Special Commission Meeting to adopt the Millage and Budget

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City Commission-Special Meeting at 6:00 PM

The purpose of this special Commission meeting is to adopt the Fiscal Year 2011/2012 Millage Rate and Operating Budget. The real purpose is to screw the taxpayers.

The chair of the Finance Advisory Board, John Pickett, will be speaking. The FAB, as you know, already approved the City Manager's Budget so don't look for any reprieve on special assessments even though the City Manager should have had a line item over the past several years for this obligation. But why bother doing that when you burn through millions in reserves and you have the sucker public at your finger tips? Now all of this lack of budgeting has come back to bite all of us. Telling us that we have no money for this huge pension cost, the property owners will now be taxed more in a form of a a special assessment.

This is the meeting where they will be able to spend all of your cash. No one can understand this Budget. The past year, the city had a decline in property values of 3.57%. However, they are raising the millage 7% over roll-back rate. They have raised taxes at every instance other than garbage that went down in flaming defeat and the Public Works Director is gone. Who knows what happened here but giving wrong supporting argument to justify a tax increases is just not cool.

The City Manager has reduced her Budget in various ways and we say "bravo:"

personnel
$1.2 million in the cost of the PBSO
The $900,000 Fire supplement that would have gone up to $1.3 million
The City received $1.8 million from the Billboard Settlement that has gone missing somewhere.
That is $3.4 MILLION.

But yet, the City Manager, with the Commission's approval, implemented a $1.5 million fire assessment to pay for fire pension costs, that are not a personal benefit to us, an unnecessary tax. There is much that can be cut in the Budget.

Today's Post says that the City is going to vote for a "slight increase" tonight. Nothing is "slight" when it is 100% higher than it was last year. They all conveniently forget that an assessment IS a tax. And we will have to listen to the Dog & Pony Show again, convincing us that this tax is necessary, legal, etc., etc., etc.

Where does all of the money go? It's not the library Commissioner McVoy. It's not the Sheriff either. Is it legal fees? Is it maybe the pension costs? Will other pension costs be thrown over on a special assessment or was the fire pension just a bogus reason to grab the cash by calling it "fire services?" Please report back. Perhaps the Mayor explained this at her "coffee."

The taxpayers of this City can't afford special assessments to pay for whatever the city staff left out of the budget. You have X amount of dollars coming in--look to cut costs.

Sid Dinerstein has Solution to Run-Away Costs

Below is Mr. Dinerstein's Letter to the Editor in Sunday's newspaper. As it all hits home and is especially relative to Lake Worth, we are publishing the "unedited"version sent to us by Sid.

The second paragraph is particularly powerful and it is exactly what happened in Lake Worth. Elected officials forget who they represent. Mr. Dinerstein suggests cutting costs rather than raising taxes.


"This letter is in response to the editorial of September 16, To serve and protect budgets.

Last week we watched the annual county budget dance where we first threaten the (politically) weakest in the county, then watch as they tell their tales of woe, and finally wind up with our humanitarian Commissioners putting their hands ever deeper into our now shallow pockets to extract more guilt money.

I want to change the conversation. Today we have a mediocre county, awash in falling home prices and rising foreclosures. Our existing businesses can’t expand and prospective business owners won’t come here. The average property tax bill is $9,000 on the $400,000 house that can only be sold for $200,000.

My solution is the following: I propose we pay all Sheriff’s Department and Fire & Rescue personnel an average annual wage and benefit package of $100,000. This is at once extremely generous while also being well below the current pay packages of $120,000 (Sheriff’s Department) and $140,000 (Fire & Rescue). And while I realize that these employees are sometimes at great risk. I also realize that they don’t do it for the money. They do it because of their call to serve. In the event of a tragedy, no amount could ever compensate; not the $120,000 for the Deputy, not the $140,000 for the Fireman, not the $38,000 for the soldier in Iraq.

My $100,000 would immediately free up $140 MILLION in annual property tax relief. Now that’s a game changer. We could use $130 million for immediate and significant property tax relief and make every property instantly more valuable. We could protect the disabled bus riders and the swimming pool users. We could restore the Sheriff’s programs and hire more deputies, all without touching our reserves.

