Finance Chair Victor Schneider responds to readers' comments

Victor Schneider of Norwood City Council and Chairman of the Finance Committee has sent us his response below to the comments made about his 11/24/10 guest blog "Finance Committee to schedule 2011 Budget Public Hearings.":

"The City of Norwood's employees have worked hard this year to minimize spending and control cost in the wake of the country's current economic conditions. From the beginning they took a very conservative stance to everything that they accomplish for the city. The employees and union representation have worked with City leaders to ensure that the citizens of Norwood continued to receive the service that they expect and deserve.

The city ended 2009 with a carry over of money. This carry over was absorbed into the 2010 budget that was approved by City Council. This carry over money was utilized in the 2010 fiscal year to maintain the services that the residents expect. Income over the year 2010 has steadily declined. Over 2010, the Finance Committee met every month to discuss the spending that was taking place, budget controls and all other issues that the city faced financially. Throughout the year these meetings have been public, anyone could attend. They have be publicly announced. They have been taped and played back to the community on the Norwood Community Television (NCT). They have also been placed online at the NCT website. The facts are what they are. The country and all of your government entities are realizing a huge reduction in income from taxes and must take steps to meet the guidelines set by the Ohio revised code.

It is predicted that the city will end the year 2010 with a carry over again. This will not be as large as the carry over from 2009 but is still a carry over and a clear indicator that our department heads have worked within the budget parameters that City Council set for them. The budget hearings that will be announced shortly should give the people who did not or do not have a chance to attend the Finance Committee meetings a chance to be heard. I have spoke to many people in the community over the past year about how the city operates and what constraints are put in place, good and bad, to control how our local government works.

I do not respond to blog questions, and nor am I interested in getting into discussions on the CBN blog. There are no controls on the blog that could stop a person from placing something on the blog that could be attributed to my name. I am not interested in defending myself for something that anyone could post. I do not monitor the CBN blog on a daily basis. I think it is a good tool to get information out to the residents of Norwood. I think the residents need good clear communication and applaud both the CBN and Norwood Star for helping residents understand what a great community we live in.

I am sure that for some it is a "fun" way to interact with others. I work in front of a computer terminal about 4 hours each day so I am not very inclined to come home and surf the web or go to blogs to see what someone has said. It is just work instead of fun. It was never listed as a requirement as a elected official for the City. I have made myself accessible and if you have a question or concern I ask that you contact me directly either through my email at vschneider@norwood-ohio.com or call my home number. If you have questions for the Finance Committee, I speak for all members, we would love for you to attend one of the monthly meetings and maybe take the time to come to a public hearing on the budget."

Victor Schneider

Finance Committee Chairman

Norwood City Council