Urban Futures 1,336 Hours Worked For What?
On February 4, 2016 a Public Records Request was submitted to the City of Beaumont to produce all documents, communication to/from Urban Futures. Documentation for the 952 hours worked by Urban Futures including Name of Employee, date and time utilized, and purposes for use of time.
On February 18, 2016 the City replied: “According to the Public Records Act your request is not focused or specific, and is overly broad and overly burdensome.”
If it is ‘overly burdensome’ of the City of Beaumont to account for their money then it would be wise to stop issuing checks to Urban Futures and all other Lawyers and Consultants pillaging the City until the City has established City Clerk and Finance Departments.
2. The ‘952 hours worked by Urban Futures’ is listed on their January Report, however; it is NOT the amount listed for the same timeframe on their February Report.
Urban Futures January Report listed 253 hours of work on ‘Fund Activity Reconciliation’, but the February Report only lists 237 hours for ‘Fund Activity Reconciliation’.
The January Report listed a total of 952 hours worked and the Project was 32% complete. The February Report lists a total of 936 hours worked in January and 31% completion of the Project.
The February Report lists another 400 hours worked by Urban Futures; 8 hours for ‘Planning’, 230 hours for ‘Fund Activity Reconciliation’, 152 hours for ‘Mitigation Fee Reconciliation’, and 10 hours for ‘Monthly Update to City Council’ for a total of 1,336 hours.
That’s a lot of hours worked considering Urban Futures has never received the documents from Union Bank to perform the task.
Let’s Review: Instead of setting up a Finance Department and Hiring their own Accountants the City gifts Urban Futures, who is a business associate of Kapanicas, the job of reconciling the City’s CFD and Mitigation Fees for $248,000 – more than it would cost to pay the salaries of two (2) CPAs for the entire year.
In the last 3 1/2 months Urban Futures claims to have worked 1,336 hours without documentation and without producing a product.
Urban Futures claims that the project is ’45% completed’, but has nothing to show Council.
P.S. It only takes about 70 hours to reconcile the Bond Requisitions; even with the Requisitions state of disarray.