Palm Beach County has extraordinary potential, from our beautiful beaches to our bountiful harvests to our recreational lake. We have great weather and great wealth. This letter is a call for Leadership equal to the potential of our people and our geography."

Sid Dinerstein
Chairman
Republican Party of PB County

Lake Worth Budget Changes

As a result of the policy direction provided by the City Commission, the proposed FY 2011-2012 Budget includes the following changes:

· Reduction of 47 full time equivalent positions
· A total millage rate of 5.4945 mills
· Creation of the Leisure Services Department
· Funding of the Internal Auditor
· Reduction of the electric utility tax from 10% to 8%
· Reduction of the Conservation rate from $2.60 to $1.95 per 1,000 kWh
· Increase of the water rate by 5.25%
· Increase of the sewer rate by 13%
· Proposed special assessments for fire services and street lights services

You don't raise taxes in a down economy - Obama

Coffee with the Mayor

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Well, former mayor Rene Varela's idea of politicking with the electorate has not died.

Rachel Waterman is now having a one hour coffee tomorrow at the Farmer Girl Restaurant, 1732 N. Dixie at 8:30am.

Have her explain all the latest "goings on" and why we keep burning through money and raising taxes.

Yesterday's Storm

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Yesterday we had a brutal rain and wind storm that knocked out power in Lake Worth even causing a fire near the 1800 block of North D Street. Power lines literally fell on nearby homes. Here in my community, lighting struck a transformer according to LW Utilities and many of our residents had no power for about four hours. Winds were so strong that it blew a palm branch up to the 2nd level of our building.

The Utility company came last night to make the repairs and I was told not to get too close in case the transformer blew?! He was here for about 1/2 hour.

Former Mayor Speaks

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Ron Exline speaking out against the fire assessment

The Free Lunch

Well, Randy Schultz gets it!

As Lake Worth votes to raise taxes here, there and everywhere, it is too bad that Lake Worth staff and officials don't get it.

Read his editorial today, Budget Reality? Not for all.

Sunday's Sermon

Cain wins straw poll

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Herman Cain wins Florida straw poll.

"Folks, this is what you call momentum," Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, said in a video message from his campaign bus. "The Herman Cain train is picking up steam."

Read about it here.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

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Booing of Gay Soldier

Tony Plakas, Executive Director of Compass, stated, "I think what people will remember is that group (of Americans there) was booing a member of the U.S. military."

I always said--if I were born black, I would be at the front of that bus. If I were gay, I would be doing exactly what Tony is doing. However, sometimes it is impossible to see anyone's point, whether right or not, that differs.

Rick Santorum said that injecting social policy as well as sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military and should not be an issue. "Social experimentation in the military is tragic," he said. "Sex should not be an issue," he further stated.

The gay community made a big deal of the booing when Stephen Hill, gay soldier, asked his question. When you listen to the tape, there was little booing and that was blown out of proportion. There was, however, a lot of clapping after Rick Santorum spoke to the issue.

The Chain of Command - Lake Worth

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We all know that we have been in trouble for a very long time. We hired Susan Stanton to fix it all. We expected her to be a miracle worker. In some respects she has done very well. She works her "azz" off. She is our CEO in all of this turmoil to lead us out of the hole, however, the confusion and agitation seem to be rolling down hill like a snowball to hell. There is no doubt in my mind that she is highly capable, highly qualified. But--have we expected too much in the 29 months she has been here?

She has terminated employees whose contributions were not up to her expectations. I found out a few weeks ago that Gina Baker took a "voluntary lay-off." She recently "terminated" our IT guy who has been with us forever and has terminated others who were well thought of. Stanton has re-organized and has hired some good people but those who want to hang on have to play in her ball field with her rules. She has decreased departmental budgets. She has negotiated contracts with the PBSO and the IBEW. She has managed to get us into new law suits, numbers in the 3 digits I have been told.

Are our employees allowed to be thinking people? Are they the types to say "No, city manager, doing it this way would be better...perhaps Johnny Longboats is not the best for our Casino." Maybe the residents do not want the beach to stay opened well into the morning hours causing noise, more expense in public safety, turtle lighting for $2 million. Instead of those under the chain of command finding ways to justify what the CM wants, are there better choices and decisions for our city that they are afraid to mention? I worry about that.

