The Development of Authority, Part 3: Dropping the Ball

[XLFD]

Starting the Ball Rolling

Back at the beginning of 2009, the Mayor and his family celebrated the New Year down in Grand Rapids, and watched them drop a New Year's Ball, much like the one that gets dropped annually in Times Square. They thought it may be a good thing to have happen in Ludington.  While some may have never connected the concept of lowering a lighted ball with the

beginning of a new year, I know a couple of people who just have to watch the ball drop on the TV to ring in the New Year.  It's about as good as any other tradition in that respect.

The idea of having one in Ludington germinated over the winter and began being developed by the Mayor at the monthly Downtown Ludington Board (DDA) by March.  By April's meeting, they were devoting funds to the project:

 and by June they planned on having the framework of the project available for the Fourth of July Parade. By September and October's DDA meeting, the funding of the ball and the various activities they had planned for the event was in full swing, with left over funds being used and sponsorships encouraged to cover the costs. 

 

Getting on the Ball

December saw flurries of activity in preparing for the event.  Although the CVB (Convention and Visitor's Bureau) were supposed to be putting together New Year's Eve (NYE) packages, City Hall (400 S Harrison) was getting the $10 payments for them, and the $20 for those who were ordering special glasses made by the Red Door Gallery. 

Light_Up_The_Lake_event_package.pdf

On December 15, the Daily News' Melissa McGuire reported that the ball was made by GLC, Harsco employees and the lights by Tye Signs.  “It’s really cool,” DDA's leader Heather Venzke said. “From what we know, it’s the biggest ball in Michigan. It’s pretty amazing that for such a small community we can do something so huge.”  She said most of the work and electrical equipment has been donated, except for the steel and lights.  Mayor Henderson said everyone is invited to come downtown for the free event and share in Ludington’s first ball drop.  On the 24th and 30th, Ms. McGuire wrote two more glowing stories about the upcoming event, and when the new year arrived, things pretty much went off according to plan.  

Knocking the Cover off the Ball

Let's not forget that in 2009, the DDA was primarily funded through tax-increment financing and a 2 mill tax.  This accounted for over 80% of its revenue, so that when they spent money it was almost exclusively from property taxes and 'captured' taxes from the city and county:  taxpayer money.  DDA's are required to have their financial records available to the public and their monthly expenses itemized and available by state law MCL 125.1654.  I managed to get these, even though the itemizing was not the best for determining what was spent in a lot of cases.  Here are the expenses of the DDA in 2009 earmarked strictly for the NYE Ball Drop:

12-03-09  Liquor License for NYE Ball Drop:   $25
12-07-09  One Day Liquor License          :   $50
12-07-09  Supplies/repairs    :  $798.97
12-22-09  NYE Ball- Ball Drop    :  $950
12-22-09  NYE DJ     :  $600
12-29-09  Supplies-Entertainment Tent NYE :  $594.80
12-30-09  NYE Glass Order    :  $160
12-30-09  Advertising- Light Up the Lake  :  $100
12-30-09  Transfer- NYE Dial-a-Ride       :  $200
12-30-09  Lights- NYE ball    : $6226.68
12-30-09  Supplies NYE     :  $679.40
12-30-09  Reimburse NYE Supplies   :   $86.16
12-30-09  Supplies- NYE     :   $77.66
12-30-09  Supplies- NYE     :   $25.86
12-30-09  NYE Fireworks Display    : $2000
12-30-09  NYE Supplies     :  $296.04
12-30-09  NYE Supplies     :  $191.49
12-31-09  Reimburse NYE Supplies   :   $59.94
12-31-09  Supplies- NYE Ball    :  $500
12-31-09  Supplies NYE Ball    :  $987.71
----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL SPENT DIRECTLY FOR NYE BALL DROP:   $14,549.23

Now there could have been some vaguely marked "supplies" or "advertising" earlier in the year that may have added to this total, since the records have no 'NYE' marked purchases before 12-3-09.  Let's just key in on this near $15,000 of public expense.  A DDA has limits on what they can spend their money on.  One could say that some of these were marketing initiatives that benefit retail and general marketing of the downtown district.  But many cannot, particularly when you break down the supplies into actual purchases. Bus transfers, glass orders, fireworks, etc. are dubious expenses that the taxpayer should pay for, particularly when the money spent by the DDA is unaccounted for...

