Well one cost will be on our tax bill--fire. The other one we just pony up to a tune of $1.3 million a month--sheriff.
It was brought up by Commissioner Mulvehill on Tuesday night that after the first 3 years of our contract with the PB County Sheriff’s Office, there will be no cap on what they can raise our costs.We have absolutely no protection and are solely and 100% at their mercy.
Right now, this is what it will cost the City of Lake Worth in this coming year beginning October 1, 2009:
POLICE: $15,677,000.00 (2009-10)This does not include any overtime or special services. In addition to the above, we will be paying for services for the Hispanic Fest, Christmas Parade, Street Painting Festival, Reggae Fest, Tropic Fest and the Tropical Triathlon.
Last year, the Sheriff’s office paid out over $23 million in overtime to County Departments, Fire Rescue, and the Sheriff, with half that figure going to the Sheriff’s Department. Each deputy, on average, made $2,933 in overtime. This amount goes directly onto the pension calculation. Pensions and benefits are killing us. We will be paying $1,150,000 in retirement benefits for the 47 deputies who elected to stay in our Plan.
The PB County Commission has asked the Sheriff to cut his budget.
Lake Worth approves of Sheriff rate hike
FIRE RESCUE: $2,375,000.00 (2009-10)As you know, fire rescue will be on our ad valorem property tax bill that we will be receiving by end of October. Pay it in November, if you can, because you will save a bundle. We were paying the equivalent of 2.95 mils. We will now be paying 3.4581 mils or a 17% increase. In addition, the City will be paying annual supplements--$700,000 for the 1st two years; $900,000 for the third year. After the third year, the supplement will be $1.3 million.
The above figure is in addition to what we will pay on our tax bill. This figure includes retirement (yes, we had fire fighters who elected to stay with our Plan), professional and contract services and $40,000 in insurance.
The biggest loss will be our Fire Chief, Chief Paul Blockson, who will no longer be assigned to Lake Worth. But even bigger than that is the loss of our own police and fire rescue. Management was the problem with our police. Cpt. Silva is doing a great job. Too bad we couldn't have found a Cpt. Silva of our own to have run our police department before we so easily handed over our department giving up on Lake Worth.
Perhaps one of these days we will grow up and actually become a "real" City again...have transportation, our own police and fire, have control over our own valuable beachfront property with no strings from the County, decide not to give our valuable assets away to PB County such as our waste water or spend $21 million in infrastructure to be able to buy their water instead of building our own Reverse Osmosis. The first good move of recent years was to exit FMPA.
Until then, we will remain a city in name only.
11 comments:
So the alternative must be, to place all your valuables out on your front lawn for easy access by our resident thugs and gangs. Perhaps they will issue us a free pass ( now that we have rid ourselves of our worldly posessions) that could be posted by our front door( much like a no tresspassing sign)
the sheriff is unaffordable. All there had to be was a shift change to produce the same results and make sure that police responded to a call quickly. To the guy above who wants to put his valuables on his lawn, go for it. Crime is on the rise so you just might as well leave your junk out in plain site for the criminals to take. Better then some criminal breaking and entering with a gun or something. Some argument to keep a sheriff. did you look at the cost?
Please place all your valuables on your front lawn. Give me your address. If there is anything worth taking, I will drive by. I need a man's bike. got one?
You can not put a price tag on SAFETY! If we do not have a safe and secure city we are doomed!
Is it possible here to get to the core of the problem. Why are we having more than our fair share of criminals. This city is a breeding ground for criminals to reside here and flourish. Stop the illegal situation. Eradicate the blight. Get rid of the slums. Get more owner occupied dwellings. Get people to have more pride in where they live. Until we do this, Lake Worth will continue to have escalating crime until we can no longer afford to protect ourselves. It really has to start with FIXING the problem first. All the Sheriff can do, for the most part, is react to something that has already happened.
You are right about that. So then why are they getting rid of all our code people?
Jennings voted against the gang task force. She also voted against the sheriff. She dosen't like them intruding on her rights to protest! She called in the ACLU when the cat team displaced the imigrants on 3rd ave North. Ever since then codes hands have been tied, frustrating the citizens and taxpayers who live in this lawless circus we call a city! Get rid of Cara, and we can begin to live in a law abiding civilized society once again!
Lynn - please respond. You supported Cara. Are you pleased? Cara has full control of the commission - Golden and Suzanne go along with most of what she wants. I hope you open you mind and look at the big picture the next time around. Voting based on a single issue (ex Sunset) is plain stupid.
To hold signs and campaign for candidates and not voting for them would seem odd. So, in your world there is not a correlation between those of whom you campaign for and those for whom you vote. I don't get it.
The last election I held a sign for Rene Varela and Obama. You know, you are getting off the essence of this article. So, if you have something personally you would like to say to me, send me an e-mail. Stop the accusations. They are false.
In response to the ANONYMOUS post placed on August 20, 2009 9:44 PM. Where were you before B.C.? Before Cara? I can't believe you were serious in your simplistic solution to lead all of us Lake Worth residents to utopia. In response to your eloquent comment I will quote my hero Sen. Barney Frank "It is a tribute to the abuse of the first ammendment that this kind of vile contemptable nonsense is so freely propagated!" Do your research neighbor!
Respectfully,
Mark A. Parrilla
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