When money is spent, the City Commission rarely asks questions. We sit and listen to the lip service right out of that weekly private one-on-one. During the Finance Advisory Board meeting last week we found out that the city paid for Compass' air conditioning to the tune of $250,000. Did that ever come before the Commission? What was the justification other than the city manager's belief that we should pay for any and all costs relative to our property.

Cara Jennings stated on April 7, 2009 that, "I liked my interview with Ms. Stanton and that she was willing to build a team...that she had a horizontal style of management instead of a chain of command." I have no idea what that means. I was there for the interview and was highly impressed. Stanton has built a team of managers who know who the boss is. I worry about independent thinking--Is it being suppressed? Do we have a bunch of "yes" men? I am sure that they all have on their kid gloves when expressing their ideas. However, the chain of command is evident and Stanton is at the top of that chain. Nothing happens without her knowledge. We have seen what has occurred when she allowed a few managers to do their own thing--Bryant Park parking lot disasters and Union deals. William Waters, the new Community Development Director, will have leeway as new departments are organized, with 6 new departments and 4 new employees. Perhaps he will be a special exception, probably not.

Right now the CM is increasing taxes and special assessments on all of us in order to have a cushion going forward to make up for all the missing millions and to meet these expenditures that have been allocated in her budget. Millions have been spent over the past few years and no one can tell us where. Was it on all the law suits? Was it the black hole at the utility? Ask one Commissioner where the Cash reserves went and see what they tell you. With more public meetings under this city manager than any in the history of Lake Worth, it just seems that the City is less transparent and that the public is out of the loop. No one really knows what's going on.

Our public commentary has been reduced to 2 minutes and what we say is no longer recorded in the Minutes. Does that tell you anything about this management style? Because of the way the citizenry has been treated, it is now an easy thing to do to be curt from those who speak from the dais to actually throwing one of us out of the chamber. We are talked down to. They go over and over their propaganda like we are total jerks. It is a constant Dog and Pony Show and the only ones falling for it are the commissioners. I thought that we were the bosses.

On Tuesday we had 2 minutes to tell the City just what we thought about them grabbing our cash for what the city tells us is for a pension that is out of control--a one way trip to the moon.

We all know that since the line item for pension costs was eliminated that this money just gets thrown into the pot. Why hasn't the commission insisted that the city manager have a line item and pay this expense just like the city always did in the past prior to Stanton? Commissioner Maxwell brought it up for this special assessment. There is nothing "special about it other than it is a con on the taxpayers. Why haven't they insisted that we stay within a reasonable budget and reduce the spending...delay some capital improvement projects? They did not listen nor did they care. This is no way to run a "business."

Beach Redevelopment not costed properly

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Quote of the Day: Lake Worth Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill said, "It sends a message out into the community that we're ineffective and inefficient in how we're managing this project." Resident, Peggy Fisher, expects the City to live within its budget. However, now that they have passed special assessments, there is little incentive to do so. Oh, we made a gigantic mistake--we can just assess, problem solved.

Candidate Debate

Update:
The first candidate debate (Meet & Greet) of the Season will be hosted by Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association.

When...Monday, October 3, 2011

Time...7pm

Where...Compass Community Center

Union Pensions

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Last night Staff gave us the old line in order to soothe the pain of paying for firemen pension costs that will do nothing but go up, up and up. It was said that firemen take a lot of risk--it's a dangerous job--therefore we have to pay and pay and pay until they bleed our city and taxpayers to death. I didn't tell them to choose that as a profession, did you?

Pension benefits are a problem all over and Lake Worth is no exception.

"You say that, look, this is not about individuals. We have a system-wide problem in our state, and our city," he said. "At the end of the day, the taxpayers are on the hook, and I don't believe taxpayers should be left on the hook for a system that's not honest to them, and not honest to the people who are contributing to it. Now, one individual is not the problem," said Rham Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago

Republican lawmaker calls for end to union leaders' costly pension perks--Cross proposes legislation to close 1991 loophole

Read more at The Chicago Tribune.

Dustin surfaced!

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While our Lake Worth City Commission deems it fair to raise our taxes in spite of public outcry, Lake Worth Mayoral candidate, Dustin Zacks, speaks to the foreclosure issue--just another reason why people are hurting. You would think that a few on the Commission who have been through this process or who have lost their jobs, would understand that what they are doing really hurts people. Is that the objective of elected leaders?

