The following letter was sent by Joan Ryder to Harford County Executive David Craig. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication:
Dear David,
In reference to all the information provided about the Economic Development Policy, I submit the following from my committee:
CITIZENS OF HARFORD COUNTY WATCHDOG COMMITTEE
AN ORGANIZATION FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
IN ALL MATTERS OF GOVERNMENTAL FIDUCIARY ACCOUNTABILITY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
These are indeed interesting times where government at all levels has created development incentives better known as hand outs as policy in order to draw an enterprise into its jurisdiction. The matter is deserving of debate and the ultimate conclusion as a prudent policy is dependent upon the following:
1. A positive benefit to the community.
a. Jobs are gained at all skill levels
b. Income tax revenues are enhanced
c. Intangible items including continuance of the enterprise and cost of services make the investment a net return to the taxpayers.
d. There is a need for the product or service within the jurisdiction.
2. The policy does not become a standard matter of doing business.
3. No other existing business is affected in a loss of competitive position.
4. The enterprise is not financially capable of opening a new facility without assistance.
5. The taxpayers are rewarded by reductions in the property tax rate brought on by the profitability of the sponsored enterprise.
6. The enterprise is not currently receiving its revenue from taxpayers.
7. There is a reporting process whereby the recipient provides information about the use of funds and its job creation results.
In the past, business competed to enter into an area. Management was responsible for the success of the business. Therefore businesses located in communities where they determined they could prosper. They made a commitment to employ capital and utilize it to sustain the business and return a profit to the owners. They paid taxes and fees, hired people, made products or provided services and made a profit. The jurisdiction provided services, roads, schools for employee’s children, recreational opportunities, libraries and a secure environment.
In today’s environment, the new axiom is that government must provide economic stimulus to a business on order to have that business be competitive. Likewise governments operate as if, without an economic stimulus the business will not be attracted to or consider locating within their jurisdiction. Government still provides the same services, but new business is not expected to pay taxes or fees in the same amount that existing business does. Government is misguided under this new axiom, as it is a counterproductive policy. A business success or failure is the responsibility of management and no amount of government assistance can change that. Management decisions should be based on a success driven model not a model of how much can be received in the form of a hand out, especially when the hand out is not a valid consideration.
Government is a not for profit organization. It does not have any funds as a result of its operation other than the money derived from borrowings or grants. It is the taxpayers who are responsible for the interest and debt service of governmental borrowings. Government money comes from its residents. The same residents, who pay income taxes for defense, are now told that they are investing in Harford County’s economy by paying incentives, in addition to all moving costs, for these tax funded defense companies to move here.
The best justification supporting this axiom is that Harford County will not be business friendly if we don’t. Some other county or state will give more and be considered more business friendly. It does not seem to matter that all companies that moved into Harford County did so because their business model required them to collocate with their customers. The proximity to Washington DC, without being in Washington DC, affirms that business will come to Harford County without economic stimulus because this is where they need to be.
Harford County should invest its tax dollars to increase its economy to be business friendly but it must be done under the guidelines described above. Any use of taxpayer funds in this manner requires the strictest adherence to independence and ethical standards. Economic stimulus should never be accepted as a standard method of doing business. Government acting in this manner has too much discretion in choosing who they are going to accept and who they are going to reject. A study should be undertaken to make certain only the enterprises that truly meet the guidelines described above and who fulfill a need in the county are properly considered for any economic development assistance.
Regardless of how we came to this point, as investors, we would like interim and annual reports to know just how well our investments are doing. Justification for this report is that every other public business is required to report on its operations, so should Harford County.
The interim and annual reports should contain the following:
Companies Provided Economic Development Assistance.
1. Total number of companies that moved into Harford County since the program started, arranged by business sector, gross sales, total assets, net income, and number of employees.
Economic Development Assistance in the Form of Loans that Must be Repaid.
1. Total loans made since program started.
2. Total dollars amount of loans made since program started.
3. Total number of loans outstanding.
4. Total dollar amount of loans outstanding.
5. Total number and dollar amount of loans repaid in full.
6. Total number and dollar amount of loans forgiven.
7. Total number and dollar amount of nonperforming loans.
8. Interest rate on all loans and payment requirements for interest.
9. Guarantee, security, and collateral agreements.
Economic Development Assistance in the Form of Loans that do not Have to be Repaid.
