May 3rd, 2010
NSBShadow.com....
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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. THE ANTI EVAC WEB SITE
The Shadow believes that the web site attacking EVAC has so many flaws that it does not deserve free publicity by someone posting the web site on the BLOG. The web site is in the name of the web maker, a sure sign that those behind it want to stay hidden from public view. The Shadow will publish their names if we can find out who paid for this web site.
2. THE POND DREDGING THAT MUST BE DONE
The Assistant City Manager agreed that a flood control pond needed immediate dredging but he does not have the money. How about not buying that $402,000 fire truck ($50,000 for the City Manager we believe under the table) this year. Dredge the pond. Of course a fire engine serves the whole town, but the question is how badly is it needed as against the immediate needs of taxpayers who will possibly be flooded out during this hurricane season of heavy rains.
“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
[THE LAST FEW DAYS WERE FULL OF ATTACKS ON THE HEALTH BILL. THE OTHER SIDE]
4/30/2010, 9:39 am
why did
Judge seal papers on homebuilders arbitration? Bet gummy lost another case. He is one who requested documents be sealed. Like when you broke something as a kid and hid the proof. As if he would get a spanking from Pam... Something is wrong here. We are going to eat this case just like rezoning I think. Gummy Man - no super hero
4/27/2010, 10:06 pm
We're #1 ...
"The nation's weakest [real estate] markets for at least the next year are: Volusia County, with a 10 percent drop in values; Brevard was second, with a 8.9 percent drop; the Naples area was third, down 8.8 percent; and Orlando was fourth with a projected decline of 8.7 percent."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-f...
4/27/2010, 11:20 am
nuts!
This below is the direct result of that "tight-knit" relationship that has existed between the Firefighters Union and our local elected Officials.....tens of millions of dollars in Unfunded Pension Liabilities that we, as taxpayers, will be paying-off over the next few decades.
And none of this will go towards paving one road, fixing one sidewalk, building one park, building one school, or be doing anything.... that you would normally think, your tax dollars would be doing...
< New Smyrna Beach; Unfunded Pension Liabilities-Firefighters...$7.6 Million
< Port Orange; Unfunded Pension Liabilities-Firefighters...$14.3 Million
< Ormond Beach; Unfunded Pension Liabilities-Firefighters...$6.8 Million
< Daytona Beach; Unfunded Pension Liabilities-Firefighters (and Police)...$64.4 Million
And with 16 cities in Volusia County, I'd venture a guess that the total bill for all these Unfunded Liabilities is over $100 million...
And now, some want to "absorb" EVAC and turn EVAC's employees into Union Firefighters?
Didn't they ever hear the old adage: "When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you do is STOP DIGGING!"?
FROM A READER: ABOUT FIRE DEPARTMENT EFFORT TO OBTAIN AMBULANCE SERVICE
"All this boils down to is more money for firefighters and their cities. Also, if the fire department is going to tax the citizens to get this program rolling and able to sustain, why are they going to bill you after they transport you. Isn't that like being double taxed? If you have already been taxed for the vehicles they buy, the firefighters that work on the vehicles, the fuel in the vehicles, the equipment on the vehicles and everything else that goes with the transport idea, why should you have to pay again. The fire departments are saying that the taxpayers are giving money to EVAC through subsidy then EVAC bills the people they transport and that is wrong. Yet, the fire departments are looking to do the same exact thing. Even Daytona Fire Chief Gary Hughes was quoted in the paper 2 days ago as saying that EVAC does it cheaper. So what is it? And no, unions may not be behind this transport issue but, they are the ones that drove up all the pay and benefits. That is why Port Orange is taking it back from the firefighters. How about cities look into that. Oh and by the way, firefighters are great, I appreciate everything you do but, you are getting a lot of resentment from citizens because you are on here making yourselves out to be superheroes. You guys aren't all that, nobody is. So stroke each other's egos at the fire station, don't come on here doing it."
DEAR PAM
As we have stated in the past, we realize that the City Manager is limited in the resources available to her for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help her out and provide draft letters for her review. As we have said, this will free her up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.
Dear Mayor Barringer,
I am in dire need of examples of places where the Shadow lied. I agreed at a public meeting with someone who said it lied, and am hard pressed to come up with any examples. Please help.
Pam
EXECUTIVE CITY COMMISSION MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT
TO DISCUSS LITIGATION LOSSES BY CITY ATTORNEY
Up for consideration of whether to appeal or accept:
A. Volusia County Home builders Association favorable award by arbitrator (sealed by Judge at request of whom?);
B. Bill of Rights legal decisions, twice, by Judge that what plaintiff seeks is public record;
C. Settlement of law suit which admits by its existence that City limitation of height of buildings on Beach not defensible.
Appeals in A and B would in all likelihood cost the City over $100,000 each in legal fees! Accepting the settlement
THE REAL DISCUSSION ABOUT CONSOLIDATION OF FIRE AND POLICE WITH VOLUSIA COUNTY
City officials, taxpayers, and the public generally should read the front sections of the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (April 25th to 27th) editions of the new Daytona Beach News Journal. These are historic editions of the paper now under new management. It discusses the financial meltdown in Volusia County caused by the overpaid and bloated government. It centers on the fire department s, and reading the articles you would think that it is just the fire and police departments, but it is all government services. As you read, bear in mind that you saw, or could have seen it all here in The NSBShadow first. Over the past three years, starting in January 2007, the Shadow has been highlighting theses excessive management duplication and bloated salaries, pensions and benefits.
