Vermont General Fund tax revenues above target; Transportation and Education fall below
Transportation FundSecretary Spaulding also reported on the results for the non-dedicated Transportation FundRevenue for December. Total non-dedicated Transportation Fund receipts of $15.62 million forthe month were below target by -$1.16 million (-6.94%), against the monthly target of $16.78million. The year to date non-dedicated Transportation revenue was $104.62 million versus thetarget of $104.60 million (+$0.01 million, +0.01%).Individual Transportation Fund revenue receipts components for December were: Gasoline Tax,$4.78 million or -8.49% behind target; Diesel Tax, $1.20 million or -33.73% below target; MotorVehicle Purchase & Use Tax, $3.98 million or +12.76% above target; Motor Vehicle Fees, $4.59million or -0.20% short of target; and Other Fees, $1.07 million or -34.02% below the monthlytarget. The December year to date Transportation Fund revenue results were: Gasoline Tax,$31.62 million or -1.47% short of target, Diesel Tax, $7.37 million or -4.56% behind target;Motor Vehicle Purchase & Use Tax, $24.38 million or +1.79% ahead of target; Motor VehicleFees, $33.21 million or +3.15% above target; and Other Fees, $8.03 million or -7.00% short oftarget.Secretary Spaulding also reported on the results for the Transportation Infrastructure Bond Fund(’TIB’). TIB Fund Gas receipts for December were $1.21 million or -9.89% below target; yearto date receipts of $8.30 million were -1.40% short of target. TIB Fund Diesel receipts were$0.15 million or -32.59% behind target for the month; year to date TIB Diesel receipts were$0.87 million or -6.28% short of the target. TIB Fund receipts are noted below the followingtable: Education FundThe ‘non-Property Tax’ Education Fund revenues (which constitute approximately 11.9% of thetotal Education Fund sources) were released today by Secretary Spaulding. The non-PropertyTax Education Fund receipts for December totaled $11.93 million, or -$0.06 million (-0.47%)short of the $11.99 million target for the month. Year to date Education Fund revenues were$74.97 million or -0.39% behind the year to date target of $75.26 million.The individual Education Fund revenue component results for December were: Sales & Use Tax, $8.49million, or -2.10% below target; Motor Vehicle Purchase & Use Tax, $1.99 million or +12.76%; LotteryTransfer, $1.45 million or -5.31%; and Education Fund Interest, under $0.01 million against a target of$0.02 million (-78.11%). Year-to-date results were: Sales & Use Tax, $53.61 million or -0.12%; MotorVehicle Purchase & Use Tax, $12.19 million or +1.79%; Lottery Transfer, $9.14 million or -3.76%; andEducation Fund Interest, $0.03 against a target of $0.11 million (-75.90%). Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding released the December 2010 General Fund Revenue results today. December is the sixth month of fiscal year (FY) 2011. Driven mostly by strong results in corporate tax receipts, General Fund revenues totaled $101.86 million for December 2010, and were +$3.46 million or +3.51% above the $98.40 million consensus revenue forecast for the month.The month of December General Fund Revenue reported in the table below includes a reduction of $2.30 million in the ‘Other’ category. This adjustment reflects a special one-year only revenue receipt not included in the Consensus Revenue Forecast; the $2.3 million was corrected cumulatively in the month of December for activity in prior months. Net of this adjustment, year-to-date General Fund receipts of $549.38 million were +$19.93 million, or +3.76% ahead of year-to-date target of $529.45 million. Additional information about this adjustment may be found in the footnote on Attachment 1.The monthly targets reflect the revised Fiscal Year 2011 Consensus Revenue Forecast approvedby the Emergency Board at their July 14, 2010 meeting. December 2010 is the last month thatwill be compared to the July 2010 Consensus Revenue Forecast. The Emergency Board will beadopting a revised Consensus Revenue Forecast at their meeting scheduled for January 14, 2011.Statutorily, the State is required to revise the Consensus Revenue Forecast two times per year, inJanuary and July; the Emergency Board may schedule interim revisions if deemed necessary.Personal Income Tax (PI) receipts are the largest single state revenue source, and are reported Net-of-Personal Income Tax refunds. Personal Income Tax receipts for December were recorded at $52.88million, or +$1.53 million or +2.98% above the monthly target of $51.35 million.Corporate Income Taxes for December are also reported net-of refunds. The December receipts wererecorded at $18.34 million, or +$8.16 million or +80.19% above the monthly target of $10.18 million.Secretary Spaulding noted that, ‘The increase in Corporate Estimates activity over the first half of fiscalyear 2011 was a surprise in that it did not appear to be tied to any discrete improvement in corporateprofitability or any other macroeconomic factor that is currently understood. This activity thereforerepresented an unusual increase that needs to prove itself sustainable over time before these revenues areto be incorporated into the revenue forecast baseline.’The consumption taxes experienced mixed results for December; Sales & Use Tax receipts of$16.98 million fell short of the monthly target by -$0.36 million (-2.10%), while Rooms & MealsTax receipts of $7.83 million exceeded target by +$0.09 million (+1.15%).The year to date results for the four major General Fund categories are as follows: PersonalIncome Tax, $267.53 million (+1.16%); Sales & Use Tax, $107.22 million (-0.12%); Meals &Rooms Tax, $63.22 million (+0.13%); and Corporate, $44.62 million (+68.85%).The remaining tax components include Insurance, Inheritance & Estate Tax, Real PropertyTransfer Tax, and ‘Other’ (which includes: Bank Franchise Tax, Telephone Tax, Liquor Tax,Beverage Tax, Fees, and Other Taxes). The adjusted results for the month of December were asfollows: Insurance Tax, $1.32 million (-13.23%); Estate Tax, $0.49 million (-66.83%); PropertyTransfer Tax, $0.68 million (-18.45%); and ‘Other’, $3.36 million (-57.91%). As adjusted, yearto date results for these categories were: Insurance Tax, $17.45 million (+6.29%); Estate Tax,$5.68 million (-29.11%); Property Transfer Tax, $4.13 million (-13.79%); and ‘Other’, $39.52million (+1.71%). 
ConclusionSecretary Spaulding explained that, ‘Comments and analysis on the state of the economy andrevenue results will be presented in detail by the State’s two economists at this weeks’Emergency Board Meeting on Friday, January 14, 2011. In summary, we are pleased to seeimprovement in the General Fund and we await Friday’s revised revenue outlook.’
Dear Mountain Mama, Recently a pregnancy test came back with the tell-tale two pink lines. While I’m thrilled about having a baby, I’m not stoked about the next months of being pregnant. Does this mean I have to give up paddling? Any tips on how to kayak while pregnant?Thanks,Preggers———————————————————Dear Preggers,Congratulations on your pregnancy! The magical journey to motherhood begins now, and be prepared to be amazed at your body’s ability to grow and nurture another being. During the months ahead you might be more tired than usual, be held hostage by pregnancy hormones, and eat more than ever before. Now, more than ever, listen to your body.If your body (and mind) want to paddle, get your doctor’s approval before putting on the rivers. I believe that the best gift we can give to our children is the parts of ourselves that make us unique. Chances are if you’re a paddler, being near and on rivers make you a more enjoyable person. And in time, you’ll want to introduce your little one to the sport of kayaking and the river community. But you can only do that if you keep paddling a part of your life.All too often moms feel they must give up their personal time in order to be better moms. I don’t think anything could be further from the truth. When taking care of babies, household chores, office work, and other relationships compete for time, the first thing to go are the parts of our lives that give us bliss.Start protecting that sacred time when you get to paddle now while you’re pregnant. I paddled until I was eight months pregnant. Paddling is a non-weight bearing sport, so being in a kayak often felt like respite from my otherwise now-cumbersome belly. I felt wobbly on a bike. I felt like an elephant running. I felt off-balanced in yoga. But in a kayak, I felt like me.During her ninth month of pregnancy, Emily Jackson took first place in women’s freestyle at the Payette River Games in Cascade, Idaho. Her pregnancy was low-risk with zero complications, so her doctor gave her the nod to keep doing what her body was accustomed to do. And that’s important to remember – Emily is a world-class paddler who is used to kayaking hard every day.As for you Preggers, keep paddling as long as your doctor and body tell you it’s okay. You’ll be starting you little bundle of joy on his or her own lifelong love affair in the process.Here’s to raising a ripper!Mountain Mama
“There’s a word for ‘people who are in there heads too much’: thinkers.” ~ Mahatma GandhiSharing quiet time might just be the best gift we can give. The holidays can be a whirlwind of visiting relatives and catching up with loved ones, the days filled with chatter and carols. Sometimes the best way we can make sure we’re present for all the festivities is by taking time out to replenish our souls. It’s easy to feel selfish for turning inward during the holidays, but going for a run, paddle, or ski might just be the best way to sift through our thoughts and digest family drama.This year, I’m giving the gift of quiet. I’m trying to take note of the people on my list who need a break and carving it out for them, whether it means offering to watch their kids for a few hours or helping out with chores. There’s no better way than a long run to, as T.S. Elliot put it, “prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” If we’re all honest, there’s that one relative that strains our smile. Dealing with family tension can bring out the Grinch in all of us. The opportunity to turn inward gives us a reprieve from the expectations of the season.When the pace feels too hectic, turn it down a notch. Give yourself permission to amble, stroll, and linger. If your work-out plans involve meeting up with others, don’t worry about filling every silence with chatter. The pressure to start talking with the first stride, have your running partner laughing by the first mile, and ensuring by the time you finish that your friend is wondering where the time went isn’t necessary.Sometimes the best gift we can give is quiet when we are spending time with our loved ones during the holidays. Running side-by-side in silence can be the best of both worlds – having the companionship of friends sharing the experience with you, but free to be alone with your thoughts. Taking a break from talking offers the gift of listening to the sound of silence, which turns out not to be so quiet after all. Quiet is a catalyst and solitude is responsible for innovations from Van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of personal computers. We live in a society that admires the outgoing and encourages the gregarious, but there’s another way, the way of the quiet, the cerebral, the unassuming.This season, listen more than you talk. Better yet, give the gift of silence.
The fact is, podcasting is a less crowded space to jump into to get noticed by your audience. (I could end the article there, but I have more to tell you).Podcasting has the free-form feel that resonates with an audience. And the stats show the upward trend of a growing listening audience. According to Statista, in 2008 nine percent of the U.S. population listened to a podcast every month. In 2014, it’s grown to 15 percent.And get this, totalpicture.com reports that “two-thirds of podcast consumers have listened to digital audio files in their vehicles by connecting an iPod or other MP3 player to their car audio system.” Personally, I have my earbuds in about seven hours each day to catch up on podcasts or listening to streaming music. That’s how I function and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.So, what equipment to you need to record a podcast? Because I like to be mobile most of the time, I tend to record using my iPhone or iPad with an Apogee Mic attached and uploaded it straight into Soundcloud. Now if you’re looking for a bit better studio quality recording, this is where you’ll spend most of your budget:Mic and mic stand, mixer, digital recorder, headphones, software (Final Cut ProX, Adobe Creative Studio, GarageBand, platform (Bossjock, Soundcloud) to upload to iTunes.There are high-end and cheaper models of everything. In case you’re interested, I’ve only ever paid for a mic, mic stand, Bossjock, Soundcloud and GarageBand.Podcasting should always feel like a regular conversation, but know that all of the best podcasts are either well outlined and/or partially scripted. It’s not all just improvised. Write up the key points you want to make and agree on how much time you’ll spend on each topic. Also, decide who’ll introduce everyone, who’ll bridge between topics and who’ll close the show.Finally, when do you release your podcast to the public? There’s not really a great bit of data on when to release it because we all listen to podcasts when we want to. The key here is to release your podcast on the same day every week, two weeks, month – whenever. As long as you’re consistent about it, you’re audience will know what day to download it and they’ll listen later.I thought the Social Media Examiner explained podcasting rather well by saying, “Podcasts are a multitask platform that allows people to give you 20 minutes or so of their time every day or week to listen to you. It’s very intimate and listeners get to know you at a deeper level.”The personal connection of podcasting is amazingly simple, because your personality comes out when you talk – duh! And that can be branding gold for your credit union! Next time, we can talk about how to gain advertisers for your podcast. 18SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Michael Ogden Michael has been in the social media business for more than a decade inside the credit union, technology, financial and food industries. He’s the founder of For3, LLC, which … Web: www.for3forgood.com Details
Following years of regulatory inspections, allegations of fraud and lawsuits, John Dee Carruth, president/CEO of the $598 million, Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based Alabama One Credit Union, said he has proof of a state government conspiracy against him, several of his colleagues and his financial institution.Carruth shared dozens of emails, depositions and other documents with CU Times, which he said is evidence that attorney Justice D. “Jay” Smyth, III conspired with his political friends to force Alabama One to settle lawsuits for millions of dollars. continue reading » 8SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
81SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Austin Wentzlaff Austin J. Wentzlaff joined OnApproach in 2013 as a Business Development Analyst and is now currently Director of Business Development. He is responsible for developing marketing strategies, driving prospects to … Web: www.onapproach.net Details By now it’s clear, data and data analytics is an extremely important growth area for credit unions. Behind it all, there is one main motive – monetizing data to its fullest extent. There is tremendous value to be unlocked from data, and with it, tremendous money to be made by monetizing it. However, the burning question in the credit union world is: Whose Data is it Anyway?There are a lot of “solutions” out there to help credit unions leverage data to their fullest extent. Whether it be an analysis on the loan portfolio to increase net interest margin or a next best product analysis to increase the number of products per member. All are extremely beneficial to the credit union’s top line, bottom line, and members. Yet, how we get to these analytic outputs is extremely crucial.There are several different options with pros and cons to each. Instead of going into detail of each path a credit union could take, the focus should be on what’s important – the data. It is easy to find a company that has a “solution” and wants “help” analyze your data but the fundamental question to ask is: “Do they want to help me (my credit union), or do they just want my data?”.Making this distinction is an important first step in the data analytics journey. The credit union should be focused on monetizing their own data and not giving that data away to someone else to monetize it for themselves and their own benefit. The fact of the matter is everyone wants your data. What company wouldn’t? It’s some of the most valuable data out there – where your members shop, how much they spend, what types of vehicles they have, or what their credit scores are, etc.Instead of giving away the value of its data, a credit union must figure out a means to monetize that data for itself. The data in the credit union industry should STAY in the credit union industry. Though establishing the means (mainly infrastructure and resources) to do this is no easy task. It’s out of the reach for most credit unions, but there are CUSOs that allow credit unions to do so.The question of “Whose Data is it Anyway” has a simply answer: the data should be owned by credit unions and the credit union industry. Instead of giving valuable data away, credit unions need to come together in the form of a CUSO to help manage, store, analyze, and most importantly, monetize their data together. No third party, non-credit union, or non-CUSO should own the credit union data. Data is the asset of the future and the industry needs to band together to ensure this valuable asset stays within the industry and is not taken by some company with ulterior motives.The simple answer to “Whose data is it anyway” is: It’s yours. Make sure partners understand that the data and analytics outputs belong to your credit union, your members, and the credit union industry in general; not someone else for their own benefit.
U četvrtak, 28.rujna 2017.godine otvoren je prva europski festival hotelskih operacija HOW u Falkensteiner hotelu Iaderi u Zadru.Velike tvrtke ulažu u nove trendove i stvaraju posve novo i drugačije ugostiteljstvo, zaključak je prvog dana HOW Festivala, koji okuplja srednji menadžment- direktore hotela, voditelje hotelskih odjela i direktore operacija, a izuzetno veliki broj sudionika je pokazao interes te je HOW već u prvoj godini organiziranja okupio preko 500 osoba!Centralna panel diskusija nakon otvorenja HOW Festivala 2017 okupila je tri vrhunska stručnjaka koji su svoju karijeru u potpunosti posvetili hotelskoj industriji. Panel, vođen moderatoricom i organizatoricom HOW Festivala, Marinom Franolić, zaintrigirao je publiku, u kojoj su nove načine međunarodnog hotelskog poslovanja željeli iz prve ruke saznati svi sudionici- ugostitelji, hotelijeri, mali, srednji i veliki poduzetnici čiji je biznis usko vezan uz ovu brzorastuću granu gospodarstva.Edwin Broers, regionalni potpredsjednik CEE, Wyndham Hotel Group, istaknuo je važnost motivacije nove generacije kao gostiju, ali i hotelijera. Broersova vizija novog poslovanja u hotelijerstvu nalazi se u suradnji velikih hotelskih lanaca s online turističkim agencijama i njihovoj sinergiji. Biznis modeli se, kako navodi, rapidno i intenzivno mijenjaju i hotelska industrija se mora prilagoditi gostima i ulagati u marketing za privlačenje zaposlenika.Jacques Morand, potpredsjednik SEE Hyatt Hotels & Resort na najviše mjesto poslovanja stavlja iskustvo gosta. Visoka kvaliteta usluge, što uključuje i prepoznavanje potreba svakog gosta i odgovaranje na te potrebe u pravom trenutku, stvara odanost. Hotelski posao, bez obzira na tehnologiju kojom unaprjeđuju samu uslugu, treba se raditi s puno emocije i osjećaja. Naš redoviti gost, naš je član obitelji.Frank Reul, Voditelj razvoja Orbis/Arccorhotels EE, kao recept uspjeha u praćenu novih gostiju i novih trendova kaže: “Naša je zadaća da predvidimo što naš gost želi i prije nego on sam to zaželi.” U ostvarenju takve hotelijerske mehanike, pomažu podaci koje korisnici sami svojevoljno daju, te time pomažu hotelijerima da daju bolju uslugu. Hoteli, kažu Reul, su bili uspavani u vrijeme kad je Booking počeo a sad je vrijeme da svom gostu daju izbor da svoj smještaj rezerviraju kad god žele, gdje god žele.Imaš li strasti za posao koji radiš, složili su se sugovornici, onda si pobjednik. Bez strasti, trebaš razmišljati o drugom poslu. Rekli bi da to vrijedi za sve generacije i trend je koji u uspješnom poslovanju nikad ne prestaje.
75 Monaco Street Broadbeach Waters“I travelled back and forth for three years but it was time we moved closer to work and the children’s schools,” the father-of-two said. “We make weekend trips to the Gold Coast as much as we can.” 77 Monaco Street Broadbeach WatersThe boss of South Australian property development company Urban Construct, who is now based in Brisbane’s George St, described the home as the work of a perfectionist. 75 Monaco Street Broadbeach WatersDesigned by architect Bayden Goddard, the residence has a dramatic entry onto a broad marble catwalk surrounded by tiled reflection pools leading to a glass foyer. g75 Monaco Street Broadbeach WatersWith luxury finishes, the four-bedroom Broadbeach home has a chef’s kitchen and large open-plan living areas that flow out to the resort-style infinity pool terrace which is flanked with twin dining pavilions. 75 Monaco Street Broadbeach WatersTHIS stunning Monaco St mansion might have more marble than Italy and an endless list of out-of-this world features, but owner James Rice said it was the little things he loved about it. 
75 Monaco Street Broadbeach Waters“As a developer I have a lot of experience in building and design,” the former BRW rich-lister said. More from news02:37Purchasers snap up every residence in the $40 million Siarn Palm Beach North11 hours ago02:37International architect Desmond Brooks selling luxury beach villa1 day ago“But when I bought this home in 2011 it wasn’t until after our family settled in when I started noticing the calibre of detail. The attention to detail is down to the power points – it is the little things that make all the difference.” 75 Monaco Street Broadbeach WatersFloor-to-ceiling bi-fold glass doors and white plantation shutters create ventilation throughout the home with a contemporary style Mr Rice summed up as “timeless”. “Sometimes when people design homes they get carried away with all the new trends but with this home there is just the right amount of unique that won’t age,” he said. 75 Monaco Street Broadbeach Waters“It is very sophisticated. I have never turned the airconditioning on – that is a sign of good design.” Mr Rice, the developer of Carrara’s Emerald Lakes, now lives in New Farm with his wife and two children. He said the commute from Gold Coast to Brisbane had become too much. 
DNV GL has invited industry partners to start a Joint Industry Project (JIP) for improving the collection and assessment of site conditions data for offshore wind farms.Aiming to increase the efficiency of collecting site conditions, the new JIP will work with stakeholders from across the wind industry. The knowledge generated from the JIP is planned to be ultimately incorporated in a DNV GL recommended practice.The design of an offshore wind farm is dependent on the quality of the calculated site conditions used to derive the design parameters. To achieve an optimal quality in data collection and assessment, extensive and costly investigations are needed at a very early stage of the development, long before final investment decision is made. A recommended practice will allow stakeholders to improve their planning, investigation and design, DNV GL said.“The development of this recommended practice will create an industrial consensus on an agreed set of practices to follow for the analysis of the system and its validation. This will allow stakeholders to increase transparency and reduce the risk in the early phases of the development,” said Kim Moerk, Executive Vice President for Renewables Certification at DNV GL.The company said that incorporating the experience and objectives of stakeholders along the wind energy value chain will add significant value for all parties involved. They will be able to contribute and influence the development of the assessment criteria to ensure their concerns are covered, practices are acknowledged and the objectives of all stakeholders are met. The involvement provides early access and insight into the results, ensuring participants are best prepared for its implementation, DNV GL stated.
The next stage of the North Portsea Island Coastal Defense scheme is now underway, according to the Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership (ESCP).As reported, work on the first stage, Kendall’s Wharf, began on 25th November 2019 and will continue until Spring 2020.This will include the construction of an earth embankment and wall, as well as raising the access road into Kendall’s Wharf.ESCP also announced that the site compound due to be installed from the 25th November 2019 will be located adjacent to Aggregate Industries and the construction work will be carried out by Mackley.A planning application for the second stage of the work at Eastern Road was submitted in September 2019. Subject to planning approval, the work is planned to begin in April 2020.The work at Kendall’s Wharf and Eastern Road will tie in with the defenses already built at Anchorage Park to the North and Milton Common to the South. The previous phase at Tipner Lake is now complete and reopened to the public in September.The next set of defenses, the fourth of five phases which make up the £58m North Portsea Island Coastal Defense Scheme, has been split into two sections: Kendall’s Wharf and Eastern Road.The second section, Eastern Road, involves the construction of a sea wall along 2.1km of coastline at Eastern Road.