1. Total loans made since program started.
2. Total dollars amount of loans made since program started.
3. Total number of loans outstanding.
4. Total dollar amount of loans outstanding.
5. Total number and dollar amount of loans repaid in full.
6. Total number and dollar amount of loans forgiven.
7. Total number and dollar amount of nonperforming loans.
8. Interest rate on all loans and payment requirements for interest.
9. Guarantee, security, and collateral agreements.
Economic Development Assistance in the Form of Training Grants.
1. Description of qualified technical training eligible for grant funding.
2. Total number and dollar amount of training grants.
3. Total number of jobs supported by training grants.
4. Hourly wage of jobs supported.
Economic Development Assistance in the Form of Tax Credits.
1. Total number of companies in receiving tax credits.
2. Total dollar amount of tax credits.
3. Date when tax credits expire.
4. Number of companies still in county after tax credits have expired.
Tax Revenue From Companies Benefitting From all Forms of Economic Development Assistance.
1. Income tax.
2. Real property tax.
3. Personal property tax.
4. Special fees for operating.
Job Creation From Companies Benefitting From all Forms of Economic Development Assistance.
1. Total number of jobs established.
2. Total number of jobs still in the Harford County employment calculations.
3. Total number of Harford County residents employed.
Harford County Annual Budget for Economic Development.
1. Amount of appropriation for economic development for current and preceding five budget periods.
2. Actual appropriation expenditures for economic development for current and preceding five budget periods.
Special Taxing Districts – Tax Increment Financing.
1. Status of land development including amenities at Beechtree Estates.
2. Status of house sold and under construction compared to projections.
3. Status of interest payments on the $14,000,000 bond issue.
4. Status of real property taxes collected and used for bond debt service.
5. Debt service schedule by year.
6. Full accounting of payments from the bond proceeds.
7. Report on period of time the debt retirement must be paid by the developers if property tax revenues cannot meet debt service.
8. Report on bond default or possibility of bond default.
9. Any payments by the County from taxpayer’s funds other than those lawfully allowed for bond debt service.
10. List of all Special Taxing Districts now and under consideration.
Reporting Requirements.
1. The recipient of economic development assistance must provide an annual performance report describing how it met the terms of the assistance.
2. Harford County should be required to document in its annual report a schedule of all appropriation expenditures and if the recipient is in compliance with all terms and conditions.
3. All financial terms should be disclosed along with a statement of exactly what form of assistance was provided whether it is cash, tax abatements, and or loans.
4. Proration of real property tax bills for amount allocated to debt service as in the terms of the TIF and Special Taxing District at Beechtree Estates.
Goals for next year and four years out
Measures of effectiveness used to determine value of the program.
It would be nice to get the answers to these very important issues.
Sincerely,
Joan Ryder
Concerned Citizen
TR says
Good questions Joan. My favorite is the one where you demand to know the budget for OED. Wouldn’t it be nice if the county opened up the budget process and had a series of public input meetings, and if the council’s deliberations on the budget were public meetings. It would also be nice if the approved final budget were posted on the county’s website. Oh wait, they already do that.
The Money Tree says
It’s a darn shame that nearly none of the information requested by Ms. Ryder is found in the budget, nor would ever be discussed during budget formation. That’s the problem here – in this case we know there’s an information gap about what can clearly be very large expenditures – eg. Smith.
frankly speaking says
Most of your questions are found on the county’s budget that was approved by the council which is an elected body representing the taxpayers/citizens of our county. Your lack of understanding of basic incentives to have business invest and grow in our county is quite astonishing considering that you run a business and the county and your business depends on workers having jobs to buy the homes you sell. Many other businesses have gotten state/local loans such as the Bel Air Athletic Club and Bel Air Auto Auction. It their cases it provided seed money to open, expand or improve operations which in the end benefit the county’s economy. I don’t recall any instance where these loans have not been paid back or any instance in which these loans were offered “under the table”. A fair accounting as to how the money is spent and paid back is a fair question. To your point, that you don’t believe that the local govt shouldn’t be involved in creating winners and losers in the county is a philosophical one or a political one and to that end you can run for office and put an end to corporate welfare as you see it. On the other hand, I wonder that if the county was actually losing jobs to neighboring counties would you actually feel the same way, that is to have less borrowers look at your listings for sale?
