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| Steve Barron |
Deriding Stoffa's financial plan as "the Chicken Little theory of budgeting," Barron insisted that the fund balance comes in at $60 million no matter how gloomy a forecast is provided. "If you're going to raise taxes and do that, I wouldn't swallow it very well as a taxpayer," he advised.
He sure looks like he swallows a lot of other things pretty well.
Acting Fiscal Affairs Director Doran Hamann predicted there would be a $10 million deficit without a 9.3% tax hike. He stated $3 million of the fund balance would have to be used.
"You can either believe a political nincompoop, or believe a professional," said former Council member Ron Angle.
Council chose to believe the nincompoop.
Well, the numbers for 2011 are in, and it appears that Controller Steve Barron really is a political nincompoop.
Here's an excerpt of what Stoffa reported to Council.
Sometime during the early part of December 2011, you received a written memorandum from the County Controller as well as a visit, during which he projected that Northampton County would end up, at the end of Fiscal Year 2011, with an $8 million increase in our fund balance.
* * *
Today you received a comprehensive financial report. It's dated December 31, and on pages 40 and 41 of that report, you will find a decrease in that fund balance of $2,249,580.
Doran Hamann was off his projection by approximately $800,000. In a $366 million budget, the Controller was off by $10,200,000.
If I were to die tonight, my words of wisdom to you would be don't ever accept numbers from anyone in this County other than Doran Hamann. When it comes to numbers, Doran is our most valuable player. There is no one in the County who understands our financial situation better, and it is unfortunate that our Controller made this erroneous prediction without understanding the difference between a cash system of accounting and modified accrual.
While those figures are unaudited, I have no doubt that an outside auditor will verify these. In my opinion, the Controller needs to explain this to you and perhaps apologize to you.
Barron followed Stoffa to the podium.
"I'm going to apologize for being right," he said, claiming Stoffa took his words "out of context." He admits predicting a $8 million increase in fund balance, but that was based on a tax hike. He insisted his prediction was accurate, and that the fund balance is still $60 million, notwithstanding a report showing it has dropped $2.25 million .
21 comments:
I have a ton of problems with Stoffa. Yet this Barron buffoon is a real clown. What the hell are his qualifications? He sounds like he is constantly trying to sell vacuum cleaners. Seems like nothing but a political opportunist and a bad one at that.
So it is possible that the county could end up with a deficit in 2012because of the Barron prediction?
I hope county council asks this clown to keep his opinions to himself.
I need a new vacuum, what's his contact number?
"He sure looks like he swallows a lot of other things pretty well"
cheap. aren't you above that, all things considered?
and they really need to raise the millage.
advice to all norco residents. leave now
Barron is an arrogant fool and a political hack the likes this county has never seen before. His grandstanding has backfired again earning him the "von Footinmouth" moniker. He's a pudgy loser who is about as professional as a carnival sideshow barker. He owes Norco voters more than an apology for his embarassing displays of ignorance. He needs to resign.
Once again, it was Council's decision..You can all blame Barron till you are blue in the face but last year's Council was given two competing options and they chose Barrons..That's what being a Councilperson is all about..You look at the issues in front of you and make a decision..They made a questionable one for sure and put this present council and administration in a bad position financially..To blame Barron for a decision he had absolutely no vote on is ridiculous. It's obvious you dislike Barron for whatever reason but only one councilperson voted the right way on the budget. The rest did not..Their fault, no one elses..
Hey Doran,
What's the #'s for tomorrow nights Powerball?
Does Barron have any background in Accounting? He seems more like a manintenance worker at Gracedale.
He is in bed with the maintenance union reps who are asbestos drama queens.
Should have voted for a tax increase in 2011.
"cheap. aren't you above that, all things considered?"
No. I'm not very honorous.
lol This blog is so biased, it's humorous.
Problem seems to be as County Controller Barron holds himself out to be a "knowledgeable official". So if you are a county Council person and you are offered two choice on a tough decision; one choice is from the top county fiscal guy telling you raise the millage and the other from the County Controller claiming you are swimming in money, which choice do you make?
Of course county council picked the Barron option, it was the easy least painful choice. As the County Controller he should not have been playing politics but should be a professional. That is the problem, he is no professional. He is a political hack in the truest sense of the word. He is an embarrassment to the county and his baseless opinions will end up costing the taxpayers millions of dollars.
Defend him all you want Timmy but you still won't get to be the county Solicitor.
"You can either beleive a political nincompoop or a fiscal expert". You have to hand it to Angle that was a classic line. There have been some good ones over the years from council but that was funny and right to the point.
how can barren see the numbers when his head is clearly up his butt?
Barron is a total ass and should be recalled. Pure and simple.
It is clear he is in over his head. His own staff will tell you that. The shame is if he just walked around and took creit for audits his staff did that would be fine.
Problem is he runs around givng faulty information and now has created a major problem for the county. All this becasue he wants to be county executive. Wow, the polical peter principle strikes again. This time it will cost taxpayers millions.
Here's the scenario- Grucela elected county exec. in 2013 and he appoints Barron as his director of finance for 90K a year. Then BvF can apply his fuzzy math to every budget, spend down the fund balance, keep the money pit Gracedale and bankrupt the county in 4 years! The Norco voters elected this clown and the circus will be in town for many years to come.
Rich would never hire Barron. And Rich's wife would never let him run for Exec. She finally has him to herself, and doesn't want him to run.
She can have him.
OK then here's the scenario. Barron von Footinmouth is elected county executive and hires Bernie Matoff as director of finance from behind bars. And Heather Browne to run DCED. And Pee Wee Herman as sheriff. The Mayans were wrong. November, 2013 will be the end of the world as we know it.
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