This is what the City and the commission would like to do! To you!! I have to wonder if we are paying folks to sit around all day to dream up this stuff. As the City has said, Lake Worth does not have enough functionally valued properties to afford itself. We were told the other night that the city must "think outside the box" even though we are poorer than dirt.
As someone said, "I wouldn't under any circumstances allow LW to take out anther bond without them being able to provide a complete accounting to the penny of the bonds they took out in 2004 for the electric conversion and the RO plant. They have NO idea what happened with that money. It is beyond a joke. Now they want to mismanage more money...are they serious? Hold them accountable and accept no excuses."
| Roads and utilities | 79.22 mil |
|---|---|
| Alleyway improvements | 6 mil |
| Traffic calming | 262,500 |
| Landscape islands | 787,500 |
| Signage | 52,500 |
| Hardscape features | 525,000 |
| Entryway features | 70,000 |
| Thermo striping | 52,500 |
| Street Lighting | 2.1 mil |
| Park of Commerce | 18.15 mil |
| City Services Complex | 4.6 mil |
| City Hall renovation | 2.6 mil |
| (personnel will move to 1000 Lake) | |
| Municpal Auditorium | 1 mil |
| (current city hall) | |
| City Hall annex | 1 mil |
| (convert to historic arts bldg) | |
| North F street | 1.1 mil |
| (conversion to arts bldg) | |
| Facility & land acquisitions | 5 mil |
| Vacant/foreclosed property | 2.5 mil |
I 'll bet my last dollar that they have NO Records of where the money was spent in the 2004 bonds.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember the meetings where Cara Jennings kept daring to ask for receipts from the Greater Bay pool redo?
This was back in the day when MILLIONS WENT MISSING...when an Internal auditor suggested that the finance director be PROSECUTED! Of course, like everything else, it all got swept under the table. Money is still shifted around from fund to fund which is impossible to keep up with. Even our beach fund disappeared.
ReplyDeletewhatever you do, don't give a bankrupt city any extra money especially millions in a slush fund.
ReplyDeleteLynn, the cm answers to a commission that appears unprepared to render advice or set policy. I think the cm is capable of turning this city around but needs a new dais. The commission ignores citizens except during campaigns. The mayors battle cry is L.W. is open for business. Please. We need a mayor and commission who understand the budget and will hold the cms feet to the fire regarding every major purchase and are familiar with city contracts. There must be people out there that fit the bill. Any ideas Lynn?
ReplyDeleteWell, that will be the excuse--the CM answers to the commission. However, the commission has allowed all of this to happen--willingly. In some respects the CM is following the will of the commission. However, if he felt they were not on track, making incorrect assessments and bad decisions I would expect an effective CEO to tell them they are going down the wrong path. So, the blame is two-fold.
ReplyDeleteNext, if you equate the city to a corporate structure, it is up to us, we the shareholders to set them straight. If they don't listen,which they don't, even if no one runs against them we don't cast a vote, period.
There are a lot of talented people in this city. The biggest problem is that anyone willing to serve gets beaten to a pulp. It could be Mother Theresa running and she would have been vilified. So, it is what it is...politicians wanting their own way for what they believe will bring in more tax revenue while the city burns and one decision compounds itself to bigger problems. It is a hell of a job.
Street lighting will be a number that will be invariably higher than they project and requires an ongoing incremental cost that needs to be considered in conjunction with the fixed cost of installation. What are they planning to light, did they receive an off-peak rate as part of the new purchased power contract with OUC, so they can purchase power for this lighting at a reduced cost. It is well known that nighttime is when power plants have excess capacity that can be utilized for such things as street lighting and for customers to save dollars. If they negotiated an off-peak rate are the passing this along to the customers and when do they plan on letting everyone know?
ReplyDeleteThe other frustration I see is why is it that everything LW does seems like something that is foreign to them. They approach every subject as though it has never been done before, managing a city and utility is something people should be reasonably proficient at. Sure there are economics that play a factor, but when a municipal entity decides to create a culture that attracts the dredges of the earth, what can anyone expect. LW needs to address the issue with clarity and honesty and put together a plan to mitigate the problems. The time has long passed to understand where LW stands, nobody seems willing to tackle the hard issues. If this was a private sector entity it would have failed long ago, there is no disgrace in managing it accordingly.
"it is up to us the shareholders"? You don't pay one effin dime in taxes and contribute NOTHING to the city so the last thing you should consider yourself is a shareholder. A whining screaming lying leech maybe, but a shareholder? You are delusional.