The Money Tree says
I believe you miss a very important point – the incentive already exists; that being proximity to both Washington, DC, and APG. The legitimate question is why we’d need to throw money at folks that are already moving here or in this most recent case are already here. Since we’re apparently in the business of handing out lots of money as incentives (that in my mind seems unnecessary) at minimum don’t I as a taxpayer have a right to know if we’re getting any sort of return. What’s the tax rate of this company in Edgewood – they’re benefitting from setting up shop in an “empowerment zone” already so they pay little tax. We already subsidize available education at both HCC and the Heat Center. You won’t find the statistical details in the budget and our county leaders have no interest in transparency if putting those numbers into the light irritates HC taxpayers.
Chris says
Harford County DBED has a budget of $2.2 million a year, but those grants and loans do not come from their budget- that money is used toward salaries ($907,000), tourism, scouting, and office supplies. Joan Ryder and Money Tree are right, there is nothing in the county budget that shows how much money is slated to go toward grants or low interest loans. There’s nothing on the DBED website about past or present figures. The nearest I can figure, the money comes from the general fund.
Uncle Benny says
Joan you are very sucessfull in selling houses and should be proud, But David Craig and you are not middle or low class and have no struggles so how much have you donated to charity. The growth of this county and luck are the reason you are who you are. Most of us will not have that opportunity. Again thanks for writing this letter but please do your part in helping people are struggling.
Joan Ryder says
Where is the information? Not in the budget, not in the consolidated annual financial report, not in any other public document. Also, why the defense of a lack of transparency? And why are you against accountability?
noble says
As I understand it, there are two seperate ideas discussed here. The first is the availability of information on expenditures, all of which, as stated above, is freely available to the public.
The second, is your request for more detailed “reporting” and accounting for the ROI for said expenditures.
The second is a laudable and worthy thing to request of our government. The OED should be periodically reporting on the true effectiveness of these expenditures and give some accountability to the process.
To that end, well done and good luck.
Will Parker says
Why don’t you just submit a formal request instead of show boating and complaining? There are procedures in place to do a Public information request. You are just grandstanding on an issue that you do not fully understand.
vseitz says
Why should a private citizen have to go through the expense of time and sometimes cash to obtain what should be easily available for all?
John P. Mallamo says
I agree with Joan Ryder. I hardly consider the questions that Joan Ryder asked to be grandstanding, nor do I consider it appropriate that she is belittled and demeaned for asking them. If previous participants in this forum are that intimidated by the questions, then perhaps there is more to the story that should be pursued.
There is no information in the County budget on funding for the Office of Economic Development, except for the approximate $1.5M for personnel salaries, and benefits and another $900k for operating expenses. Nor is there any detailed analysis of expenditures in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. As an “investor” residing in Harford County I would like to know where does the money come from and where does the money go?
As to making a formal request to get the information, it appears that the DAGGER PRESS has become the communication channel/outlet of choice for matters related to the Office of Economic Development in Harford County. No less than a Councilman, the County Executive and the Chairperson of the Economic Development Advisory board supported the program on the DAGGER PRESS. It would seem reasonable for residents to make their requests for information on the same channel
Mrs. Pat McGrady says
Ms, Ryder, I agree with you. I don’t think loans should be given to ensure a company moving into Harford county. If that is the basis for the county financial stability, we need to have a more transparent and open process to ensure where the funds are going and for what. As you know, if you would try to borrow from a bank for a business than you must provide quite a lot of info, and it ought to be required by the county for taxpayer funded programs.
Your list of questions and items that the county EOD ought to address and make known to all was very complete and positive. Good job!
Thanks for putting it in writing and sharing it with us.
