NOTES
1. We agree with the writer whose dad was saved by the response of the various emergency services that came to his home. He needed service and it was provided. Nevertheless, the issue is not whether service was available and prompt, but whether a properly trained rescue squad arriving quickly from an efficient dispatch service would not have provided the same service at a fraction of the cost? Certainly where the nature of the emergency is unknown, the response will be different from where someone calls and says I have fallen and cannot get up or that I am experiencing severe chest pains. What we now have is a service that is not even marginally better, but very expensive, with high paid supervisory employees that are unnecessary and too expensive. It is simply too expensive for New Smyrna Beach to pay for a 911 call service which is close to five times the price for a County service that is every bit as good. It is difficult to believe that an organization of less than 50 fire fighters needs a Chief, a Deputy Chief, 3 Battalion Chiefs, and 12 lieutenants. Let’s face it, the lieutenant position is not supervisory, is not justified by any normal organizational standard of command and control, but provides increased pay with attendant benefits. Perhaps these positions should be eliminated, and the third person on the truck could be called lead Fireman, with a reasonable additional pay kick?
2. The issue is not a willingness to support adequate or superior service by those we hire to protect us. The issue is what should the service cost, and is the scheme that now exists out of whack with both service and need. There is nothing wrong with this analysis. The body politic might decide that service should be provided at a certain level, and that the majority will support it with their taxes. The Shadow has raised that question. Not an attack on fireman and policeman. It is an exposition of what these services cost today, and whether the taxpayers want to change the equation to save money even if it is at the expense of service. We do not know, and until there are elections with a discussion of these issues by the candidates, no one will have a choice. That is democracy, which unfortunately, has been given short shrift here in New Smyrna Beach. The only position that the one avowed mayoral candidate, Bill Rogers, has taken in the past, is that he is against litter. Remember it was on his beat that the escalation of salaries and pension benefits for City employees began, and it would be nice to know where he stands now that the costs have escalated to the point where it is questionable whether the City can fund its obligations or not!
3. We are not amused that some Neanderthals think that putting inappropriate, vulgar, and juvenile comments on the blog somehow helps their point of view—in these cases, obviously support for the fire and police departments. The Shadow does not fault either group for not appreciating that their good fortune. In pressing their own interests, they have been handsomely rewarded. However, the taxpaying public is entitled to know the extent to which this good fortune is costing the City. Information is power! Now, having not succeeded in shutting down the Shadow, the troglodytes are pursuing hate messages, and are uninformed that hate messages may not be covered by free speech, and may be criminal offenses under both State and Federal law. We really think they are too stupid to realize that they hurt their cause, and we are tempted to leave their droppings on for a little while just so that others can see that they are dealing with people who could not pass the fifth grade FCAT.
OK, if it continues, the Shadow will engage the Federal authorities to determine who is sending these messages and seek proper redress. Your choice!
1. Being curious about John Yancey's resume, we asked and the City obliged us with a copy of what was filed with the City on January 3, 2007---more than 6 months after he was hired. We contacted L.P.G.A., Int., his last employer in the area, and found that he was paid $11.50/hour (around $24,000 annually plus benefits) in 2003. Greens keepers at L.P.G.A. start at $8.00 an hour. He was not in a supervisory position. Are they reducing his salary to what he earned at L.P.G.A.? All right, it should be more because inflation last year was over 4%. We suggest that he be removed from the position and given an opportunity to re-apply after it is posted. In the alternative, reduce his hourly rate to $12.50 to account for the last three years of inflation.
2. We asked for a copy of the canceled check that Frank Roberts received for the six months severance pay that was issued in the first week of January. We were provided a detail of the check history, but the check will not be returned until after February 15, 2007. The best we can do now is the copy of the detail of the check history. We have highlighted the net amount of the check, but, keep in mind, it does not include the benefit package, nor the additional pension amount earned by keeping him on the payroll for an extra six months.
