Lake Worth has "good bones"
Well, we got the cold hard facts from City Manager Michael Bornstein last night at Bryant Park's neighborhood association meeting--the city, through benign neglect has to redo 50% of its roads infrastructure, probably going out on a general obligation bond. There was no mention of the cost.
The city never mentions the cost of policing and public safety. It never mentions the cost of union benefits that are and have been bleeding us dry. They look at those costs as "fixed" or not much they can do about them. Our former city manager wanted a defined contribution plan--it was absolutely necessary then and still is now and going forward.
We have thousands of vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties and not enough money to run the city. The City keeps reminding us that we are second next to Belle Glade for poverty even though they want to market the city as the place to go for the "art of living." The largest amount of properties are valued between $20 to $30,000 or 2,647 units out of a total of 11,706 units. Commercial properties don't help us much either. Most of the units there are valued between $0 up to $25,000.
Our Lake Worth Utilities, and thank God for it, makes up for the huge shortfall in our operation budget by contributing $9 mil+ added to our ad valorem revenue of $5.3 mil. In the same breath, we are told that one of the "disincentives to investment" is our electric rates.
When I think of Lake Worth the picture that comes to mind is airline seating--first-class and coach. On one hand we have the greatest of amenities: 18 hole golf course on the Intracoastal, Snook Islands, the Atlantic Ocean, great parks and a new Casino. On the other hand, we have poor schools, the homeless, illegals, loitering, jobs and business loss, slum, blight, crime and potholes galore.
As the city manager said, "We have a lot of work to do."
This city continues to build low cost housing and rentals that attract more poor people. Can't they figure out what is causing our problem?
ReplyDeleteSo...Lake Worth has become/will become Belle Glade with an Ocean.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I see your city turning the corner and becoming something that is has the potential to become is for all the pissing contests to stop. there has to be a meeting of the minds....otherwise your city's wheels are just spinning in the mud!
its small town politics (and it aint working)...you need someone to come in who has some direction,focus and vision and is not afraid to kick some ass. Otherwise you'll have some of you city's population leaving for Belle Glade to better their lives.
It's not just the small old properties on the SW side of town that have low taxable values with very low paying taxes. It is also some units in the Lucerne such as Greg Rice's condo with a taxable value of $25,000 and total taxes of $798.
ReplyDeleteI believe that you guys have been kicking ass--the butts of the residents here who have had no say in what YOU ARE DOING or in what you are DREAMING. Committing residents to $80 million is not just ass kicking--it is tying a noose very tightly around the necks of 23% of the citizens for 30 years. Good luck. It won't fly at the polls. The rest of the citizens who are poor or on fixed incomes can't help you but we don't want nor do we deserve the slum, the blight, or the crime either.
ReplyDeleteSo tell us, what are the pissing contests? If we are concerned, you refer it to a pissing contest? That's the problem we have in this city and it has nothing to do with small town politics. We have huge problems and a lot of uninvited inhabitants but we just can't talk about any of it.
Lake Worth might have good bones, but it has bad blood running this city, the CM is the worst, he will not respond to peoples emails or calls. It was clear last night how he said he answers to the commission only. The mayor and comm along with the CM need to make a better effort to improve relations with the citizens/public and media, they are really hurting our city's reputation. They all need to put ego aside and work for the people and listen to US better. I think they have all edged God out, where is their spirit in serving the people in this city?
ReplyDeleteAnd how much is his property at 1306 Lucerne Ave valued at that is so blighted and deplorable making our city look so bad and attracting a lot of crime, drugs, and whores?
ReplyDelete" Anonymous said...
It's not just the small old properties on the SW side of town that have low taxable values with very low paying taxes. It is also some units in the Lucerne such as Greg Rice's condo with a taxable value of $25,000 and total taxes of $798.
October 22, 2013 at 10:50 AM"
So if the City Manager is not going to respond to residents inquiries, then he needs to dedicate someone in City Hall to respond. The current system is not working. I email code, they don't respond, I stop at code, they say they will open code case on property (later there was a murder there), nothing happens, I stop by code again, I give them photos, I provide receipts from my husband boarding the place up, I provide details on ownership, this is not a bank owned property, I provide police reports regarding drug and prostitutes, still no code case open, I email code, I email William Walters, no response, this goes on for years now, who oversees code and Walters if not CM? Then there is a murder, still no code case open, I continue to email CM on a monthly basis, nothing, no response. Please CM tell me who I need to speak with to have a code case open on this property after three years and a murder?????? Tell me and I will bother that person. Radio silence does not work.
ReplyDelete