Pat McGrady
Will Parker says
This is not the forum to make demands on the duly elected government.
There are proper channels to request this information. By bypassing those channels and going straight to the “media” is the definition of political grandstanding.
What releases the Dagger does or does not print makes no difference on the proper course of action required to request this information.
Once more it is entirely improper for Joan Ryder ( an elected member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee to continue to imply impropriety in this or any Republican Administration. It is a violation of here fiduciary responsibility. As a republican voter, I am very much displeased with her actions and will file a complaint with the MD Republican Party.
noble says
“The following letter was ***SENT*** by Joan Ryder ***TO HARFORD COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CRAIG***. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication”
Did you catch it that time? Pay attention man, it was only the first sentence of the entire thing.
The Money Tree says
Can’t agree any less. Citizens can question thier government on street corners, blogs, letter to the editor, in person, at a council meeting..it doesn’t matter. They aren’t kings and while decorum is important Ms. Ryder is hardly out of order.
ALEX R says
Will Parker,
I read your post and I read the article. I have no clue how the article led you to your post. Did you read the whole thing? I know that anyone can post almost anything they want to on here but it is really helpful to others and to your own credibility if what you post makes any sense at all. Your post, in my opinion, makes no sense. My advice to you is to first learn the definition of fiduciary responsibility before doing any further complaining to anyone.
I am not always a huge fan of Ms. Ryder – sometimes I am – but her request went to the County Executive and it asks for information that ought to be readily available – information that she shouldn’t even have to bother the CE with a request.
Larry Kramer says
When comments such as those from folks who choose to state a lack of understanding by the contributor and motivations outside that of a concerned citizen are expressed one has to question what is the point of there seemingly meaningless rhetoric. It is obvious that Joan has put much thought and effort in this post and is merely asking the county government to be accountable for spending taxpayers money,for making certain that the program is operated within guidelines, and that the recipients are compliant. Seems a fair request and does not at all warrant such lack of substance contrary opinions.
Joan participates as a concerned citizen offering insightful thoughts on relevant issues. The Dagger is an open forum to reach as many citizens so that we all are more informed about current matters. To this end both Joan and The Dagger help in making our county a better and more transparent government. While hope remains that the county government will respond appropriately, the citizens deserve to know what is being requested from the county.
It is encouraging to see based on the favorable and unfavorable ratings that the citizens are responding with open minds and insight. One should not have to pursue information as requested by Joan through extraordinary means such as the freedom of information act. Mere requests for accountability are not demands on running the county government. It is so amusing to read such thoughtless and unproductive comments by those who will not address the issues and therefore divert attention from substance to foolishness.
To conclude this is about the complete economic development program of Harford County. It is not about procedures regarding requests from Harford County. I commend Joan on continuing to serve Harford County as a leader and as a member of the Republican Central Committee.
Respectfully,
Larry Kramer
John P. Mallamo says
Will Parker
Sir, Ma’am
You present a very interesting though puzzling and contradictory position.
First both elected government officials and the chair of the Economic Development Advisory Board selected the DAGGER PRESS as the channel for communicating on the Office of Economic Development. That was an action they undertook themselves, they established the “proper channel” on this topic, not the DAGGGER PRESS. Private Citizens using that same channel to communicate with elected and appointed officials would seem to be no less appropriate. Therefore, no procedures were bypassed.
I do not interpret anything that Joan Ryder wrote in her article to be a suggestion of impropriety on the part of anybody “in this or any other Republican Administration.” It seems more likely that she is seeking answers as an “investor” in Harford County’s economic development program. Frankly, it is surprising that there is not a publicly distributed report already with all of the information she is seeking.
No doubt that there are respondents on this topic who will make statements and accusations to suppress and intimidate those seeking information by asking legitimate questions. Your post certainly falls within this category. Your suggestions and only piques my curiosity and perhaps the curiosity of others. Just out of curiosity though, would it be acceptable to make a charge of impropriety against a Democratic Administration in a similar situation?
Finally, it is not clear what fiduciary duty Joan Ryder has as an elected member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee and how that fiduciary responsibility is related to the questions posed in her post. Perhaps you would provide an answer to that question.
