January 5th, 2009
NSBShadow.com....
Published Weekly, Direct from the Web.
Look to Us for the Latest Intrigues and
Tell Your Friends About Us!
Visitor on this Site This Week.
(Nearly 2000 hits last week. Thank you, enjoy your visit and come back to see more.)
You are:
1. We started to see license plates from the Northern States in the third week in December. The awful weather in the Norse Land this December might do more for the tourist trade than the $36,500 that the tourist board (SVAA) gave to the Chamber of Commerce to focus peoples’ minds who live in the northern icebox that Florida is a good place to winter. We frankly do not believe that the Chamber’s case for supporting it getting tourist tax bed dollars makes more sense than using the money for ads in the Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, newspapers. Those ads tell the local citizens about our balmy climate while they huddled inside with sweaters.
2. We note that the word “Hanukkah” is spelled in many different ways. Chanukka, Chanukkah , Hannukka, and so on. If one looks at all sorts of publications, you can find all sorts of spellings. We did not give it a lot of thought. We are told that all sorts of informal translations from any language suffer in this way, and only scholarly journals agree to specific spellings. Luckily, the facts we report have no such problems.
W-2S REVISITED
The W-2's published over the last few weeks are again presented this week as an EXCEL file so that you can manipulate the data as you wish. Additionally, we provide a number of analyses regarding pay and benefits. We have added charts in columns showing each employee and the percentage of increase that includes the benefit package for each employee.
“Best Blogs of the Week”
(Edited for grammar and punctuation)
A POTPOURRI OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IS
AGAIN PROVIDED THIS WEEK IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO GET IN TUNE WITH THE
MOOD OF OUR READERS
Some ball park numbers of Fire Department Retirement Sunday, 12/28/08, 6:27 AM If Cindy Richenberg lives to her 80¿s she will receive $2,205,000.00 in retirement benefits from you and me under the fire department contract ($63,000 a year). We way they have the contract all of the fire fighter get $2,205.000.00 (3 men on a truck, everyone retires a Lieutenant). What would a regular city employee get after 25 years of service and say a $35,000 annual salary? First, the regular city employee would have to wait until he or she was 62 to start drawling the benefits. On average the city employee would receive $17,778.00 a year or a total of $320,040.00 in their lifetime. The difference $1,884,960.00. The entire Fire Department Budget is something like 7 million a year. Clearly this is the road to bankruptcy.
Sunday, 12/28/08, 1:03 PM I sure would like to read so updated and fresh opinions on this website. Okay, so Cindy Richenberg has a very lucrative retirment benefit that the city gave her and we, the voters, permitted it to happen. Now let's focus on encouraging our city commission to make major reform to the police and fire pension plans as well as stopping the "deficit spending" which I interpret as tapping reserves to balance the budget. This city cannot continue to balance the budget with one time revenue like reserves or carry- over from the prior year.
Sunday, 12/28/08, 12:07 PM Communities can receive excellent service for less cost by contracting for fire services from Rural/Metro, the leading provider of private sector fire protection in the United States. As a private company, Rural/Metro must provide excellent service and be economical to remain competitive. Rural/Metro's innovation allows the company to be extremely adaptive and capable of serving many differing emergency service environments. In some communities we serve, the local government contracts with Rural/Metro to provide fire protection services. We become the community's fire department and are accountable to the local government for our performance and activities. These "master contracts," formed primarily with incorporated municipalities and fire districts, are funded through the tax base. In other areas we serve, the local government does not provide fire protection services, and/or there is no tax base to support fire protection services. In these areas, Rural/Metro contracts directly with individual home and business owners who pay annual subscription fees for fire protection. Even in these areas, Rural/Metro works closely with local governments to ensure high quality performance. Regardless of which method provides the funding for our fire department, we are proud that our costs for the services we provide are generally lower than that of comparable communities. Every community has a finite amount of money to spend on emergency services. Rural/Metro works wisely and innovatively to ensure the community receives exceptional service and value for the money it spends on emergency services.
