Lake Worth in a Messy Affair

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I left after it was said that the local sewer fund was going to generate over $1 mil in new revenues as well as the Refuse Fund. I left because they said that our golf-pro/manager, Chris Waller had resigned when in fact he was laid off. Now they will move the recreation manager into that responsibility. Chris was there for two years and was trying desperately to turn the course around. All money in the capital improvement that was allocated for new greens was stopped. The Course was in an Enterprise Fund and he had so many charges against the golfcourse that there was no way it could climb out of the hole. They loved to always say that our golfcourse was not making money. It was not Chris Waller's fault.

Golf attracts affluence and we do nothing to market our own asset. Last night Staff took the golfcourse out of the Enterprise Fund and moved it to a Revenue Fund--good move. This is what Waller wanted all along. You can't have a reputable golf-course without a golf pro and without improving greens. They hired him under impossible conditions and debt, now made right, and now he gets the ax--not a good move.

They are going to reduce what we pay on the conservation charge...big deal.

Staff wants us all to pay for fire/rescue at the same fee/tax. I like the word tax because in my mind that is what it is. It is a regressive tax that they are trying to put on the people and it is not small potatoes, $4,250,519 of which they want us all to pay the same. You already know what I think about this.

We had an Internal Auditor, Scot Menke, and his contract was not renewed in 2009. Mr. Menke was the one who, upon investigation, found all sorts of irregularities in our city landfill back in 2007. His discoveries not only included unauthorized landfill expenditures and a lack of controls over cash disbursements and budgets but he highly recommended that the City pursue civil and criminal remedies for CCNA violations. He was an independent contractor who reported to the City Commission. We didn't have to pay benefits. I believe that his fee was $50,000. Now the City wants this position as a paid employee as well as an assistant auditor. Employees always report to Staff. This position for two has been alloted $246,000 and we pay for medical and whatever. The City Commission, will somehow lose control of the Internal Auditor, and it will cost the taxpayers a lot more money.

New staff will be hired. We just laid off a bunch of people but the City is hiring new people such as a Leisure Services Director, Recreation Program Supervisor, and a Community Marketing Coordinator. High salaries, benefits.

We have managed to get into so many law suits that we have to increase that budget by $382 thousand just to hire outside counsel.

And now, the biggest whopper of all, the City says it will raise our taxes to the max--10 mils unless of course the City gets its way and pushes fire/rescue onto the non-advalorem portion of our bill and every building pays the same. Also, street lights could also be a special assessment.

That's what we have here--increase in taxes and absolutely no shame about asking for increases from a poor city populous fighting to stay afloat, keep their jobs and their homes. Those on fixed incomes have suffered too as any liquid savings have not made a dime and there have been no COLA increases in years.

Last night everyone had to sit there and listen to how the City wants to screw the people. The Commission made no opinion...that will come later.

As the United States bond rating has just been downgraded to AA by one company and the threat is there by two others, it makes this even more of a messy and nasty affair for the people of Lake Worth.