Campaign4L says
I love when campaign for liberty members write letters then go and pat each other on the back…
frankly speaking says
The Freedom of Information Act can give you most of the answers you seek as far as facts, figures, estimates and projections. Redacted data can also be provided by sending a request to the legal dept for HCG. Joan is just grandstanding, pretending to be concerned about the implied misuse of funds and lack of disclosure to the her, as if responding to her concerns should be a primary concern of the county. FYI, just because you have a republican as the CE doesn’t mean that the Republican club has any say on how to run the county’s business. The county council approved the loan which by the way didn’t come from HCG operating funds and has no risk of default since the money is bonded by the State of Maryland.
Bob says
frankly speaking – Have you ever done a Public Information Act request? I have. Let me tell you and the good people reading this what happened. I requested communications between the County Executives office , Maryland Environmental Services and APG in regards to the waste to energy plant and the proposed Joppa trash transfer station. I was trying to get to the bottom of who cancelled the Waste to Energy contract. Seemed like a simple request. What I got was 6 inches of documents with some info redacted and a statement from the County Lawyer saying documents had been withheld due to EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE! Seems like transparency is not a top priority of our county government.
Mike Welsh says
Absolutely correct. Transparency will never be a priority of government, regardless of what they say. Information is only willingly released when the information is in their favor.
frankly speaking says
emails between employees can never be disclosed in a Freedom of Information Act, unless the request is for a criminal inquiry. You really don’t have the right to know if I made a decision or not, only if criminal behavior was involved. I have used the Act before concerning items of my choosing and most of the time if the request is reasonable, not of a significant cost, specific in scope and relates to an activity which the public can have knowledge of without violating other rights then you would get the information you seek. Your problem may be one that you seek too much information, for an activity that is not covered under the act. For example, if the county doesn’t conduct a cost benefit analysis of the loans, then it would be unreasonable for you to request something that hasn’t been done.
frankly speaking says
Bob- Seldom are decisions such as the waste transfer station done by one person, or if they don’t give you that information by invoking executive privilege, then you can assume that the political office holder made the final choice for either political, economic or best interests of the county based on their senior position as an elected official for which they were elected to do. When I worked for the county, I received a request regarding a procedural or rule decision and I sent them a copy of a manual that is 130 pages thick. Sometimes if you want a better explanation you actually would have to know how some decisions are made according to existing law, rule, procedure or regulation. I never felt inclined to actually explain the decision more that in that if they felt it was wrong to follow up with a judicial inquiry if they felt so inclined. You have the right to sue for redress.
Bob says
frankly speaking – you said ” if they don’t give you that information by invoking executive privilege, then you can assume that the political office holder made the final choice for either political, economic or best interests of the county based on their senior position as an elected official for which they were elected to do.”
You left one out – I could also assume corruption was involved. Yes , I could hire a lawyer to sue for the info that was withheld due to executive privilege , but then I have to pay my lawyer to fight the county lawyer (also paid for by myself and the taxpayers)and go into court.
You are making the point that myself , Joan Ryder , Chris and some of the others are trying to make. The fight that the taxpayers has to put up to get some transparency is outrageous.
Joan Ryder says
Frankly Speaking
Thank you for your insight into the Freedom of Information Act. I have used it in the past to get information. I am always surprised that residents are required to use the process, and pay to obtain information, that they pay taxes to generate, and is readily available.
It is unacceptable that residents should have to resort to the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information on how tax funds are spent. Particularly in this case when the funds being distributed are presented as investment opportunities.
Every new public stock offering that I have seen comes with a prospectus that fully describes the company and provides details of its operation and financial structure. Public companies are required to provide quarterly and annual reports on their activities during the period. Likewise charities are required to report on their operations.
All this information is presented in a format that can be used by investors or donors to determine whether the opportunity presented by the entity is worth pursuing. Most importantly, unless there is a gross misrepresentation by the activity, the funding is traceable. Investors and donors know where the money is going.
As Harford County presents what are being identified as investment opportunities, why don’t we resident stockholders, who are providing the funding, get a prospectus and quarterly and annual reports?