3. Restoring Chicken Island is an undertaking that is certain to enhance the charm of natural habitat. Leaving the Australian Pines, however, is another matter, since it is not a species of plant native to the area. The State of Florida is trying to eradicate it from the intra coastal waterway. It is shallow rooted, creates a sterile environment for both birds and other wildlife, presents no food supply, and smothers out native species (see link http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/caeq1.htm). We can understand the nostalgia of some one who listened to the wind in these trees as a child, but considering the damage this tree has caused to our environment it is hard to understand why any restoration project would not eradicate this species that is so harmful. Perhaps the City Commissioners when they voted the other night to “preserve” these trees on Chicken Island were unaware of the efforts to remove this pest tree from our coastal environment, but it is hard to imagine that the State Environmental Agency or County would agree to any plant re-vegetation plan that sought to preserve Australian Pines. We are sure there other native trees where the wind whistles through the leaves.
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February 5th, 2007
The last meeting of the Personnel Board, City of New Smyrna Beach, was on April 21, 2005… 649 days ago. We will keep a tally until their next meeting.
For more information about the personnel policies of the city, go to the following website: www.cityofnsb.com, click on links, then click on municipal code, when the municipal code appears, scroll down on the left side of the window and click on "appendix A, Personnel Policies”, ENJOY!
SIMPLE FAIRNESS
The following chart was published on January 29, 2007, comparing the expenses of answering 911 calls from the Regional Communications Center, the 911 call center:
You will note that the County charges Daytona Beach double what it charges those living in the unincorporated part of the County, not an unreasonable method of off setting the total costs incurred by the County for the entire service. However, you can also see that Port Orange, in a service shared collectively with both Edgewater and New Smyrna, has contrived it would appear, to gouge New Smyrna Beach residents. Who is minding the shop? Certainly, it was not Frank Roberts who set up and nurtured this extravagant waste of our money. There must be an answer as to how we ended up in this black hole with money going out a leak in the bottom of the boat. Of course, the answer will be the number of calls received from each jurisdiction, but that does not seem to be the formula used by the County in charging Daytona Beach, and the County includes in its charge the service of actually dispatching fire and rescue vehicles from the correct stations to the site from which the call was made.
There seems to be no valid reason why these charges should be disproportionate per capita from one jurisdiction to another within the small cohort of persons served. Spreading the risks and costs is one of the reasons for combining services and nothing is perfect, but this arrangement is not only imperfect, it is symptomatic of a rip-off than any fair sharing of expenses. Of course, we could not find the bookkeeping entries in the Port Orange budget (allegedly in a footnote that in last years budget we could not find). As far as getting the numbers of calls, we were told to contact the Port Orange record keeper, and that complete copies of the minutes for the oversight committee, consisting of the three Mayors were not supplied to each city, how convenient! Attachments to those minutes might have shown the number of calls, but after repeated requests, we just got tired of pursuing the answer to a question that was clear and unambiguous.
We have a hard time understanding why the per capita costs here are not considered as the same for the entire group. It would save this town's taxpayers about $220,000 that is about the same amount the CRA is squandering by dredging in front of the Captain's Quarters. That $220,000 or so does not include the other $200,000 or so that the County is kicking in, but at least it’s a good start.
DOMESTIC TERRORISTS?
By
Ken Taylor
Recently, someone referred to me and friends of mine as domestic terrorists. I was disturbed by this accusation and thought about why an intelligent, educated person would make such a categorization of us. I believe I have figured it out! This person was referring to an internet publication entitled The Shadow, and those associated with it. At first, I was accused of being the Shadow, which, of course is not true. Next, I was accused of going over to the other side, whatever that means, and accused of supporting Ron Vaden. The conversation was interrupted and we did not have an opportunity to finish our discussion. Some of you may have concluded that Judge Naum Litt sponsors The Shadow; he does, and has enlisted a number of volunteers to help him provide an opportunity for average citizens to express themselves to their peers, with and without attribution. I contribute to the Shadow from time to time because I want to express my opinions about various issues facing our community about which, I believe the community needs to hear. When I do, my name is attached to that article, attribution, you know where I stand, and I welcome responses and possibly dialog. Because of how The Shadow is formatted, you may and can respond via the opinions page and have your response published unless it is unseemly, vulgar, or does not comply with rules clearly previously stated. You can do this anonymously, without attribution, or by name, with attribution, your choice.
