Brad's Bunker

By Brad Lawrence

THE BUNKER INDEX

The Money Pit - Part Duex

_{February 4, 2006}

Well fellow tax-payers , the Fernley Pool strikes again. Faced with the horrid fact that the pool had gone to seed in the past (which can only be blamed on unbelievable mismanagement of funds), combined with the realization that the pool would need major repair or replacement of things like pumps, filters and probably PH level , they decided they needed more money.

And that would mean a tax increase which they knew the voters wouldn't go for, so they came up with an end run around public approval.

They decided that a loan, which I'm sure must be legal, could be approved by the pool board which would extend bond-like payments and thus taxes at the same level, so they could continue to squander our tax money with happy abandon.

I called Yerington Assessor's office, got transferred to the Treasurers office, and from there to the Comptrollers office, and finally got the figures.

Are you ready?? Drum roll please.

Yearly amount of income from taxes, yours and mine,for the Fernley Pool is $758,023 dollars. An additional $45,000 is hauled in yearly from the throngs of pool users who flock to the pool , so the total income for the pool is $758,023 plus $45,000 equals over $800,000.

And yet they need ANOTHER $750,000 in loan money in our tax money to make the pool useable.

So this year they will haul in over ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! Half for running the pool, the other half for repairs. All this so apparently a few people can dip their toes in the wonderful healing waters of the Fernley Pool. Supported by tax dollars paid by EVERYONE who owns property.

Check your property tax bills, and see just how much is being paid to the pool. Heck, it's more than the N. Lyon County Fire Dept gets, and even more than our hordes of indigents get!! Where are all these indigents anyway?

It's the 4th largest item for taxes on the property tax bill.

It gets more than the CITY OF FERNLEY!!

Heck, the comptrollers office told me that with 3 (count 'em, THREE) full time employees and some part timers, they pay employees $379,000 in wages and benefits alone! YEARLY!!

I hope my exclamation digit doesn't go numb.

My, My, What a GIG! How does one get a job working in that pool anyway??

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Government at Work.

I do have some suggestions.

First, we vote out all sitting members of the pool board.

Second, we elect somebody who'll put the brakes on spending.

Third, we DEMAND that the pool be privatized if at all possible and as soon as possible.

And Fourth, we get a pool director who can run a pool for a lot less

than $800,000 a year.