Why should I or any other resident stockholder have to request information and sift through multiple documents to determine where our money goes?
I would certainly like to know what I am investing in. After all, most of these investment opportunities require a public hearing before they are approved. If the public does not have adequate information, then those hearings are not conducted for the benefit of residents who care to make informed statements.
Patrick McGrady says
This is great work. I hope this Administration and future Administrations consider this input when planning transparent and open government operations.
In order for a Republic to operate, the citizens need to trust the reports of those who administer the government.
frankly speaking says
@Joan-the tool to obtain that information is the Freedom of Information Act, perhaps you didn’t know that govt is based on laws this is the applicable law in place for you to get your information. In addition, taxpayers or voters are NOT STOCKHOLDERS but are represented by the county council and do elect them as well as the CE. If you want to argue for a better system of checks and balances when it comes to these loans, that is a fair point, but to argue that the system is somehow required to give you greater access and opportunities because you don’t like the choice made is flat out childish. You can go ahead and run for office and change the way things are done within the county.
The Money Tree says
Seriously…you think a citizen’s only access to what ought to be freely given information is by legal request? I would suggest to you that if a citizen requests information for any official to refuse it and then to suggest it will only be granted upon legal requirement further suggests somebody wants to hide something. With all due respect that sort of mindset works well in facists states but in this country last I heard they work for us – remember?? By the people, for the people, etc., etc., etc.
CptnObvious says
Control of information is control of people.
Works well in China and a few other places.
frankly speaking says
@Money Tree- So you mean to say that anyone for any reason should be able to walk into the administration building and have access to any information they seek? Does this “open book” policy apply to your personal accounts or business with the county? You would have to agree that this policy would be hard to manage, edit private information and determine if the person requesting the information wasn’t actually seeking it for personal gain or to hurt someone such as another taxpayer, voter or resident in the county. What Joan Ryder is requesting is actually not possible in the format she requests, probably because she knows that it doesnt’ exist for public consumption and that’s why she is making an a fuss about it. Just for your entertainment, self-congratulatory and grandiosity of supposed business acumen.
@Ctn- The voices you hear are not real….
CptnObvious says
Most people do not actually enjoy bureaucracy.
John P. Mallamo says
Frankly Speaking
Sir, Ma’am
Harford County is required to maintain a record of their transactions with its residents. Marriage certificates, birth certificates death certificates, tax records, criminal records court records and a laundry list of other assorted records. It is the repository for these records. Is any person or group allowed to walk in and see these records? Yes sir/ma’am they are. That is one of the reasons they are called public records. Can viewing these records provide one person an advantage over another? No doubt it does. It also tends to keep activities honest, as undesirable activities are open to public scrutiny. Most people really would not care that there interactions with the county are available to the public, unless there was something to hide. Would you?
The Money Tree says
Frankly speaking; why yes my communications with the county such as my property tax payments, property information, personal status, inquiries or otherwise are a matter of public record. As a matter of fact, other than personnel records which should have some manner of expectation of privacy other than wanting to hide something can’t think of any reason I’d want to keep any of it secret.
frankly speaking says
there are items that are part of the public record and there are parts that are not part of the public record. I am talking about the ability of anyone whom wishes to do so to be able to access all kinds of information they want/need or use against others. The county probably has access to private information such as date of birth, place of birth, social security numbers of clients, companies, contractors. There are security matters and privacy laws that govern many things that the county has a public business interest that is not open to direct “sunlight” to be viewed, distributed or disclosed. This in response to the idea that anyone that wishes to have any information on county administrative matters can just walk in and have anything they want.
Joan Ryder says
Frankly Speaking
Childish to expect accountability from elected and appointed officials? Childish to expect that I and other residents who fund the operations of government should be able to review the operations of government and determine whether it is in the best interest of the County? Hardly. Your view that government has the right to do as it pleases, in spite of public interest, is a raging issue at local, state, national and international levels. Citizens and residents are very rightfully rebelling against your concept of government.
