Given the misspending Martin's penchant to waste hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lawyers and legal actions, city council was correct to insist on retaining its right of oversight over the budget. But, these well-placed legal observers think Martin may have sidestepped city council's vote anyway.
How? Well, Kentucky law requires each governmental entity to publish the budget in what is described as the newspaper of record. It is taxpayer money being collected and spent, after all.
So, what has Martin done to "satisfy" that Kentucky law? He has published a "bottom line" budget. That presents a potential problem for the taxpayers.
The expert legal observers who contacted us tell us that the published budget is considered the document that legally binds a government entity's collection and disbursement of taxpayer dollars. Any other documents outlining the expenditures of each department are really nothing more than scraps of paper-if they are not published.
Yeah, yeah, yeah we know how the mendacious Martin will explain his decision to publish only a "bottom line" budget. He'll claim he did it to save taxpayer money. He'll claim it would be far too expensive to pay to publish the entire budget. What will we say to that explanation? Blah, blah, blah.
Why will we hold that explanation is such contempt? Because quite simply, it will be total bu!!$#it.
Despite his wild claim that he runs a "tight ship", Martin has a well-documented track record of profligate waste of taxpayer money:
- Martin has misused nearly a half a million taxpayer dollars on ridiculous waste on lawyers and legal actions.
- Martin has mishandled the taxpayers money that he has wasted several hundred thousand taxpayer dollars amending his budgets every single year.
- Martin has squandered roughly three hundred thousand dollars wasted on unnecessary employee overtime expenses.
- Some on council have publically announced that Martin is spending more than two hundred thousand taxpayer dollars a year to hire the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission to provide building and zoning services. Despite this wasteful move, Martin has also had to hire a "nuisance officer" to fill gaps in enforcement.
- Martin pushed forward his vendetta against the Villa Hills Police Department by paying former Chief Dan Goodenough one hundred and twenty thousand taxpayer dollars to retire. This only after Martin wasted tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers and legal fees in his vicious attempt to publicly embarrass Goodenough in March of this year.
- Martin inexplicably signed a purchase order that put twenty-three thousand taxpayer dollars in his own pocket.
- Martin frittered away more than twelve thousand taxpayer dollars purchasing playground equipment for a park that almost nobody uses.
No, Martin has once again shown complete contempt for the city council who is legally tasked with oversight of the city budget. The miniature mullah published a "bottom line" budget so that he can spend taxpayer money any way he wants to.
Yes, council can still question Martin's spending. But that will accomplish absolutely nothing. Why? Because Martin will simply rely on the game of "keep-a-way" he has used to fend off council budget questions since January 1, 2011.
How will it go yet again?:
- Someone on city council will question a particular expenditure at a public council meeting.
- Martin will tell that councilperson that he isn't quite sure, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee. The little liar will then advise that councilperson to should check with his FORTY-SEVEN TAXPAYER DOLLAR PER HOUR UNQUALIFIED BOOKEEPER, Cordelia Schaber about the expenditure.
- That councilperson will contact the bucket-headed bookkeeper, Cordelia Schaber. Schaber will tell that councilperson that she cay-uhn't answer their question. She will tell that councilperson that they have to speak directly to Martin.
- That councilperson will be totally unable to reach the evasive Martin. He is terribly busy running his unlicensed handyman business, after all.
- That councilperson will re-contact the shiftless Schaber, only to be rudely told, "Ahh told yee-ou thayat yee-ou have to ayask Mayor Martin about thayat."
- That councilperson will re-ask Martin the same question at the next council meeting. Martin will once again say that he isn't quite sure, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee. The little liar will tell that councilperson that he will check with his FORTY-SEVEN TAXPAYER DOLLAR PER HOUR UNQUALIFIED BOOKKEEPER, Cordelia Schaber himself about the expenditure. Martin will promise to provide the answer at the next council meeting.
- When that councilperson asks the same question at the third council meeting, Martin will claim that he has just been so busy that he didn't find time to get the answer. Martin will then promise to get the answer before the fourth council meeting.
- No answer will ever come. And so it goes.
That opportunity comes in just 91 days.