Those of you who have read The Shadow are aware that it is about stimulating good government. Anyone can submit an article, and it will be published without change except for proofreading to ensure proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. For whatever their reason, not many notables, or those involved in providing our government have chosen to submit articles, so some of us do when we see the need to titillate your interest in how your government is sticking it to you. However, The Shadow does receive many postings to the opinions page, that is, in reality, a bulletin board. Now I come to the explanation of why The Shadow and its associates were taken to task for being domestic terrorists. As opposed to articles that are researched to be supported by facts and data, submissions to the opinions page, so called blogs, are just that, opinions. They may, or may not, be supported by fact or data, they may be pure supposition, submitted without proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, or common decency. I believe many of you confuse these blogs, submitted by others, as being supported by The Shadow, and reflecting its opinion. Not true! You will notice that The Shadow allows almost everything submitted to stay on the bulletin board. Only those untoward submissions that do not comport with The Shadows rules are removed. If you want to be vulgar, engage in character assassination, or otherwise show your stupidity, chances are, your submission will be removed. In other words, as they say, do not tarnish The Shadow with this brush. The opinion page is the only place, except for possibly the Hometown News, where average citizens can express themselves without fear of retribution. I believe the person who took me to task, misunderstood this relationship, and attributed an attack on someone for whom they care greatly, as an attack by The Shadow and, thus characterized those of us associated with it as domestic terrorist. Not true! If our articles are incorrect, facts wrong, data inaccurate, analysis flawed; tell us about it; write a response!
Finally, I will comment about my view of Ron Vaden. As a Utilities Commissioner, I was concerned about ensuring that New Smyrna Beach had an efficiently run, cost effective operation. At that time, there was one issue to be resolved. What was his involvement with certain businesses associated with the UC, and were we making money? I will not comment on that because it is the subject of litigation and the decision of the courts. I will say this, notwithstanding Ron’s management style, with which I differ, I do agree with his vision for a fiber network to provide information technology services to our city.
THE SCHOOL BOARD
The contractual relationship between the State and the Volusia County School Board (VCSB) requires that if the High School Property off the North Causeway is abandoned that it reverts to the State of Florida. This is rather straightforward and is called a reversion clause, a fancy word for giving someone something as long as it is used for the purpose the giver intended, and, if not, that you get it back. Up until now the School Board threatened to continue to use the premises to defeat this reversion provision with totally phony statements that it would park a couple of school buses on the premises or store old books in one of the abandoned school rooms. This would have given them a phony argument but they could have held up the reversion in court for a few years. Of course, they have to guard the premises and do a little maintenance. Because of bad publicity, they held off for a while so that they could give the promoters of a plan to set up university driven marine research campus time to raise $10,000,000 dollars to buy the building from the School Board. Apparently, no university was interested in a deal where the School Board was going to siphon off a huge front end payoff.
This week the School Board voted to raze the building and sell the land. That vote means that the reversion clause has now been engaged and the School Board has nothing to sell. The property now belongs to the State and it is up to the State to decide both how the property is used and, who should benefit from the sale of the land—purported to be worth about $10,000,000. So what has the School Board proposed? That it will give the State $1,500,000 to ignore that the State owns the property. We are also sure that when the Mayor and Frank Roberts met with the School Board before the promoters of the marine center were ushered in, that a deal was struck that would have the School Board do something nice for the City. Like say a million dollars for the City's cut! We were not at that meeting but we know what Roberts demanded as a cut of ratepayer money from the Utilities Commission, and tigers do not change their stripes. We wonder if there are minutes of that meeting. The City then told the promoters of the marine center that they supported them, and good luck on raising the 10 million.