Your perspective on residents as stockholders and the County Council is interesting. In recent posts on the DAGGER POST the incentive program has been called an investment, and a necessary action to make Harford County business friendly. Regardless of how this program is described it distributes taxpayer funds to private ventures.
The parallels between Harford County government and private business are too strong to ignore. Private investors put their money into a company. That company has a board of directors in most cases elected by the shareholders. The Board of Directors oversees the company and exists for the benefit of the shareholders. The board presents various topics to its shareholders and asks for a vote. Shareholders can present their own issues and request a vote. Financial matters are reported in annual and interim reports, and the financial status is audited. In Harford County we have the County Council that is elected and represents residents in defined districts. Public hearings are scheduled on various topics to provide the public an opportunity to provide input on the topic. Some activities are audited and reports are publically available. The big difference is in your premise that residents should not be given information on government operations. Your premise seems to be that the input from Harford County residents is not relevant, and therefore the County Administration should not provide pertinent information. The extension of your premise is that government exists for its own benefit, residents are not important.
I am well aware that government is based on laws. The Freedom of Information Act is a product of the 60’s and was established to prevent government from hiding its operations. It was intended to allow citizens to compel their government to provide information. It has become a bureaucratic device that allows government to limit access, and so is not as effective as it was intended. It was never intended to be the default process for providing information.
The more relevant law that governs this situation is the Harford County Code. Section 9-188 E. Identifies the Powers and Duties of the Office of Economic Development. That section is very clear that the Office of Economic Development is required to “Cooperate with any interested private concern, civic organization or subdivision thereof in furtherance of its purposes”
frankly speaking says
Joan- you just explained the clearly defined process by which elected officials get to make the decisions based on the trust of the voters. There are public hearings, notices and public meetings regarding most operations of HCG. You can have the opportunity to have your voice heard and your displeasure voiced, if you so wish. The govt works for the best interests of the community, even if it doesn’t always work for an individuals best interest. Your demands are unreasonable because you want something that clearly is not spelled out in the law, otherwise the county would comply and provide it in a public forum. Do you have any proof that the county hasn’t complied with the law? If you have suspicion or evidence that the county has acted above and beyond the law, regulation or procedure, I am sure that you can seek judicial redress of the matter. The county is not obligated to give you open access to matters of administration as the Maryland Constitution gives the County Charter the right to self-rule on matters where the state has given the county the right to administer. This power comes from the PEOPLE and you have the right to vote them out of office and elect government officials that see things as you do.
Mrs. Pat McGrady says
Frankly Speaking, Your comments to Ms.Ryder show how much she does understand the process and how much you see her point, the value and need for citizen awareness and input. I think that the info that is requested is part of the county’s elected officials job description. The EOD is an appointed, not elected office and therefore has to be accessible by the people paying their salaries, don’t you think?
The Smith Co. is welcome to Harford county, I wish that the giant loan was not bestowed upon them by both the county and state. I keep thinking that Mr.Obama’s opinion about the “small businesses were built by Govt. help” and that is so reflected in this loan/grant.
Mrs. Pat McGrady says
Frankly Speaking, Your comments to Ms.Ryder show how much she does understand the process and how much you see her point, the value and need for citizen awareness and input. I think that the info that is requested is part of the county’s elected officials job description. The EOD is an appointed, not elected office and therefore has to be accessible by the people paying their salaries, don’t you think?
The Smith Co. is welcome to Harford county, I wish that the giant loan was not bestowed upon them by both the county and state. I keep thinking that Mr.Obama’s opinion about the “small businesses were built by Govt. help” and that is so reflected in this loan/grant.
frankly speaking says
Joan-More so, a stockholder in a company doesn’t have the right to all the company’s information. Company’s too have a process by which they release information to their shareholders but ultimately the board of directors/CEO makes the choices for the company and the stockholder can either voice their opinion, sell the stock or elect people that will follow a different corporate path. I think you request is probably outside of the bounds of the law and therefore the county doesn’t have to provide it, but of course what you really want is to make a fuss about it because you already know full well that you can’t get the sort of information you request because either 1-it doesn’t exist, 2-is not provided in the manner you request. But I’ll give you a hint as to how most grants work:
Find out what entity provided the funding for the loans
If federal funds were used, a Logic Model needs to be completed and supplied to the funding authority. You can ask for the logic model in its specific grant and format. It measures outcomes, total proposed goals and targets to be met with the loan.
