Quincy News: Quincy Quarry Weekly Fish Wrap: Let Them Eat Out!

– Quincy News from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Photo op for a political candidate
A Greg Derr/Patriot Ledger image

Quincy Quarry Weekly Fish Wrap: Let Them Eat Out!

While not yet officially into the Dog Days of Summer, it has often been hot and mostly dry in the Q for weeks.

Fortunately, Phase Two of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Coronavirus reopening plan includes allowing restaurants to offer outdoor dining.

Hubby holding cell
Image via Instagram

So far, however, no sign of Quincy’s number one gourmand dining out after months of frequently dining in on campaign fund funded takeout.

On the downside for roughly half the adult male population, new socially distant retail shopping protocols have also been instituted.

Even worse, there is at best only golf and NASCAR races to watch on TV in their holding areas.

Worse yet locally is how the City Council’s approval of the Koch Maladministration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2021 has been slipped under the radar as council meetings are currently being held virtually under the cover of Zoom.

Blips are always caught on Quincy Quarry’s radar
Image via picfair

How far under the radar?

Where it not for a last minute inquiry by a city councillor, the Koch Machine could well have failed to duly post the budget online for public review in time for the public to offer comment on the latest koched-up budget.

Unfortunately, the budget was posted at the last minute and so fending off yet another embarrassing as well as likely to have been successful Open Meeting Law complaint against the Koch Machine.

In any event, it doesn’t look good.

Well, that’s too bad for local taxpayers
An O’Mahoney/Patriot Ledger image

Not good at all for local taxpayers.

Without going deep into granular details, not only does the mayor’s incredulously so-called level funding budget proposal entail a greater than the rate of inflation 3.4% spending increase as he continues to fail to address the structural deficit status of the city’s annual budgets given in no small way his free-spending ways, the announced $10 million spending increase is looking to be matched by having to come up with upwards of an additional $10 million needed to cover the nut.

If not even more.

Look out below!
A barrons.com image

The currently projected additional $10 million looking likely to be needed is to offset expected declines in both excise tax as well as hotel, motel and meals tax revenue, plummeting parking revenue, anticipated cuts in local aid provided to the City of Quincy by the state, having to cover a $2.5 million shortfall arising from the expected non-payment of a bill by the still foundering Quincy College to the City of Quincy to reimburse the cost of benefits provided via the city to the college, several million not duly funded in the budget to cover impending new city employee union contracts to replace current ones soon expiring, and a few more smaller stray outlays kicked to the curb.

Under the radar, under the table – whatever
An old image

Granted, while some of these shortcomings from our peerless mayor are looking to be subject to financial legerdemain as well as kickings of cans into future fiscal years, the Quarry can only properly warn its ever growing legions of loyal readers to prepare for an ugly pop in their property tax bills come 2021.

A likely to be wicked ugly pop.

That and do be sure to prepare to hear constant COVID-19 excuse mongering from the Koch Machine while at the same time surely but inadvertently failing to note that Mayor Koch has drained the city’s rainy day reserves.