Monday, 12/29/08, 4:20 AM It seems that my posting (12-25-@6:57 AM) on the letter to the UC (Rodi) from FRCAC has got me in trouble! I in my desire to make public information that I felt was important to the Citizens of NSB I seem to have forgotten the E-Mail tag " The Information contained in this E-Mail is for the Ect,Ect,Ect.". Please note Smyrnaborn Will Not ever post again anything about the U.C. Email: smyrnaborn
Tuesday, 12/30/08, 7:13 AM The city has all sorts of options available to lower the costs of the firefighters pension system. #1. Increase employee contribution rates. #2. Set the retirement age at 55 #3. Lower the multiplier #4. increase the number of years they use to calculate benefits or they could simply eliminate Longevity and Educational Incentive pay and hold the line on future raises because every time the city hands them a raise, pension costs increase. BUT THE FIRST THING THEY NEED TO TELL IS; THE PARTY IS OVER! BECAUSE LITT TOOK AWAY THE PUNCH BOWL!
For a very good discussion of the current pension funding problems in New Smyrna Beach, look at the Blogs from Tuesday late morning and afternoon.
NOTES
1. Nine (9) fireman now are still on the City payroll and in the DROP (Deferred Options Retirement Program). The amount in these accounts for each (in their retirement plan fund) is “privileged” information although it is easy to figure out from the date they entered and their high five from their W-2s. We estimate that each is having paid into this program between $50,000 and $60,000 a year. The fund for each draws interest and all of it part of the unfunded debt the City will ultimately have to pay. Cindy got $48,000.
2. A posting on the Blog offered an explanation of the current Volusia County Fire Department contract negotiations. It discussed the fact that the period covered is at least several years of no pay raises and that the current proposals are to make up what should have been provided if there had been a contract since 2007. We are still waiting for an official response to our inquiries. As we stated in the note last week, we found it difficult to accept that an across the board 17% increase was proposed but did not know the facts. What we do know is that whatever the correct numbers are, the County Council did not cut spending and taxes in this year’s budget. If true that there is an across the board proposal for a two (2%) pay raise for all County employees next year, that will probably require another tax increase given the falling property tax revenue. See article below.
3. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SALARIES; WAGES, HOURS, AND FRINGE BENEFITS
Balderdash from the IAFF: Sky watcher Thursday, 1/1/09, 9:18 PM I did just check my firms postings and they are starting new kids with minimal education at $54,000.
Entry-level Air Traffic Controllers start at $24,734 per year at the General Schedule-7 (GS-7). Journey-level wages for controllers depend on the size and complexity of the facility where they work. For example, for smaller towns in California like Chico and Modesto, the rate at the journey-level is $33,320, (GS-10); while, at the Sacramento airport, the journey-level pay is $39,406 (GS-11). In busier airports, the pay can go as high as $86,275 (GS-14). Top pay for journey-level Flight Service Station Controllers is $61,401 (GS-12). Many controllers receive additional pay to compensate for higher living costs in expensive areas.
The basic work week for all Air Traffic Controllers is 40 hours with time-and-a-half or compensatory time off for additional hours worked. Pay for work on holidays is double the usual rate. Controllers work rotating shifts. They earn sick leave and vacation time at the same rate as other federal employees. Read Link for complete description LINK
We need the money to give to Clay Henderson, Dieson, and to Rodi.
RURAL/METRO
We have been suggesting that an almost all volunteer fire department would provide the same level of public safety that our expensive and overpaid current fire department. We have forgotten that there is a middle ground---Rural/Metro. The following posting suggests that they should be contacted and that they should be permitted to bid on serving the City. This posting was so ill-received by the fire department personnel, or their friends, that they tried to shut the Blog down a couple of times and posted all sorts of repetitive derogatory material about Rural/Metro. We publish the Blog below.
“Sunday, 12/28/08, 12:07 PM Communities can receive excellent service for less cost by contracting for fire services from Rural/Metro, the leading provider of private sector fire protection in the United States. As a private company, Rural/Metro must provide excellent service and be economical to remain competitive. Rural/Metro's innovation allows the company to be extremely adaptive and capable of serving many differing emergency service environments. In some communities we serve, the local government contracts with Rural/Metro to provide fire protection services. We become the community's fire department and are accountable to the local government for our performance and activities. These "master contracts," formed primarily with incorporated municipalities and fire districts, are funded through the tax base. In other areas we serve, the local government does not provide fire protection services, and/or there is no tax base to support fire protection services. In these areas, Rural/Metro contracts directly with individual home and business owners who pay annual subscription fees for fire protection. Even in these areas, Rural/Metro works closely with local governments to ensure high quality performance. Regardless of which method provides the funding for our fire department, we are proud that our costs for the services we provide are generally lower than that of comparable communities. Every community has a finite amount of money to spend on emergency services. Rural/Metro works wisely and innovatively to ensure the community receives exceptional service and value for the money it spends on emergency services.”