ReplyDeleteI let the above vile statement go to show the whack jobs and total viciousness we have in this city. Whether or not my property is valued high enough to pay taxes, I still have an investment here. In fact, I would wager to say, I have lived here much longer than you have. When I write, it is about the greater good, not about me personally.
ReplyDeleteI want to see all property values go up and hav4e a nice city like we once had.
Please take your silly comments and stick them where the sun don't shine. :)
Whether you pay taxes or not, you have a right to a certain quality of life. Vicious commenters like 11:04 are a big part of the cities problems and certainly discourage people from running. PLEASE DIG A HOLE AND JUMP IN.
ReplyDeleteThis bond proposal looks very much like one of the "shiny objects" for which our previous commission was
ReplyDeletetaken to task by our present commission and the PB Post editorials during the election cycle.
Does this commission really think that the taxpayers will vote to add to their already excessive millage rate of 8.945 ?
This would require of taxpayers $180.00 annual increase per $100,000 valuation for the 30 year period.
Prospective buyers would be put off by this cost, by far the highest tax obligation in Palm Beach County.
I understand two new hires have been added to the road repair crew.
We need to get a small dump truck so that they will have enough asphalt to do a complete and smooth repair of our potholes.
The landscaping crew can be temporarily moved to filling the smaller potholes since the growing season is virtually over.
Park of Commerce infrastructure can be paid for by a large tenant who sees the value of a presence on that site so easily accessible to 95.
Laurence
I think that debt millage is not included in the cap, Laurence. Is that correct, Lynn?
ReplyDeleteIs there a plan doc somewhere that explains in more detail the line items in your post Lynn?
Actually, as I think about it, I think it is over and above the millage rate. We just paid off a bond a year ago and I remember it was in addition to.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a detailed breakdown of these figures that the city passed out--surely there must be some in depth figures somewhere. We just have not been given them.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like Michael Bornstein speaking below. He doesn't seem to be any Einstein for our city as the CM in solving problems especially when he can't even respond to citizens.
"anonymous said...
"it is up to us the shareholders"? You don't pay one effin dime in taxes and contribute NOTHING to the city so the last thing you should consider yourself is a shareholder. A whining screaming lying leech maybe, but a shareholder? You are delusional.
October 23, 2013 at 11:04 AM"
LOL No, it is NOT Mr.Bornstein. He has much more class and smarts than that.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think we should all just sit here on our asses and complain about how shitty the city looks and about all the f'in potholes and how the cm and the commission are doing nothing about any of it.(Because we are poor) And then when they actually come up with a plan that could actually address the issues we all complain about, then we should all go berzerk cutting the plan and its costs to shreds without offering any positive alternatives.
ReplyDeleteWe should bring up every possible mismanagement real or imagined by these or past elected, appointed or hired officials.
Let's keep stabbing ourselves in the eye.
Look, if you don't like what they are proposing, point out what you don't like. If you are not going to trust them with a bond because they can't account for every dime of a past bond, you should move. The city has to make repairs. You can do it piece meal, like it has over the past 50 years, or you can do it right. The above might be a dream, but it shows they at least have a vision, which is another word for dream.
Oh really prove it! How do you know that? Why can't he respond to citizens then and at least be professional? Where is his "class and smarts" in relation to citizen response? I am sorry, but Mr. B is getting an "F" for being CM, he is not cutting here for the city and its people, we deserve better. I would not be a bit surprised if that was him responding to this blog. Don't be too fooled.
ReplyDelete"anonymous said...
LOL No, it is NOT Mr.Bornstein. He has much more class and smarts than that.
October 23, 2013 at 2:21 PM"
Better yet, you pay for it anonymous at 3:07. You can't get blood out of a turnip but you sure are going to try real hard.
ReplyDeleteAt 3:07 it's easy to spend money that belongs to someone else. Governments do that all the time. Can't wait to see how you are going to educate all of us folks out here. Let's see what the bond amount will be plus the interest on this loan for 30 years. Give us the final amount if you dare, Mr. city mgr.It sounds like they are just trying to grab the cash one more time.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Jim Stafford keep coming over to this blog when his boyfriend has his own little blog? Oh, wait. No one reads that one. I just remembered. Thanks, Lynn, for always telling it straight. This is why we all read you.
ReplyDeleteMy defense of Mr. Bornstein at 2:21----joke is on me...I take it all back. He definitely took a swipe at me at city hall and refuses to apologize.
ReplyDelete