Analyzing this transaction is not difficult. The School Board should not get a windfall from the State taxpayers for selling a piece of land it does not own. If the State School Board wants to grant the VCSB additional money so be it. However, this money might be spent better elsewhere, and the method the VCSB is proposing is frankly obnoxious. Among other things, it hides the fact that this is an indirect tax payment from the State treasury, violates the terms of a contract that is binding on them, and sets up a use for the land that may not be its best use. Secondly, the City of New Smyrna Beach might be a better place to put the State's largess, and a marine center on this site might look attractive to several universities if the promoters could raise money for new construction and not give it to the School Board. Any use is probably better than giving the money to the VSCB, that when it had a few bucks left over last year propose an 8% pay raise for its board members, and gave a 61/2 % pay raise to its administrative staff.
This is a windfall. It should be treated that way by the State. It should be in the State's revenue stream as a return on an investment for education that was paid for by every taxpayer in the State by not collecting the fair market value of a lease for the last 40 years. The arrogance of the VCSB in pursing this claim is not only questionable but down right unfair. Your 80 year old neighbor wrecked his car. If your gave him use a pick-up truck to haul his groceries with the understanding that when he no longer could drive it, it would go to your son, you would not be pleased that when they took away his driver's license at age 82 he said he sold the truck and would give you back 15 cents on the dollar. Meet the School Board!
“Best Blog of the Week”
D. Dunn Wednesday, 1/31/07, 4:31 PM
This is the first time I checked out this web site and read the comments that had been submitted. I was disappointed to see so many comments that were not serious concerns for our city government. The language seems to come from ignorant people who have no idea how to communicate about problems in our city. When I heard of this web site, I thought this would be a way to voice our serious concerns about the city government and our tax dollars. Letters to our newspapers are not printed as they are written when negligent actions are reported on elected officials. However, it appears from the nature of the comments I read, this is not a professional site.
From: New Smyrna Beach
Email: nfdpdunn@cfl.rr.com
“Best Co-Blog of the Week”
TOMKATT SATURDAY, 2/3/07, 10:01 AM
Subject: Captain Quarters. There were seven boats tied up @ the Captains Quarters. The largest was an 18 footer, one was a “commercial mullet" boat, humm lets see spend four hundred thousand dollars for 6 boats and a mullet trapper. I wonder if he lives in the quarters or “rents" the space.
From: Coronado Beach
THE OBSERVER
The Observer has changed enough for someone to notice that it actually prints news stories on its front page. For several years, it has made oatmeal and cream of wheat seem exciting; however, it has started to take a renewed interest in the community and even printed an editorial on a local news item. Of course, it was a non controversial editorial, but a start is a start. It would not take a position on annexation of South Beach, and we have yet to see an article on the Utilities Commission that even scratches the surface of their problems. We were starting to believe that The Observer was getting an under the table rebate on its electric bill. We now have hope. How about a hard hitting undercover report on the local golf course? We know the research would be difficult because besides reading the Shadow they would have to make a few telephone calls to corroborate information about revenue and expenditures. Unlike the paper to the north, that fancies itself as an investigative arm of the FBI; we have great expectations for The Observer.
FUN AT LA QUINTA!
Hey, get in line for a trip to Palm Desert resort at La Quinta! That is where some of Bert Fish hospital administrators and Board members may be heading next April 15 for a tête-à-tête on hospital problems in underprivileged places like New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill. Registration is only $1695 per attendee plus air transportation, and the précis for the five day conference is impressive—assuming that those who go actually attend. We have trouble understanding why a golf resort in La Quinta, California
(http://www.google.com/maps) is where the Bert Fish Board has chosen to go for training. There was a similar program in Naples, Fl., in November. What great insights on hospital administration are not available somewhere on the East coast, like Newark or Jersey City conventions, where their wives can at least hit the discount shopping malls, and would not be equally beneficial? Well, the Bert Fish Board did not get to vote on the plan. They were told about it in a letter, now, however, we are told it was a verbal statement at a Board meeting. Since the Bert Fish Board has taxing authority, perhaps this trip should be discussed with County Chairman Bruno who has decided to limit Council person travel because of vociferous complaints from taxpayers about spending abuses.