The model won’t give you specific information by company, entity or personal record (privacy, proprietary or confidential information) but it would give you information such as defaulted loans, number of loans, and other data that you ask for in a non-specific format.
If the grant is by the state of MD, you can get this information from the regulating agency in charge to oversee it or the Office of the Comptroller whom is entrusted in the state to audit each agency and program under its care.
Joan Ryder says
Frankly Speaking
We seem to have closed a circle in our discussions. Your first response on this topic was that my questions, and inferred answers, could be found in the budget, a public document. It appears that answers to my questions are not in the County budget or any other document that the County has published. Your next response was that the method to obtain the information was through the Freedom of Information Act, which may be true. Other respondents debated the utility of this process and you defended it vigorously, and maybe successfully. Nonetheless, it is a sad commentary on the process the residents of this County must go through to obtain information on how their government operates. By the way, in that same post, you alluded to minimal risk of repayment on a loan, perhaps that loan to Smiths detection. That was not a loan, it will be forgiven, it is not intended to be paid back so there will be no loss. It is a give away.
In your most recent response you have stated with great certitude that the information is either 1. Not available or 2. Not available in the desired format. Sadly, this may be more the case, the former more so than the latter. While you may not be the County’s designated spokesperson on this or other topics, you have admitted to having worked for the County. Whether you still do or not, and whether you still have access to information or not, you are still very much aware of what information may or may not be available. Your insight has been most beneficial, and is greatly appreciated. I still consider my questions to be relevant and may well follow your advice to seek answers under the Freedom of Information Act.
It is indeed unfortunate when the government entity charged with administering tax dollars can not provide even basic information, much less an analysis of its operations. Surely those operations and their related information cannot be that sensitive that the people who pay for them do not have access to how that money is spent. Moreover, it really seems to trivialize the public hearings that the County Council conducts to gather input from Harford County residents. It begs the question WHO KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY GOES?
frankly speaking says
@joan- I don’t work for the county, but I had dealings with local govts from time to time for either personal or business. Indeed, the county will follow the law as it is written. When I did work in govt, people would show up from time to time demanding to see, inspect, inquire about, complain and verbally request information without an explanation as to motive (people do sue the county from time to time-I don’t think if would be wise to have a policy where the county can just give out sensitive information to increase the taxpayers liability). while it is clear that we differ in the manner in which information should be released (your process vs. the current one) I do believe that the taxpayer has a right to know as much information as the law allows. Any policy which in essence creates as open book/open door policy would be harder to manage as different folks want information in different ways, different motives and political/economic or unknown. Remember that this would apply to first responder, emergency operations, administration, security and any other activity that the govt is involved. More than any other time in our history we have people with less than honest inquiries, terrorism and the ability to create more damage with sensitive information due to the internet, electronic transmissions and wireless communication. I would propose a better way in which the govt could share, release or keep the taxpayer abreast of many outcomes from programs as this information is collected and has already been cleared for release. Of course, that may not apply to current programs but it would be a start.
Mike says
Thank you Joan! Harford County is rife with good ole’ boy croneyism and the use of TIF funds is a great example. i.e.:Clark Turner received $14,000,000 for his Beechtree project while he was in the midst of a $4,000,000 lawsuit by the community of Waters Edge for serious construction deficiencies and code violations overlooked by County inspectors.
The TIF process arguably leads to favoritism for politically connected developers, implementing lawyers, economic development officials and others involved in the process.
On October 16th there will be a County Council Hearing regarding TIF funds for the James Run Project. One of the pricipals is Cushman and Wakefield, one of the largest privately held real estate developers in the world, with their own broad range of services including investment management and access to capital markets. Why do they need help from the taxpayers in Harford County? Their projections for payback to the county are based on a tailwind, a down hill course and a frictionless surface.
It is time that the County Council be held accountable for giving away tax dollars based on fictitious future payback.