Sheriff and Fire Rescue - Budgets

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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.

Update on First Florida Hometown Democracy Debate

Venue moved due to expected crowd--

When: Wednesday, August 26th
Time: 11:30 am
Meal: Buffet lunch
Cost: Members - $15 Non-Members $25
(RSVP required by 8/20/09)

Where: Bartow Civic Center,
2250 S. Floral Avenue,
Bartow

The Tiger Bay Club of Polk County will be meeting Wednesday, August 26th at the Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Avenue, in Bartow. Lunch service will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the meeting will start at noon sharp!

If you're interested, RSVP by tomorrow to Jennifer Alexander at jennifer@tigerbaypolk.com or 863-774-1105. You can pay at the door the day of the event or pay in advance by credit card at www.tigerbaypolk.com. Tickets, which include lunch, beginning at 11:30 a.m., are $15 for Tiger Bay Club members and $25 for non-members.

Ryan Houck, Executive Director of Floridians for Smarter Growth serves as a spokesman for the campaign to fight the Hometown Democracy amendment based in Orlando.

Lesley Blackner is President of Florida Hometown Democracy, and the sponsor of Amendment 4. This should prove to be one of the liveliest Tiger Bay meetings yet, as this issue has passionate followers on both sides!

Come out and support Lesley.

New dais to go along with new procedure

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Newly refurbished Dais--looks great!

Let's clean house has been the theme for the last 3.5 months. Not only in personnel with 30 people now on the pink sheet but the city chamber itself. The entire room appears larger mainly because of the two front pews being removed as well as the writing desks that were in front and the photographs not yet re-hung. This has opened up a lot of space in the front of the chamber but seating for 10 less people. It is rather inconvenient for the Press as well.

Last night there was a packed commission room, standing room only. People were actually asked to leave the room and stand in the hallway. It was reported that the microphones in the hall were literally turned off and no one could hear anything. Also, with the new city policy of keeping the thermostat at 77^, it could have been cooler for my comfort zone.

The Mojito bar problem was discussed for over 3 hours. I thought it would never end. This left little time for anything else. The fact that the City Commission just voted in March on a 3 to 2 (Lowe and Clemens dissenting) to put the Commission liaison reports at the beginning of the Agenda so that the public did not have to stay late and could be informed as to what their commissioners were doing for them and for Lake Worth, has all been reversed now with the new City Manager. She wanted them at the end and at the end they are.

City Manager of Largo turns down raise

"Under Stanton's leadership, the city had a long, contentious relationship with the county, especially over annexation issues."

New City Manager says no city employees will get raises.

ST. Petersburg Times

The Sobering of Mojitos—Last call

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Dennis Koehler, Attorney for Mojitos

The Palm Beach Post article

The Story-

• Owner buys a property about 8 or 9 years ago that has always been a bar for 70 years here in Lake Worth

• He is well aware of the 2:00am closing time per our zoning (our law)
  

• He begins to stay opened until 3 or 4 in the morning and because he breaks our laws, makes money on the after hours crowd
  

• He now decides that he wants a waiver to stay opened until 5am and knows if granted that this instantly makes his property more valuable and legally he can operate during extended hours
  

• He then comes to the P&Z with attorney and asks for a distance waiver saying it has nothing to do with being a nightclub; it is all about a distance waiver. He is turned down. Those dissenting were Spinelli, LeBlanc and Foreman. Paxman had to recuse. LeBlanc says that he just doesn't understand why the P&Z can't approve the distance waiver. Foreman says that it is "disingenuous to snatch the rug from under them; it has always been a bar."
  

• The churches all speak out against extended hours and this becoming a nightclub instead of remaining a bar
  

• The neighborhood is against it becoming a nightclub
  

• The bar people are all for it and 500 patrons sign a petition to keep it opened until 5am.

• The bar is within 900 feet of 3 churches, one school and a library

• The owner now comes before the Commission with attorney, expert witnesses and court reporter in order to get it a nightlub. Petitions from patrons are entered into evidence. It now is all about becoming a nightclub, not a distance waiver.
  

• Once again, the room is packed with citizens.

• In a 3 to 2 vote, and the Commission taking Planning and Zoning's advice, the owner is again turned down.

No nightclub…it stays a bar…it’s closing time.

Why we need Florida Hometown Democracy

"Who is objecting to the Florida Hometown Democracy’s Amendment 4? The very people who, in a fiscally irresponsible frenzy of over development, brought you the current recession.

The reasons to support Florida Hometown Democracy are all around us: the highest foreclosure rates in history, housing inventories so saturated that it will take years to absorb, degraded wetlands and public corruption."

