Thursday, February 19, 2009

Public Records Request to the Mayor

Dear Mayor Menino:

You have pledged to be transparent in this year's budget process. However, I asked a simple question of your chief budget officer over two weeks ago
about how much money the City of Boston is collecting interest on, and what debt service we have. Since I was not able to ascertain that information
through the normal channels of just asking a simple constituent question, I will now need to make a formal Public Records Request. As you are aware,
these requests need to be answered within 10 business days.

1) A copy of any and all of the most recent monthly financial accounts that the City of Boston maintains that shows the amount of money and assets on hand and the interest
rates that we are receiving on that money. Please include all short term and long term money accounts that we hold.

2) Please provide any and all copies of financial instruments that the City owes to outside sources. Please include the documentation which indicates what interest rate
the city is paying on the money we owe.


I look forward to your response. I am hoping that if more financial professionals get a chance to look at these items that ideas on how we can lower our debt and increase
our revenue might be able to help with the budget issues.

Thank you in advance,

Kevin McCrea
218 West Springfield Street
Boston, MA 02118

1 comment:

theszak said...

a. Government Documents.
Not the same public documents, but doesn't Boston Public Library Government Documents Division http://bpl.org/research/govdocs have a few related materials in the BPL Boston government documents collections?, email govdocs at bpl.org or tel 617-536-5400 Former City Council candidate John Devine there is knowledgeable about the Boston documents collections.

b. Comptroller. Treasurer.
Is there a comptroller or treasurer's office at city hall that still puts out the 30 or 50 page printed 8 1/2 x 11 staplebound quarterly data or annual data?... It's a document compiled from that office, not by the Mayor's Office.

c. Public Records Division
After 10 days, please followup sending a copy of the request to the Public Records Division, email pre at sec.state.ma.us http://www.sec.state.ma.us/
arc/arcrmu/rmuidx.htm