The Martin Chronicles staff always gets a good chuckle when it watches Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's closing remarks at the end of the "public hearing" that was held a few months ago to take resident comment on the diminutive dictator's radical plan to disband the local police department. Martin actually claimed he "runs a tight ship". His evidence? Well, he got rid of the City's postage meter and claimed that action saved ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Something happened at last night's meeting that shouldn't make anyone laugh. Except the lawyers who may be laughing all the way to the bank. So what happened? There was a first reading for an ordinance to take ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS out of the City's cash reserves.
Why does Martin need ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS? Will it be spent to bolster the short-staffed police? Will it be spent doing additional street repair? No. The majority of taxpayers would probably be fine with such a move for those reasons.
But the mismanaging Martin needs ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to cover the legal fees that he is racking up with his squad of lawyers and legal actions. Two things to keep in mind. First, there was already SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for legal fees in the budget that council passed in June. Second, its still only the First Quarter of the current Fiscal Year. The taxpayers should consider it a very ominous sign that Martin already needs an EXTRA ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to cover his legal fees.
Is it any comfort that the City Attorney told a questioning councilmember that they could actually look at the invoices they were being asked to dip in to the cash reserves to pay?