The new News Journal, under really new management as we said, has suddenly discovered some of the issues the Shadow has been writing about. Does the City official who will not tell the Shadow what is factually in error in what has been published over the last three years also think the News Journal lies? As for the News Journal, better late than never. We hope they get a Pulitzer for such a timely piece. Oh, by the way, they then ran an article on the 28th about how the City Manager of New Smyrna Beach was looking for long term savings. Why has she avoided most savings in 2010? The reality is that she has avoided real cuts in 2010 and worked on expensive “buy outs” to be paid to some employees with already fat pensions—fire and police personnel we speculate. The program she wants avoids even the cuts she favors until August. She is bright and capable-----if only she worked for the taxpayers!
NOTES
1. RETIRING SOMEONE ON DROP IS A TWOFER (Deferred Retirement Options Plan)
It seems simple arithmetic that if you remove from government employment someone drawing both a retirement and a full salary at the same time, you almost double your savings. You may even get a young employee at the fire department that can climb stairs in an emergency. Why does the City have anyone on DROP? We are told that Winter Springs considers them as retired and has no trouble in telling them they are retired when they want them to go away. On the other hand goof ole New Smyrna Beach plans it seems we intend to buy them out. Hey it’s only tax money.
2. THE WAY TO THE BEACH---NOT VIA EAST CANAL STREET
The new green highway sign on South Bound U.S. 1. states that the way to the Beach is through Canal Street. The sign at Washington Street only states that it leads to the North Causeway and Flagler Avenue and nothing about the Beach. If you turn left on Canal, then you have to turn back somewhere to go North to Washington Street or South several blocks to the South Causeway at Lytle Street. An Out of Towner, you know a tourist, would not know to drive two more blocks on Rt. 1 and get to the South Causeway without going down Canal. It is very confusing. Now the sign is a seemingly U.S. signage, however we doubt that the appropriate highway authority knows that it is misdirecting its tourists. We will tell them. Bet they are surprised!
3. COUNTY INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON EVAC WAS COMPLETE
The fire department union in Edgewater wants a second investigation of a case where a woman in Edgewater died, attributable to a delay in ambulance service. It does not bother to say that the report found that when the full nature of the cardiac arrest was noted, the real cause of the further delay was failure of the RCC-911 call service partly run by Edgewater to forward the message for eight minutes to the County response 911 service.
FIRE DEPARTMENT NEGOTIATIONS? ASK PORT ORANGE HOW: DO IT TODAY!
New Smyrna Beach has an almost identical fire department union contract as Port Orange. The bad contract that Port Orange negotiated was floated here in 2003 or 2004. We signed on. They are fixing their mistake. Why do not we do the same? Propose to the Union the same proposals that Port Orange gave its Union—another chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters. If the union does not agree, send it to impasse and expedite the impasse review. That is what Port Orange did. Demand a Master’s decision in less than 60 days. The City Manager does not even have to think. Port Orange already did it. So can we if we gave a hoot about the taxpayers.
The next step after the Master’s report is a public hearing where the Commission makes up its mind. It can drop its demands (we did last year after declaring impasse), accept the Master’s findings, or write the City’s own contract favorable to the taxpayers which is what Port Orange did. By the way, the Port Orange contract was that for 2008. New Smyrna Beach gave all employees a pay raise in 2008 and 2009. We believe Port Orange is now negotiating the 2009 and 2010 contracts.
Despite posting a notice that the there was a meeting with the Union on February 26, the City claims none was held. Of course informal discussions with the Fire Chief probably do happen and that is probably akin to back door negotiations. Whatever, the City should publically start the process. Maybe someone should tell them it is our money. Maybe the City should hire the negotiator from Port Orange and get it done right? NOW.
WE BELIEVE THE DISPATCHER AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE
“WOMAN OF THE YEAR” AWARD.
Click on the link below and then scroll to the top of the page. It's the
first recording at the top, labeled: "Hit & Run Accident - I-95 -
4/24/2010" An off-duty Oak Hill policeman in his own car called in and told the dispatcher he was in hot pursuit. His wife was driving the family car and he had three children in his vehicle.
It will download to a media player and then take about 15 minutes to hear the whole thing. You can listen as you do other work on your computer.
She told him not to do hot pursuit but he did anyway. She said you understand you are putting your family in danger! He took a shot at the truck! He had the license plate number! The dispatcher deserves a medal.
RODI SALARY AND SEVERANCE PACKAGE--- SALARY $206,000; $150,000 BONUS
The News Journal twice published Rodi’s Salary wrong—TWICE. It is $206,000 plus benefits and he has a severance package similar to Gummey’s. See Shadow Archives of December 1, 2008. We are wondering whether he was asked to leave which would trigger the severance payout. Even saying that he was not doing his job properly would trigger the “Gummey” clause. Is he being paid his severance package?
After five years of giving us consistently the highest and worst electric rates in Central Florida, they voted him a $150,000 bonus. Probably in addition to the severance package. As we told you in the past, the Utilities Commission is the prime way that the City takes money out of the pocket of taxpayers. Remember, too, that the City receives 6% gross of the Utilities Commission’s GROSS revenue and taxes you 9% or 10% additionally on your bill. That is why they do not investigate how they throw away your money. The City is part of the rip-off.