A telephone call to Bert Fish was not productive. Something was said about Estes National Park, and it was inferred that the Board trip was to the Park. Nope! The fancy conference is put on by the Estes Park Institute at various resorts around the Country http://www.estespark.org/. That is where some of Bert Fish's Administrators and those members of the Board of Directors who choose to go are heading for a conference sponsored by the Estes Park Institute for their April golf trip this spring. As stated above, we have trouble understanding why a conference in La Quinta is the appropriate place for board members of a public institution that sticks the taxpayers with over $4.5 million dollars in ad valorem taxes each year. It would seem more appropriate, that if someone must attend, a single representative report back all of the “important” new information from such a conference. Well, the Bert Fish Board did not get to vote on the plan. They were told about it we are told at a Board meeting in early December and the few Board members who complained that it was inappropriate, were told that the choice of whether to go or not was a personal decision. It is up in the air or somewhere. But then, it is not their money. The Tax reform group is talking about seeking legislation to make hospital Board members elected officials who would have to justify their actions to taxpayers periodically. There is another proposal being kicked around to seek legislation to take away their taxing authority.
We have a modest proposal. The Board should initiate a golf tournament at the New Smyrna Municipal Golf Course, they certainly need the revenue, and the winner is the one that goes to La Quinta. Oh, by the way, the application for reservation says that a non hospital person can be nominated to come as a free guest. How about one of the people who lost their homes when the tornado touched down being designated as the free guest? The only qualification would be that they can play golf.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES, AND GOES?
1. $400,000 (CRA) to do essentially a private dredging for a few slips at Captains Quarters;
2. $12,500 (CRA) to an architect to come up with a plan to raze a structurally sound pavilion built only six years ago for a few hundred thousand dollars;
3. $10,000 and up annually for failure to force the County appraiser to properly assess the slips and facilities of the Anglers Yacht club;
4. $56,000 annually, which is about the difference between John Yancy's salary at the L.P.G.A. Golf Course ($11.50 an hour in 2003) and what he was hired for by Frank Roberts in an unposted job as greens keeper at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Golf Course;
5. $400,000 or more annually for 911 call service more than the cost if the service bought from the County.
Hey, it adds up, or as Senator Dirksen once said: “A million here, a million there, and soon it adds up to real money.”
PAVILION REVISITED,
OR,
YOU MUST B KIDDING!
As Vice Mayor Hathaway said about the proposal of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to spend four ($400,000) to seven ($700,000) hundred thousand dollars, or maybe $1 million, to wreck and rebuild the $400,000 (less than six year old pavilion which is in near perfect structural condition) at the end of Flagler Avenue: “I'm trying to get a feel for what the community will say. I have concerns about that kind of expenditure. ”Asking taxpayers what they think is rather novel if the question is whether they favor the CRA throwing money away. It is akin to asking farmers whether they favor agricultural subsidies. We think Commissioner Hathaway already knows the answer. This is a joke, but at the taxpayer’s expense, and the mere fact that the CRA approved the expenditure for this study at a cost of $12,500 shows that they are out of touch with reality. The irony is, that we thought the money was being spent for the engineering study to address the erosion under the pavilion, but now we find out that it was wasted on a study to consider how to replace the pavilion, and that an engineering study for an additional $14,500 has now been let to address the only problem identified with the pavilion back during the hurricane season of 2004.
Commissioner Hathaway has the right idea the right question, and the right attitude! This board is out of control and spends taxpayers money with an abandon probably seen last when Louis the XIV almost bankrupted France at the end of the 18th Century. Gives us a break. Get with the program. Revenue is down and frivolous projects are out. Please petition the County government to cut off all funds to this bunch. We not only contribute as taxpayers in the City, but the County taxes us for matching funds. The County can put an end to this fiasco just as quickly as the City Commissioners. Commissioner Richenberg also indicated that he recognized the questionable nature of the proposal. How about the Mayor taking the lead and kill it once and for all. It is not worth revisiting. The City Commission should replace the whole board with people who care about how taxpayer money is spent.
