Tag Archives: OPEB

Stimulus for Alameda

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Robert Sullwold

Imagine, if you will, the following scene: In-person Council meetings now are allowed. The five elected officials, and staff, are sitting, masked and six feet apart, on the dais. The doors to Council chambers burst open, and in comes Vice … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, City Hall, Development, Firefighters, Housing, Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The $253.2 million gorilla

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Robert Sullwold

Whom can Alamedans count on now to do battle with the gorilla in the basement of City Hall? That’s what those of us who fear the predations of the gorilla – more formally known as the City’s accrued liability for … Continue reading →

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Spend away!

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Robert Sullwold

Three weeks ago, the Merry-Go-Round reported on City Finance Director Elena Adair’s forecast that, if all of the additional spending proposed for the next two fiscal years were to take place, the “available balance” in the General Fund would drop … Continue reading →

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Lock it up

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Robert Sullwold

If we recall correctly, it was Al Gore who first introduced the concept of a “lock box” into the political lexicon. The idea was to put certain governmental funds beyond the reach of Congress so that the money could be … Continue reading →

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Putting our money where their mouths are

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

Back in June, gloating over a projected $30.8 million balance in the General Fund as of the end of this fiscal year, Council instructed staff to come up with a list of recommendations about how to “allocate” – i.e., spend … Continue reading →

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Report card for the Mayor – Part I

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

School’s out, the baseball season is half over, and Council is about to take its August recess – so the Merry-Go-Round decided it’s time to offer a performance review of Mayor Trish Spencer’s first six months in office. Don’t worry, … Continue reading →

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Whom do you trust?

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

All right, dear readers, the Merry-Go-Round has a question for you: Suppose you wanted an authoritative evaluation of the impact on the City’s financial condition of a proposed deal between the City and its public safety unions that establishes a … Continue reading →

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And now for the bottom line

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

So it’s time to get to the bottom line. In the Merry-Go-Round’s examination of the proposed new public safety union contracts Council is being asked to approve on April 29, we’ve looked separately at the economic terms of the MOUs … Continue reading →

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The proposed OPEB trust

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

In our last column, we phrased the issue facing Council as it decides whether to approve new public safety union contracts this way:  Is the “partial solution” proposed by outgoing City Manager John Russo to the “Other Post-Employment Benefits” problem … Continue reading →

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The proposed public safety union contracts

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Robert Sullwold

We’re sure that, if anyone heeded the exhortation by Vice Mayor Frank Matarrese to begin studying the proposed new public safety union contracts as soon as they were posted Tuesday afternoon, it was readers of the Merry-Go-Round.  After all, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, City Hall, Firefighters, Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments