Windfalls and Shortfalls in the City of Fort Wayne budgets

The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Relations Commission's budget has had its ups and downs, when the overall city's budget has increased steadily over the year. Metro budget for 2004 was $547,468, in 2005 it was $ 621,940 and 2006 the submitted budget total was $ 665,901, according to one report. But according to another report the 2004 budget was $593, 527. And another report that the 2006 budget was actually $636,156, and 2007 the requested was for $ 739,260 and in 2008 the budget's requested was only $ 661,989. Metro was not depending solely on property taxes for its budget, dollars came from the federal funds to support the agency.

But according to the Journal Gazette, the federal dollars during 2002-2007 were illegally commingled with property taxes. Commingling of funds by city officials of federal funds during the Richards' administration of high technology was discovered by HUD.

Where did the funds go that were owed to the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Relations Commission?
Fort Wayne Metropolitan Human Relations was established to point out practices that could cause inequalities amongst the citizens of Fort Wayne. Metro is a resource empowered to eradicate long entrenched behaviors and traditions embedded in practices and policies that discriminate against certain groups.

Two programs financially support Metro to do its job are supported by federal dollars. The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Relations Commission (Metro) runs a Fair Housing
program authorized under the Section 817 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 whose aim is to eliminate discrimination based on characteristics such as race, color, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, or disability through education, training of local residents, and the complaint process. According to the HUD website,

The right to equal opportunity in housing is ensured not only by the Fair Housing Act, but also by State and local laws. HUD provides FHAP grants annually on a noncompetitive basis to substantially equivalent State and local fair housing enforcement agencies.

At the beginning of an agency's participation in the FHAP, we provide a flat amount of funds for capacity building. Following the period of capacity building, we will provide the agency with contributions funds for complaint processing, administrative costs, special enforcement efforts, training and other projects designed to enhance the agency's administration and enforcement of its fair housing law.

see report


The number of housing complaints in Allen County, found in a report by Gannett, in 2002, 10; 2003, 15; 2004, 10; 2005, 18 and 2006, 29. The number continues to climb in 2008, as Metro Executive Director Gerald Foday reports already 28 housing complaints.

The Fort Wayne Metropolitan Relations Commission (Metro) runs another program under the United States Equal Employment for processing complaints. The problem for African-Americans finding work who live in Fort Wayne was huge in 2006. During 2008, over 238 complaints have been closed based on employment discrimination, according to Foday.




I suggest auditing the police, fire the redevelopment and development departments budgets. There is a reason for this, the majority of these workers are raced white males!! I am not saying there is any wrong doing, but these folks sure do have big budgets for operating with so few folks. While funds used by agencies that fight inequalities such as white supremacy get the shortchanged,or ran by African-American males such as Metro and Wayne Township.