I don’t generally gush over DeKalb’s choices of consultants, but I believe EPI was worth every penny – both times – because of their plain talk about our financial situation and the state of city operations. Too bad DeKalb didn’t take some important advice. One of the harsh realities was and is the OPEB, which…
Tag: EPI
A fresh look at “old” financial advice for DeKalb
At a recent budget meeting, DeKalb city manager Anne Marie Gaura (AMG) stated that she references the “EPI reports” frequently in financial planning. Because the city’s finance advisory committee might likewise like to revisit EPI findings when it (the committee) reconvenes in 2018, I’d like to introduce EPI to our newer readers (and help refresh…
Confronting Reality at Last? We’ll See
From the Daily Chronicle today comes “DeKalb aldermen confront budgeting issues.” During their Monday discussion of the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, DeKalb aldermen were told the city will need to cut services or boost revenue in order to maintain operations in the coming years. Beginning July 1, alderman were told,…
DeKalb – Firefighter Quid Pro Quo
The City of Springfield is expecting to approve a new contract with its firefighters’ union soon. Golly, I wish we had that kind of news coverage. Remember the last-minute hoop we had to jump through to find what the 2011 contract with our firefighters was about? The Springfield story reminded me that the longish closed…
DeKalb’s Financial Hole
As with yesterday’s clip, today’s video comes from a recording of the April 2013 workshop meeting involving DeKalb officials and the financial consultants Executive Partners, Inc. In this one, EPI’s Larry Kujovich explains why the city needs to shift to a more strategic, longer-term approach in allocating its resources. The clip comes from the first…
What the Financial Consultant Said about DeKalb’s Business Friendliness
The setup: The April 2013 workshop meeting between city officials and their contracted financial consultants, Executive Partners, Inc., was coming to a close. EPI’s Larry Kujovich (on the left) and Rob Oberwise have been talking about the importance of image building to economic development. Alderman Ron Naylor remarks that economic development has been a priority…
Latest Response in Review of EPI Report Redactions
During a special meeting held June 11, officials of the City of DeKalb met with their contracted financial consultant team known for short as EPI. EPI presented observations and recommendations in the areas of strategic revenue production and cost containment. The consultants also reviewed progress on strategic financial recommendations made in 2009, a time of…
Public Access Counselor Will Review Redactions
A bit over a week ago we looked at the City of DeKalb’s failure to provide a non-redacted version of its financial consultants’ latest report. Here’s what the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor has to say. It comes down to giving up the goods or explaining why they don’t have to — exactly what professionals…
Need & Recommendations for Medical Cost Containment
A couple weeks ago I mentioned that DeKalb’s financial consultants made recommendations for medical cost containment deserving of their own post. Here it is, finally. Turns out it’s not just the recommendations after all and it’s very long, so grab a cuppa something and make the jump when you’ve got time to hang out for…
City of DeKalb Has Nothing Better to Do Than Play Games with FOIA
Last week I shared with you my observations of the June 11 meeting between the council and the city’s financial consultants. One thing I noted, but hadn’t taken action on, was this: Some of the recommendations in the report were apparently redacted. (See PDF pp. 108 and 110.) This is inappropriate for a public record…