Look them up. Sally, ask them for a bid.
THE EXPENSIVE NEW ONE DOES NOTHING NOT DONE BY THE ALREADY PAID FOR OLD ONE - JUST COSTS $5 MILLION + AND ANOTHER $5 MILLION OR SO IN BOND SERVICE MONEY OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS. MACYS HAS A SALE ON LAZYBOYS -
THE $1000 ONE DOES NO BETTER JOB THAN THE $399 ONE.
THE PAID FOR COLUMBUS AVENUE STATION (a.k.a. The $399 MODEL LAZYBOY)
Columbus Avenue Station. Built by Volunteer fireman for cost of material thirty or forty years ago. It houses one fire engine and served all of Beachside from Minorca to Silver Sands. It answers one structural (house) fire call, statically, every three months and one response medical or accident call once a day. It has three fireman per shift.
THE NEW TAJ MAHAL, FIRE PALACE (a.k.a. The $1000 LAZYBOY)
New third Avenue Fire Palace under construction. Built by contractor for total package with land of about $5,000,000 which is paid for by an interest bearing bond issued by City. The bond retirement with interest will probably cost another $5 million over the next 30 years. It may have two fire engines manned by additional personnel at three fireman per shift. Serves from Minorca to somewhere around 15th Avenue to 25th Avenue, the same territory as the Columbus Avenue station, since Volusia County Silver Sands station is now first response on south side of Beachside. Answers one structural (house) fire call, statistically, every three months and one medical or accident response, statistically, once a day.
The current Fire Palace under construction will serve the same territory, likely have less medical and accident calls, and take more time to get to Minorca than the Columbus Avenue station. By the way, we are told that they have decided not to have granite counter tops in the kitchen and stainless kitchen equipment.
This is an outrageous price to pay for what was mold in the grout in the bathroom at the Columbus Avenue station. They paid a contractor to remove the mold. Another contractor fixed the small roof leak. For under three bucks they could have bought a good household cleanser and disinfectant and asked the fireman to use them. LINK
SELL THE HIGH SCHOOL SITE
It was supposed to attract a $10 million dollar University or Research Marine facility, not used for rinky dink operations that will cost the City money and keep a valuable piece of property off the tax rolls. The current proposals will bring almost no investment and no jobs to the City. Its sale by the State would represent a minimum of .05% reduction of the $2 billion dollar projected State deficit. Planning and Zoning have an agenda item tonight to rezone it for eco development.
The Shadow was on the front line of the battle to stop the Volusia County School Board from stealing the site of the old high school off the North Causeway. They were illegally planning to sell the property and spend the money, something they do better than educating children. O.K., this theft was stopped by the Governor’s action in taking the property back for the State. At the time this all occurred it was estimated by the School Board that a developer would pay between $10 million and $15 million for the site and that it would be zoned for high value four or five story condominiums. The New Smyrna Beach tax rolls would swell.
The most persuasive argument made by those opposing the theft by the School Board was that the site would be offered to one of the nationally known research facilities for marine research ( Scripps Howard or Woods Hole), or that one of the major State Universities would set up a satellite campus for marine research. The hope was that who ever take over would spend $10 million dollars, mostly of donated money, and State and Federal grants. This would bring needed jobs to the City. When this seemed no longer in the cards, the idea was that a major State fish hatchery could be established. Also not in the cards, so what is proposed now is at best some small demonstration projects or housing a few marine police. No taxes and no jobs. The worst of all possible worlds.