Special Fire Assessment

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Last night was a kick to the head, no doubt. And the most revealing thing about it was the fact that this Commission that kicked us all to the ground did so with empty noggins and gave the Stanton line to justify it all. Gee, we sympathize with you. "We all pay it too," said the Mayor. Ah, Mayor, I don't think that you do pay it but we would be happy to send you our bills so that you can be part of the team.

Even Commissioner McVoy, who did not show up until after public commentary, commented. It was all the same old company line even bringing up the library. Gosh, is there any originality to the argument when you want to screw the people? We have never said that government should never spend any money, Commissioner. The problem here is that YOU have forgotten whose money it is. Is there ever any possibility that your mind will not be fed with garbage and manipulated by the city manager to the point of being a zombie?

The vote, as you all know, ended up on a 3/2 with Maxwell and Waterman dissenting. Waterman dissented for all the WRONG reasons. She didn't think it was appropriate to tax it this year because of hard times and instead, wanted to deplete our reserves down to zero and push back two new positions to be hired at a later time in the budget cycle. She voted "no" which was a smart political move. The entire matter comes back to the public on October 4.

Now I ask you, if you, Mr/Ms Homeowner, have a fixed bill that you know will go up every year, do you rob your savings to the point of a zero balance to pay for it for just one year? Have you ever heard of anything like that unless, of course, you want to go bankrupt? Whatever happened to cutting the spending? Whatever happened to stopping the waste? Whatever happened to your old laptops? Whatever happened to eating hamburgers instead of steak? You get my drift. The reason this country and this city is in the shape it is in is not only that people have less money and their property values have fallen like a rock, but it is the government spending. Everyone "gets" that but government. It is easy to rob that cookie jar.

Last night when Commissioner Maxwell asked about the reserves, Staff said it was $5 million that was spent. A few weeks ago we heard the figure $12 million and then we heard $15 million. They had so much of our money that they have NO idea what they spent or where they spent it or even why. Even the amount of the missing millions has them totally confused and they act like it is hay, not real greenbacks. It is constantly shuffled here, there and everywhere but in the meantime, it is the public that gets the big shuffle. Where's our money?

Ron Exline was right. The city could find this money by stopping the spending and pulling it from another account. But folks, that is not the objective here. It is simply to steal your money and unfairly assess you so that the city can once again get a reserve account. The other objective, of course, is to open the can of worms for future assessments, the creative way around inefficiency. The very people who robbed all of our reserves, now want us to put the money back in the kitty.

All citizens spoke out against the tax, even a preacher, a woman in a wheel chair, and just average folks from the community talking about the hardships, etc. but the Commission had already closed their ears before they entered the chamber, singing "I only have Eyes for you," as they glanced at the city manager.

Instead of Joe Kroll leaving, perhaps it is a good time for everyone to pack their bags.

Lake Worth is Hot

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Joe Kroll no longer with the City of Lake Worth.

Fire assessment passes on a 3/2 vote with Maxwell and Waterman dissenting. It comes back on October 4 because Government Services Group screwed up (so what else is new?) and sent out notices to former property owners. Notices subsequently had to be re-sent.

The folly of Wind turbines at the Lake Worth beach

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This afternoon at 2pm there is a workshop (yes, another one) on the beach redevelopment. We will learn why the developers want to take millions more of our money and can't work within budget. They will blame it on the other guy, the usual suspect, and Staff will give us ways that it all can be accomplished by eliminating more from the project.

The recommended project element changes are:
§ Deferrals
§ 1 Small Trellis
§ 1 Entry sign
§ 33% of Benches
§ 2 Cisterns at pavilions
§ 1 small shade sail
§ Solar on pavilions
Material Changes include:
§ Change Bike Trail from concrete to asphalt
§ Playground surface change to rubber mulch (change location)
§ Change promenade material from colored concrete to entry portal pavers with rest
standard concrete
§ Change Casino walks from colored concrete to pavers
§ Change Casino concrete road to asphalt with paver crosswalks

The add/alternate items include:
§ Wind Turbines and pedestals (a feature that Commissioner McVoy is gaga over)
§ Sculptured Landform
§ Granite Markers