Read more at
Bred Willett's Blog

As you sow, so shall you reap

The Secret ingredient--NY water

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Chicago, Los Angeles or New York? The verdict is in...water makes a difference.

Candidates 2009

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MAYOR: Laurence McNamara, Rene Varela, John Jordan, Javier DelSol, Loretta Sharpe, Bill Coakley

COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 1: Ron Exline, Scott Maxwell

COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 3: Jo-Ann Golden, Wes Blackman

Wes will not have to worry about the Majority Rule this time...no choice!

Anyone have different info?

Healthcare, Protesting and Illegals

This is a protest by just "normal" Americans who are concerned about the Obama Healthcare Plan. I put it up here today to show that, yes, we all have the right to protest and yes, it can do some good by bringing awareness. Where I draw the line is when a protester, whether he is on the far left or right of an issue, breaks the law. The only way to affect change is by government policy and the vote. It is apparent that when you disagree with anyone, particularly in this city, then the name calling begins and people really get hopping mad. I do admire people taking a stand on issues.

Selma to Montgomery was thrown up to me yesterday. When we look back on the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King, it consisted of peaceful sit-ins, boycotts and demonstrations as I recall. It went on for 15 years or so until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those in the movement were not so angry, not so mad, not so right in your face with spit and vigor. This all led to the Immigration and Nationality Services Act that opened entry to immigrants other than traditional European groups. And now look at the problem we have.

Utility Bill

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Has anyone noticed that we now mail our bill to TAMPA? First of all, under the former regime and spearheaded by Nadine Burns, the City eliminated the drive-up window. I always thought this just plain resident unfriendly. There are many in this City who do not have checking accounts. Now they have to drive to the Annex, find a parking space and go in to a waiting room full of people.

We used to mail our payment to PO Box 404, Lake Worth. Now we mail it to PO Box 30552 in Tampa.

Quote from someone in the know: In June, the City entered into an agreement with Intuition Systems Corporation. Intuition is a third-party payment processor who receives and posts all of our "mailed" payments.The payment information is transmitted to us electronically, and the moneys collected are transmitted directly to our depository bank on a daily basis.Their home office is located in Jacksonville, but their payment processing center is in the Tampa area.

I don't recall this decision to outsource this service. How many employees did this affect? How much money are we saving?

We're on a roll

Murder in Lake Worth

Planning & Zoning

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Ron Exline resigned from the Planning & Zoning Board to become a candidate for Commissioner District 1.

Robert Waples fills the vacancy and Manny Occhiogrosso fills the Alternate #1 position.

There are just some things that don't make sense in life. Ron is very well qualified for any position in this City as he has been both a Commissioner and a Mayor. I personally think he was PERFECTLY suited as a member of P&Z and was very qualified for that position.

Nothing Is predictible in this City--NOTHING
Is this for real?

More to the Latin King Gang Member story--criminal was polite

Statement from a resident near Lake Osborne Drive--

My dog was out in my back yard when I heard her start barking...so when I went to see what was going on, I saw a man with no shirt, carrying a laptop, walking through my backyard. I told him to get out of my yard; and he said he was sorry; and climbed my back fence into the xxxxx parking lot. I called 911 and gave a description and direction that he was heading; and literally saw the flashing lights and heard the arrest from my back door.

Now here we have a hard core criminal who was polite--said he was sorry--"Don't" this beat all?!

PBCHRC Endroses Bernard for District 84

The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council just sent out an endorsement of Mack Bernard for District 84. I asked the Council why and this is the answer--

Both candidates are equally good on our issues, but Mack made a concerted effort to get our support, which suggests to us that he'll be more effective as a legislator. In addition, this is an opportunity for Florida to send a Haitian-American to the legislature. Our working in support of Mack helps open up the lines of communications with this important constituency in PB County.

Also, Riviera Beach, where Cedric is a City Council Member, has not been receptive -- despite several requests - to add sexual orientation (let alone gender identity or expression) into their non-discrimination provisions. In contrast, Delray Beach not only is supportive and inclusive (they have an openly transgender fire fighter!), but also have domestic partner benefits.

Green and Clean

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Green and clean--that’s what I told the Commission several weeks ago when they were voting on sending a letter to FMPA against nuclear energy. Actually, since we are exiting FMPA's ARP, the City of Lake Worth does not want to pay towards two nuclear power reactors in Levy County. This, however, has nothing to do with whether nuclear power is not a clean energy source as well as safe.

As you know, the Florida Legislature approved the report by Progress Energy (formerly Florida Power) to build nuclear power plants in Levy County. They have already received an approved Needs Analysis of building nuclear and the only hold-up now is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

We are locked into FMPA for almost five more years and we will, as one of its members, have to pay for one of the largest transmission projects in the history of our State. The cost, as reported previously, will be close to $17 billion dollars. By the time the project starts and finishes, who knows what the final cost will be to Lake Worth taxpayers.

