(Editor’s note: a high-resolution PDF version of this story can be found in CRI’s Special Reports section.) A nine-month investigation by the Caesar Rodney Institute has uncovered lucrative no-show jobs and no-bid contracts for campaign donors, allegations of fraud and a systemic misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars. By Lee Williams Attorney Steve Kinion receives [...]
Archive for the ‘Budget’ Category
Delaware Dept. of Insurance: Not in the public interest
Posted in Budget, Economy, FOIA, Government Spending, State Spending on March 30, 2010 | 18 Comments »
If the Founders Wrote the 2011 Budget
Posted in Budget on February 14, 2010 | 5 Comments »
Probably the last time in our history people thoughtfully considered the purpose of government was during its formation. While forming the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution ample time was spent determining the form of government. The idea of limited federal government was considered critical to maintaining individual freedom and [...]
Shifting Sands: Delaware Personal Income
Posted in Budget, Delaware, Economy, Jobs on February 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Guest Post from Dr. John E. Stapleford, member of the Caesar Rodney Institute’s Board of Directors. As the state of Delaware enters into budget negotiations for the coming fiscal year, the health of Delaware’spersonal income looms large. The personal income tax provides 35% of the state’s general fund revenues. How has personal income in Delaware [...]
French Fries Anyone?
Posted in Budget, Delaware, Economy, Free Markets, Government Spending, Spending, State Spending, Transparency on February 6, 2010 | 5 Comments »
In a recent edition of the Wilmington News Journal (Tuesday, Feb 2 2010), we were reintroduced to the saga of the table top French Fry machine which claimed its fame last year when it received $50,000 from Delaware’s FY 2010 Bond Bill in a rather conspicuous fashion. The back story on the machine’s inventor, Fry [...]
School District Consolidation Could Save $50M in Delaware
Posted in Budget, Delaware, Education, Performance Review, School Consolidation, Sunlight on Schools on December 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
A report released by State Auditor Tom Wagner estimates that the state can save approximately $50.1 million by consolidating the state’s 19 school districts into four districts. The report analyzes the cost savings that could occur if the General Assembly passes Senate Bill 95 sponsored by Senator Karen Peterson and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group [...]
House Leaders to Governor: Embrace Transparency and Cooperation is Shaping Budget
Posted in Budget, State Spending, Transparency on October 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
By State House Minority Leader Richard Cathcart & State House Minority Whip Dan Short Just a few months ago, our state closed what was arguably the most difficult budget cycle in state history, bridging a financial gap measured in the hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars and enacting a balanced budget. That enormous task was accomplished with bipartisan cooperation and, [...]
Promising news from NCCo
Posted in Budget, Government Spending, New Castle County Council on August 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
After the tax hikes that came out of New Castle County a few weeks ago, it’s promising to see their recently released report of a smaller-than-previously-projected budget deficit for FY2010. To be fair, it’s hardly the best possible news (after all, there is still a $7 million budget deficit unaddressed) for the county, but it’s [...]
COPS Funding for Wilmington
Posted in Budget, Government Spending, State Spending, Wilmington on August 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
After a lengthy delay, Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker announced yesterday that the city would be accepting some 3.5 million dollars in federal stimulus funds, with the intent to hire an additional 16 police officers. The funds are supposed to cover the 16 positions for 3 years, with the city required to keep the officers [...]
State Checkbook?
Posted in Budget, Markell, Transparency on July 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, July 30th, marked the somewhat arbitrary (not really the end of the month) self-imposed deadline for Gov. Markell to post the state’s checkbook in a searchable format online, as promised in May. As of this posting, on the 31st, there is nothing on Delaware’s website hinting that the database as been launched, or really [...]
At the expense of schools? No way.
Posted in Budget, Delaware, Education on July 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Caesar Rodney Institute and other like-minded organizations and individuals have consistently called for the state to balance its budget via cuts in spending rather than tax hikes. Legislators debated their options and eventually decided upon a pseudo-compromise, cutting state workers’ pay by instituting five paid days off and agreeing to continue to eliminate unnecessary [...]