The Elements recommended for Utility Capital Improvement Project Funding include:
§ Parking Lot and Roadway Lighting
§ Water System
Elements not in the ILA and previously funded through other sources include:
§ Decal Parking Lot
§ Sanitary Lift Station

"Wind turbines need wind. Not just any wind, but the nicely flowing, smooth, laminar kind. That cannot be found at 30 feet height. It can usually not be found at 60 feet. Sometimes you find it at 80 feet. More often than not it takes 100 feet of tower to get there. Those towers cost as much or more, installed, as the turbine itself. How much tower you need for a wind turbine to live up to its potential depends on your particular site; on the trees and structures around it etc. Close to the ground the wind is turbulent, and makes a poor fuel for a small wind turbine."

Read about the truth regarding wind turbines here.

As wind turbines need wind to produce energy, how much wind do we get at the Lake Worth beach?

Wind speed at the Lake Worth beach.

As this is not the time to get silly about "green," all wind turbines should be deleted from this budget freeing up over $130,000. Solar panels should be explored and discussed more.

NSP2 Grant - Lake Worth CRA

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The Lake Worth CRA Consortium applied for and received $23,237,500 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Redevelopment (HUD) on January 14, 2010. This funding is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and is better known as the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Funding will be primarily used to purchase, rehabilitate and demolish foreclosed homes within the City of Lake Worth. Some funding will also be available to provide homebuyer counseling, "green" maintenance, financing and subsidy programs for working class individuals. The Consortium consists of 20 community based organizations and local companies.

One thing that we know for sure, the CRA must spend all of this grant money within the allotted time or they will lose the money. A lot of good things can come from this grant.

• We have to spend 50% ($11,618,750.00) of our grant by February 11, 2012

• We have to spend 100% ( $23,237,500.00) of our grant by February 11, 2013

• We have spent 25% ($5,726,495) as of September 19, 2011

Last night the Planning & Zoning Board met to discuss a proposed CRA project that will be funded with the NSP2, specifically, a townhouse development which was unbeknown to me as there was no backup. Knowing that time is of the essence with the NSP2 grant, the P&Z tried to accommodate the CRA by having this on the Agenda. It is a proposal to build 13 townhouses on Lake and Lucerne. The P&Z is there to make recommendations before a final plan is submitted to them for approval. It is their job to make decisions in the best interest of Lake Worth. This was only a workshop to gather information, discuss, recommend, etc.

The public showed up en masse again, rallied for the purpose to persuade the P&Z that anything built in that area is better than nothing at all. Some were even close to being insolent about it. The P&Z, and rightfully so, was concerned about townhouses in general. The simple fact is hundreds of units that have been built in our city are empty, in foreclosure and are bringing down the values of nearby residences. When Cara Jennings recalled the mistake on The Lucerne, she got dissed by the audience. But Jennings is correct and taking a responsible approach.

My first impression of this was that some developer who had some plans for 3,000 s.f. townhouses had discovered/found sucker Lake Worth with a CRA that has a lot of money...a place that he could perhaps dump his project with the idea that they would be artist studios--studios on first levels and living arrangements upstairs. How convenient for him. He would get his money and get out. They looked like cookie cutters all in a row. In fact, 50 years ago, this type of housing was called Row Houses. The first ones I ever saw were in Philadelphia. I had never seen anything like it and hated them on sight. I was used to beautiful single family houses that all looked different.

The biggest question I had in my mind was, how would a poor artist afford a 3,000 s.f. townhouse? The developer, as well as Joan Oliva, Director of the CRA, could not even give an answer as to what someone would have to pay for one of these...not even a guess. No clue. The average working person can not afford a 3,000 s.f. house nor would many of them even want one. And these are being built for poor people.

How do they even know that anyone would buy one? The setbacks don't look that favorable and it appears to have way too much impervious surface. One thing we don't want are just more townhouses for townhouses sake with them eventually sitting empty causing more slum and blight. The roofs will be flat and we will end up seeing many people sitting on their roof tops, drying laundry no doubt. Instead of 20 immigrants living in one, these will be so big that you can probably get quadrupled occupancy. The deed restriction will have a 15 year restriction.

The P&Z Board did the right thing last night. Just because the CRA is in a rush doesn't mean that they should be.