Re-locate to Lake Worth - We are poorer than Dirt

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Last night's commission meeting was not too long. None of them are very long since this commission was elected and Michael Bornstein became city manager, which should make everyone wonder what is being decided out-of-the-sunshine.

Essentially we had only three or so citizens speaking last night--you could feel the tension in the air.  Mr. Timm spoke, and I have been agreeing with him on everything lately. Next there was the little woman in the first row who likes to speak on just about everything. She coaches the dais from the front row and even before the meeting told me never to speak to her again, that I was evil.  She denied knowing anything about the banner being re-erected on the Gulfstream. It does have her Pac's disclaimer on it. That special interest side certainly gets things twisted.

The City Commission voted in a new marketing approach:  Come and invest in Lake Worth, the poorest city next to Belle Glade. From the map that was shown, even the nicest neighborhoods will be part of an Enterprise Zone and just as property values are starting to rise...hmmmm. One side of politics is always accusing the other on wanting to keep property values low.  I have never figured out that one or where it made the least bit of sense but they keep using that ridiculous propaganda.. They just voted the opposite of their beliefs last night. Anything for business at the expense of single family and residential neighborhoods. Enterprise Zones are to attract business so I am confused about designating residential family neighborhoods as enterprise zones. Here we are trying so hard to rise from the ashes with a new casino and beach redevelopment, re-doing our golf course to attract tourism,  and they just acted on an enterprise zone telling the world that you don't really want to come here and buy a property as you will be living and eating in the dirt.

The Commission settled with our regional sewer customers. It certainly is curious.  In 2005, it was discovered by our Finance Department that 7 entities owed us money for our failure to bill for Renewal and Replacement charges. According to them at the time, these cities owed us $10,418,237 with Lake Worth customers owing $3+million. It was brought to Susan Stanton's attention soon after she was hired and she wanted to collect. We sued them in 2010. The cities balked because they never got a bill.

The Florida Auditor General became involved and it was determined that the customers of the Sub Regional system (includes Lake Worth) overpaid $4.5 million with the City of Lake Worth customers overpaying $3.8 million of that amount.  How can this be?  Was our Finance Department totally out of whack on its numbers, its billing, its methodology and calculations to advise a city manager that we were owed double digit millions only to learn that we now owe the cities? The Village of Palm Springs is the only city that owes us and it is a measly $52,708. We got into trouble through another bad contract and staff incompetence.

Mr. Timm spoke to the issue and was alarmed that the city was not going to give the money back to Lake Worth customers. Bornstein said, "You are out of line," that the issue has not yet been presented to the commission. Well, there was a big settlement and an agreement to pay our customers with the money coming out of Reserves last night.  Why wasn't there discussion or recommendations on the same thing to Lake Worth customers? Lake Worth customers will probably end up eating dirt.