For even though, they spent nearly $15K on the above, the revenue created for the DDA/City was recorded as $0. 

A bit hard to comprehend, when you consider that they sold at least 300 of the $20 glasses, and a good deal of $10 packages.  Some people in the city got pure profit from the taxpayer's money.  In the DDA's financial records they also had notated therein a figure of over $40,000 for "donated" items for the NYE Ball Drop, without itemization of where it came from, where it went, or how it figured into the equation.  Further inquiries into this amount yielded nothing new from the DDA or FOIA Coordinator.

Big BALLS

Amanda St. Hillaire of the DDA (the same one that made a motion to divert more funds to the NYE project in September) just so happens to make specialty glassware for the Red Door Gallery which made at least 500 of the $20 glasses.  Tye Signs Inc., ran by DDA member Nick Tykoski (the same Tykoski that motioned $1500 be diverted to creation of the ball in April) charged $200 of the vinyl lettering for glasses to the taxpayer, as well as $300 for lettered banners, and $987.21 on electrical supplies for the New Year's ball. It is hard to explain away the apparent conflicts of interest, and misuses of office and public funds.

 

[XLFD]

Brandy,

If the sponsors had footed some of the bill for the expenses the DDA paid with tax dollars, shouldn't this have shown up in the DDA Revenue Budget for last year and this year?  There are only goose eggs-- zeroes-- in those column entries, as shown by the last graph above?

I don't care if these glossy events solve all the problems in the world, if tax money is used and is not accounted for.  If the sponsors money pay for the costs of the NYE Ball and all the fancy accoutrements, parties and fireworks then why did we have the costs on the DDA expenses list?

[AQUAMAN]

I thought Brandy was the Mayor's fav beverage, true? And shouldn't he be on a diet? After that Parade walk with the belly dance? OMG, LOL.

[XLFD]

Aquaman,

Let's not presume that the person who uses the "Brandy Henderson" monicker is one and the same person as one may presume.  Anyone could get on here using "Barack Obama" or "John Shay" as their screen name, and not actually be those people. 

Brandy, I think you may give your points some credibility if you could assure us you were the former intern for the City and the current L&S C of C employee known by that name.  Please forgive any apparent brashness by Aquaman, he's not prone to hiding his true feelings.

[Sweater Cows!]

testing 1,2,3, testing

 

(if this shows up it is because I cannot edit)

 

found it, thanks for the help

[XLFD]

Here we are on New Year's Eve Eve and Brandy Henderson has retracted her posts.  She's still a member, still capable of presenting any sort of exculpatory material her associates may provide to explain why the financial records do not show why there was no reported income from the 2009 Ball Drop, but plenty of taxpayer money (over $14,000) going out for 'glass orders', unnamed 'supplies', and fireworks. 

Has she been reprimanded for even responding to such things?  The standing order the city uses whenever I write or E-mail them any question is to just ignore it, unless it is a FOIA request.  Even then they stonewall, sometimes beyond the limits the law allows.  Why be accountable to the citizens, particularly the ones that have a sticky question?  This is what Ludington City Hall has come to.  Brandy, any others from the City: do you not have any data that shows what I claim in this thread is anything but the truth? 

[Mary A.]

Are you or any other Torchers going to attend the New Years Eve bash, X?

[Guidothesemipsuedocaptitalistpig]

I was only able to visit for two days I didn't have enough free income after buying my house here to hang out longer than to give my daughter her Christmas gifts. I hope to make a longer trip this summer as it gets pretty hot here in my new home.  Happy New Year in advance though Mary!!!

[Guidothesemipsuedocaptitalistpig]

Shacking head visualizing tribes of huns trying to burn the ball off the pole....