The State is now broke, and so is the City. Primarily because the property is not on deep water and has no direct access to the ocean, the City effectively could not even bid on the new Marine School and Development that is being built and expanded in Ponce Inlet. In addition to being directly on the Ocean, it did not hurt that Council Chairman Bruno and City Manager Dinneen live in Ponce Inlet or nearby. That facility will get all the money and we will not even get any of the better left over’s. New Smyrna Beach has lost out in the competition. The State and the County should not be, and probably will not consider, funneling money for a costly and unnecessary facility on prime land suitable for residential development. Worse the City’s “vision”is some vague goal of fostering uses which take a prime piece of property off the tax roll and will be a lost money pit. After they put in the bedraggled dogs that they can attract to this site, no one will view it as a Mecca for eco-tourism. It will be heavily subsidized even if the only loss is measured for example by just the loss of tax revenue. That is a couple of million a year for ever. And none of the few people who will work there in the little boutique functions that might be subsidized with cheap digs to move in are likely to shop on Canal or Flagler.
This plan, apparently fostered by the City Commission, is another grandiose loser like the Municipal Golf Course, the overbuilt Sports Center, and the odd subsidies given to the Marine Discovery Center. We do not have the money and we run businesses badly. Stop before you just build another lost money pit.
DEAR JOHN
We know of the limited resources available to John Hagood, the City Manager, and to his inability to get all of the important letters written that he would like to send. So we decided to help him and provide him drafts that will simplify his tasks and free him up for more important tasks.
To: Mayor Mackay
FROM: John Hagood, City Manager
Frank Gummy and I owe a vote of thanks to Randy for being so obtuse (dumb might be a better word) that the whole town is talking about how he has almost single handedly shown how poorly the City Commission functions. We appreciate your providing him a forum so that Randy, with both you and Lynn helping, could make a farce of trying to fire the two of us without cause at a bargain basement price of over $600,000. He did not even know that Frank had a $400,000 + severance pay package. The latest bit where he was shown as being nothing but a tool for a developer’s lobbyist has to be one of the jokes of the year. Thanks again for letting him make a fool of himself.
Sincerely yours,
John
Volusia County Fire Department Contract
Last week in the NOTES we published an article about what was reported to be a tentative contract between the County and the union (IAFF-International Association of Fire Fighters). In the posting below the note is reprinted along with what purports to be a description of the issues and the status of the negotiations from the Union’s side. See also this week’s NOTES above.
Below is the posting on the BLOG in full:
Proud County Union FirefighterWednesday, 12/31/08, 8:23 AM As an informed member of Volusia County IAFF Local 3574 I wanted to clear up some obvious misinformation in the "NOTES" section on the bottom of the front page (refer to below). "NOTES 1. We have been trying to obtain a copy of what we are told is the agreed to but not yet ratified contract between Volusia County and the IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters). We have been told that it has a seventeen percent (17%) increase over the last three years, but we find this difficult o believe. But whatever the number, it is a fact that the County Council raised taxes by about $42 million dollars this year and they need the money to pay off the Union....." First off, there is no "agreed upon contract" and there currently is an Unfair Labor Practice Hearing Scheduled for next month where issues regarding the Impasse (declared by the County) will be addressed and ruled upon. The date of the hearing may change as there currently is some legal battling going on over getting depositions from each of the County Council members who willfully violated State Statutes at the July 3rd Impasse Legislative Hearing. Because there is no agreed upon contract, there have been no and will be no raises. In fact, the only raises that the County was trying to unilaterally and illegally impose where in the amount equal to half of what they gave every other non-Union county employee and equal to one third of what the County manager was given during at his last evaluation. The total raise equals to 2% for 2 fiscal years. Other county employees received 4% while the County manager got 6% with a 5K bonus for using his "County Vehicle" and not putting in for his 5K dollars in personal vehicle use reimbursement. By the way, the county is not making any of the 2% retroactive even though they are the ones who declared Impasse and drug out the process for an entire year and now claim they won't give any pay at all for the first year of the Impasse Contract. You all can rest assured that your County Council members are in no way "Paying off the Union" as the NOTES section suggests. In fact, they are doing everything they can to break the spirit of our department. This isn't to say that they aren't wasting your tax money. They continue to fight fruitless legal battles in an attempt to create a war of attrition with the Union with the unfettered belief that they will break the Union down and have us decertify. In reality, we pick and choose the fights we want to fight, win our attorny's fees and costs, and have signed up 100% of department due to the severe lack of trust that our firefighters have for our pathetic management and administrators. You are right about them wasting your tax money, but you are a little deceived about the ways in which they are doing it. Volusia County Government is the shining example of why Unions exist and why employees sign union cards and voluntarily give $600 a year/per person, to our Local. It is time for a change and time for both sides to be reasonable and responsible. It starts with management and the elected officials. If they continue to put the union on the defensive, then there will always be a fight and the tax payers pockets will be paying the legal expenses for the poor decisions being made by our top administrators and politicians. From: Volusia
COGENERATION
We were not surprised to find that the Utilities Commission has apparently ignored proposals that would benefit Southeast Volusia County. The following we believe is an effort to bring to the public’s attention serious proposals for addressing problems of electric generation, fresh water, and sewage treatment.
