The City Commission raised the parking decal fees last night, doubling them. Although still a pittance by most standards and definitely still a good deal, to me it was the principal of it.
The City, Joe Kroll, Public Services Director, has raised every single recreational fee in the City of Lake Worth. Raising recreational fees during a depression that impact children and families the most, is grasping at straws for a few bucks. It is really hitting below the belt. Instead of being more efficient within the departments; instead of giving 5% raises to every employee; instead of streamlining and finding out how not to waste our money, the Commission goes along with Joe’s nickel and diming us to death.
The meters at the beach have not been working for sometime. Fix the meters and perhaps then you could allow the residents here to enjoy one of Gods’ gifts without raising fees. You could be making another few hundred thousand a year. Although the excuse was that this fee should have been raised a long time ago, it wasn’t. That is not a good reason to now raise it during the worst economic crisis I have ever experienced.
The beach is something that families have that is still affordable. It certainly is not going to the movies anymore. People are losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their savings, losing literally their income. What does the City do? Sock it to them by raising recreational fees across the board and now at the beach in order to bring in a possible $28,000. Pathetic. Times must really be tough.
