Why are the city taxpayers being ask to pay a firm $100,000.00 for a audit that is already 6 months overdue? Why is the city proposing a huge pay raise to city comptroller, Jeff Nogid, who is already being paid $15,000.000 more than the person he replaced only last year, and he can't even close the books on last year's budget?
Who is fighting the Long Beach Taxpayers? Where is the transparency that was promised by the Mandel Administration?
The Scott Mandel Administration has proposed yet another property tax increase on city residents, their third tax increase in one year! That is going to hurt the residents and businesses that need as much help as they can get.
What I can't understand is how the administration can offer a responsible and honest budget, when they have failed to close the books on the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2012, despite being required to do so by last November 1st!
According to documents obtained today from the State Comptroller's office, on November 19, 2012 the city was cited for failing to file an independent audit in a timely manner. According to the letter, the audit report was due on November 1, 2012. That means the city is now exactly 6 months late in complying with the law.
Of course, the city didn't tell its residents about this letter from the state comptroller in any of their regular positive press releases. City Manager Jack Schnirman doesn't want to share any bad news with us about his administration; he hides the negative stuff. He wants you to think everything is just "fine and dandy" in city hall.
In September 2012, the Mandel Administration approved a contract for nearly $100,000 to hire Albrecht, Viggiano, and Co. to complete the independent audit of the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the year that “supposedly” generated a $15 million deficit. After Albrecht, Viggiano & Co. was hired I wrote a blog describing how that very firm was let go by the city in 2004 for not catching a $1 million mistake with the city's medical insurance. Why would the city pay $100,000.00 to rehire a firm that was let go and that cost taxpayers over $1 million?
I also wrote a blog questioning the new City Comptroller, Jeff Nogid’s, competence. Nogid was hired in early 2012 for $15,000 more per year than the person he replaced despite the fact he was not even a certified public accountant.
Well, here's the proof that the new city comptroller may be incompetent and that the city should not pay Albrecht, Viggiano & Co. the full $100,000.00 it was hired for. They both haven’t delivered for the taxpayers.
Why should the taxpayers have to pay a firm for an independent audit that is already 6 months overdue? It outrageous! In fact, $100,000 in our city budget is equal to 1/2% property tax increase! Furthermore, why would we reward our City Comptroller, Jeff Nogid, a 3% raise in the proposed city budget when he was only hired last year and he is already being paid $15,000.00 more than his predecessor?
Who is fighting for the taxpayers here? It surely isn’t Scott Mandel, or Councilmembers Goggin, Torres or Adelson!
This is just one more example of the incompetence demonstrated by the current administration in city hall. The Mandel Administration should be fighting to spend our money in a responsible manner rather than padding the pockets of their friends, family, and politically connected firms with taxpayer money.
