*-UPDATE 2:13: I have a rinky-dink liveblog of the afternoon session in the comments underleaf, and this just came in over the wire:
**-UPDATE 3:24:
Starting to think he's not happy about how things went down and is not coming. He was cooler than lukewarm towards this idea from its inception.
***-UPDATE 3:47: Striking that:
http://plixi.com/p/66967966****-UPDATE 3:57: Vetoes overriden 9-0. Meeting recessed until 11:00 PM, apparently because everyone is nervous for more emergency last-minute communications from actuaries, state officials, or persons better at math.
You need to add a second hand to deal with the upcoming 11:00 meeting.
ReplyDeleteYou just KNOW Burgess has the capacity to philibuster himself into the new year.
ReplyDeleteWill the City die because Councilmembers can't shut up? Stay tuned!
With enough Council members supportive enough of this to override a veto, they could certainly call the question and end debate.
ReplyDeleteWhich is not to say there aren't things that can go wrong / ways to stop this / reasons to protest the insanity.
I read the last line too quickly and thought it said "reasons to PROTECT the insanity" lol.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year.
Haha, Allegheny Institute: LINK.
ReplyDeleteWe're underway....
The $45 million needs to be in the bank by 2:00 they say, and so Harris has moved to limit discussion by each member to 3 minutes -- and Burgess protests, warning that his colleagues better get security ready. Other members are yielding their 3 minutes to Burgess.
ReplyDeleteBurgess is going to vote for it with multiple, multiple reservations and has finished his comments.
ReplyDeletePasses 9-0 preliminarily, they adjourn and go to legislative session, Darlene and Bill switch chairs, they all recite the Pledge of Allegiance, they vote again to limit discussion (8-1)
ReplyDeleteKraus: "I am neither a Republican, a racist nor am I rich." Points out that Burgess never has supported gay lesbian & transgendered legislation and so doesn't want to hear implications of such out of him, and wants the Clerk to look up the record so he can read it tonight. "Speak about that, Rev. Burgess."
Burgess: "I am sorry that Mr. Kraus is upset about my conversations about poor and low-income families." Says not attacking personally. Thinks he's been consistent supporting equal rights.
Takeover dodge passes 9-0.
Darlene reads passage from Home Rule Charter about exceptions to public notice and public hearing requirements for determinations of "urgent action". Asks Clerk if it's all been done by the book and she agrees. Will *recess* meeting so veto-and-override can happen before banks close at 2:00.
WTF? It's passed 2:00.
ReplyDeleteIf the Mayor signs off on that $45 million revocable fund portion, they don't need to reconvene for a veto...
ReplyDeleteThough for the life of me, since the state is accepting a pledge of future revenue for the bulk of the sum, I don't see why they'd decide to be a stickler for having the cash in the bank if that appropriation has also been legislated.
They certainly made it sound like they were going to/needed to be back in session before 2:00.
ReplyDeleteAgree ... and I'm not really sure, if they've "got to find Luke" for the present value veto, how the $45 million transfer could have occurred without either signature OR veto.
ReplyDeleteThey probably went out for the three V's. V*, vodka, and Vicodin.
ReplyDeleteV8 not V*. I'm not a very good bartender.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds absolutely lovely. BRB...
ReplyDeletenow past 2pm in Oklahoma City.. so even city shares bankers with the PWSA time is gone.
ReplyDeleteBut if they use PNC.. what is the branch furthest west? They've had a lot of mergers of late.
3:15. Is it possible that Kraus's attack on Burgess -- with the promise of more of the same to come this evening -- ruined the marginally cooperative underpinning of the day's effort?
ReplyDeleteThis irrational and irresponsible plan pushed through without public scrutiny or debate will turn out to be a huge folly. No need to attack me or my comments - just wait and see. Merely averting takeover (which i thought Peduto was for???) by the skin of our teeth and losing control over s revenue stream for decades is one of the most irresponsible things Pittsburgh has done. The real question then will be who will council blame when this blows up?
ReplyDeletewho will council blame when this blows up?
ReplyDeleteanonymous bloggers most likely.
I think you mean anonymous commenters on blogs. That common mix-up is a pet peeve of mine. Sort of the way some people feel about "state takeover".
ReplyDelete@Anon 3:43.. You're spot on.
ReplyDelete@All.. Can I ask a few dumb questions here?
If Council has now pledged (what?) $13M/year from the parking tax to funding the Pension Plan, then doesn't that leave the City $13M *short*? If so, out of what hat is the City going to pull the rabbit?
And if the can find the money, what was the whole panic about?
ReplyDelete@C-Mount: No. There are $13M/year annual holes until 2018, then they become $27M annual holes from there on out.
ReplyDeleteFrom time to time, the city actually runs a budget surplus. I remember just a couple years ago, we had a built a $100M surplus and had turned the corner and were moving in the right direction. Of course yes, that money would otherwise get spent somewhere on something. One way to think of $13 million is like, 52 outside independent financial studies. But it'll probably come from paving, new equipment, random projects, services, and bodies in various departments that will be hard to clearly identify piecemeal.
Time to start liquidating URA holdings.
ReplyDeleteBurgess has not been a supporter of equal rights.
ReplyDelete