We appreciate the posting and are including it on our front page.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Perhaps some might find this interesting. Check the date it was sent. April 25,2008 Mr. Robert Rodi General Manager/CEO. Utilities Commission City of New Smyrna Beach 200 Canal Street New Smyrna Beach, FL.32168 Re: Florida Rural Cities and Communities [FRCAC, (http://frcac.org )].
Dear Mr. Rodi
During the scheduled UC Meeting of October 17th 2005 FRCAC made a proposal to the Utilities Commission for a Cogeneration Facility that would Generate 160+ Megawatts of electricity and Ten (10) Million Gallons of Desalinated Water a day for New Smyrna Beach (NSB). This facility would also have the ability to remediate all of the Sewage Sludge produced by NSB at the Waste Treatment Plant. The size of this facility was proposed in consideration of NSB being located between the cities of Port Orange and Edgewater that were also growing and need all three services this Facility offers. We also closed our presentation with the clarification that the size of the facility could change depending on the needs of NSB. Since our proposal to the UC, both Larry Bearden and I have attended three (3) UC Meetings, on different occasions, and have written to you several times to reiterate FRCAC’s ability to do the project as stated, and requested information as to the exact needs of NSB. This information would be very beneficial in meeting your specific power and water needs for the Citizens of NSB. We are quite aware, as are you of the requirements under PURPA for sizing of a Co-generation Facility, which is why we bought forward the possibly of developing a Partnership between FRCAC and NSB. FRCAC would still finance, design, build and operate the facility. In other words NSB could be totally self-sufficient and in a position to sell Power and Sewage Sludge Remediation to other Cities, or if it so desired to concentrate only on the needs of NSB. These matters, along with other questions, are what we wish to discuss with the UC and its Managers. The original location of project was to be at the Waste Treatment Facility for the following reasons; 1. Location is next to the Main Substation for NSB. 2. It is adjacent to the existing NSB Waste Treatment Plant. 3. Land has already been permitted for a Power Plant (Duke Energy Merchant Facility, two (2) ea 250 MW Generators). 4. Accessibility to the Well Field Pipe Line supplying NSB. The only difference if the project is located elsewhere the ability to obtain the feed flow of the saltwater to operate the Desalinization Plant. The Facility will not produce excessive noise, in fact the Gas Turbines, in their Outdoor Enclosure¿s, a normal conversation can be held next to them when operating at Full Speed/Full Load. We have plans to further enhance this concern. The Gas Turbines to be utilized are manufactured by G.E. http://www.gepower.com/... The emission control system assures that aspect. http://www.gepower.com/... The Project that I completed in CA. for Southern California Edison was for five (5) ea G.E. Gas Turbine Peaking Units at five (5) separate locations. I can assure you that CA Environmental Standards far exceed those in FL. We with FRCAC keeping up with the minutes of the U.C. meetings and understand concern was raised about the Natural Gas Supply in FL and the ability to have enough gas on hand. http://www.suezenergyna.com/... l This link should quell those concerns. We also can understand that a little confusion might have taken place I regards to our Governor’s stance on renewable energy desired to exclude Natural Gas. The below is in response to my email request for information.”
We think this proposal was written by Richard Barnett, http://www.wri.org/profile/rich-barnett. Draw your own conclusions. Having been submitted as a proposal to a public body, this is a public document. Sending it to the Shadow was totally appropriate.
