile, your comments are saying a lot about YOU.
Aw gee 10:31, I kinda think once someone makes a public statement (as 12:13 did) full of insults and "demeaning" comments - i.e., "bunch of idiots," "what the hell is going on in this dump of a city"... they should be okay with an opposing view point. The point I was making was simply how ironic that 12:13 was complaining so loudly about spending money on education when he/she (you?) would obviously have benefited from more money spent on education.
10:58
Obviously it is Frank Nicastro.
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