I have asked the City Commission on at least three occasions to hire the best contract attorney around to find a loophole that will allow us to exit quicker before we are locked into paying for these nuclear energy reactors that we will never use and FMPA’s members will be the only benefactors after they struggle for decades to pay the price.

St. Lucie Nuclear Plant

In truth, the reactors are a great step forward in the clean energy goal and will be a great step in reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Lake Worth already owns at least one share of nuclear, perhaps two in St. Lucie and we have our own generation. Nuclear power is now the cheapest source of power. No one can understand why our electric is more expensive than several other municipalities that also have their own utility plants. Blame it on FMPA. I always drift back to management. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Do the commercial businesses even know how badly they are getting screwed per kwh?

Nuclear Power Plant Applications

From someone in the energy industry:

Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are the only two nuclear mishaps that I am aware and the safety issues have gotten so much better since then. Besides, there is a new way of splitting an atom that eliminates all hazardous materials. As the world develops, nuclear will become the primary source of power.

We have more than enough natural gas, coal and other fossil fuels to power our economy for hundreds of years.......but the liberals refuse to permit us to use it.

Nuclear is the future and nine protesters in Tallahassee won't nix it. Here on a local level, we must bring costs under control.

Message from Lesley - Florida Hometown Democracy

Floridians - Reclaim your communities!

After admitting to spending about $4 million on their campaign so far, the “look-alike” petition sponsored by Floridians for Smarter Growth appears to be dead. Their “Smart Growth” petition was created in the summer of 2007 by the Florida Chamber of Commerce with the sole purpose of destroying Hometown Democracy.

Since then “Smart Growth” has submitted 443,000 valid petitions to the State. Their campaign needs about 230,000 more to make the 2010 ballot.Truly the devil is in the details of their petition. Full of trickery and deception, they tell people what they want to hear and then pull the trap door.

Recently, Hometown Democracy supporters pointed out that the “Smart Growth” amendment process discriminates against active military and National Guard deployed abroad who can’t get home to sign a petition. The “Smart Growth” process also discriminates against disabled, homebound people and probably violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Of course, the “Smart Growth” crew never gave a second thought to those Floridians…their sole goal is to perpetuate the status quo of government of, by and for the developer. But they overreached and they now know it.

We have inside information that the Chamber is abandoning the “Smart Growth” petition. Instead, in a desperate move, they are going to lobby the Florida Legislatures to put a competing amendment on the 2010 ballot to kill FHD. We should not be surprised.This is the crew who recently passed the “360” Bull, virtually gutting remaining growth management.

We already know what their real message is: "pave over paradise and wreck Florida’s economy with over-building and keep on doing it. Don’t let the people vote on growth!!!!"

Downtown Buzz

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The City was buzzing today as was the beach

The guy who drank this is still buzzing

Helen from N.Y. getting ready for some N.Y. pizza
She keeps on buzzing that New York pizza is the best!
Something to do with the water just like their bagels.

Tuesday’s Commission Meeting

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What’s up and will/might appear on our tax bill.

STORMWATER flat fee of $75.60 per ERU- based on average single family impervious area of 1,748 sq. ft.

SOLID WASTE flat fee of $245.76 per ERU. The winner: these guys cramming in 20 people in a 700 sq. ft area. The loser: the single or senior living in a small house or condo unit who does not generate much waste.

I need more clarification on the above fees.

SHERIFF: Will be raising its rate by 3% instead of 7%. We will be paying $14,267,016 for the new budget year 2009/10. This breaks down to a payment of $1,188,918 a month…that’s MILLIONS. The City pays for the building, insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc for a yearly cost of $1,300,000 a year. This comes to a total cost of $15, 567,016.00 a year.

MOJITIO’S is back…the bar that wants to be a nightclub that has been acting as a nightclub anyway.

OFFICIAL BALLOT will be set.

TAX CREDIT for senior housing for a developer proposal on LW Road and Boutwell Rd. This is yet another RENTAL development in Lake Worth and it is not affordable housing for Seniors, other than for our favorite Realtor that is.

The Beginning, Ave Maria

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A cousin living in Lake Worth at the time paid a smuggler $6,000 to bring them through the Arizona desert. Although Maria said she never felt discrimination in her new town, she lived in perpetual fear that immigration officials would arrest her at work and deport her, separating her forever from her American grandchildren.

Why we have half the country of Guatemala living in Lake Worth

And why children of illegal aliens should not automatically become citizens because they are born of illegal aliens on our soil.

The Mentoring Center should at least do two things; teach these people how to become citizens and teach them English.