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July 16th, 2007
UTILITIES BILL
The Shadow has designated the first Monday of each month as the day to take out your Utilities Commission bill and compare it with your bill from three years ago. If you cannot find the old bill, call the Utilities Commission (427-1361) and ask them to give you the magic number of what you paid three years ago. You will have to adjust this for the fuel adjustment charge, but that is no big deal since the adjustment is right on the bill. We think that the best way to examine this recent bill is to take it outside into the sunshine. After all it is the same sun that was around three years ago when you paid half as much, unless you believe global warming is upon us in spades
VOTE IN THE NEXT ELECTION, YOU MUST PREVAIL
CHANGE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME! BUSINESS AS USUAL AT CITY HALL IS NOT ACCEPTABLE VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SAY. DO NOT RELY ON YOUR NEIGHBORS TO DO YOUR JOB. IF YOU CANNOT GO TO THE POLLS, OR YOU WILL BE OUT OF TOWN ON ELECTION DAY, REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, MARK, AND RETURN IT TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS BEFORE YOU LEAVE. THERE WILL BE A PRIMARY ELECTION ON OCTOBER 9 IF MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES RUN. THE GENERAL ELECTION IS NOVEMBER 6.
CALL ANN MCFALL, THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS IN NSB AT 423-3311, OR GO TO HER WEB SITE http://volusia.org/elections/reginfo.htm#voter AND REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT. CONTACT THE CITY CLERK, JANIS LOWRY, AT THE AOB TO OBTAIN QUALIFICATION PAPERS IF YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE, AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO. COMPLETE AND RETURN THE NECESSARY PAPERS WITH THE REQUIRED FEES NO LATER THAN NOON ON SEPTEMBER 6.
TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE. IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH OF YOUR CURRENT ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOU CAN REPLACE THREE OF THEM IN NOVEMBER. VOTE, AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE
POLICE VEHICLES AND THE COST OF COMMUTING
Since our publication last week of information about our commuting police officers, we have received additional information. In the interest of being factual, we to ensure that you have the most accurate information from which you can draw your own conclusions about the propriety of continuing this perk for NSB police officers. We remain concerned that police officers must be “bribed” to care properly for city property.
One of these new expensive pursuit vehicles was assigned to Commander Drossman purportedly because it was involved in an accident, has frame damage, and is not suitable for standard patrol duty. We are skeptical. We know that when a vehicle is suspected as having frame damage it is put on a laser jig and measured to factory specifications, the frame is straightened, and is certified as being within factory specifications when tendered back to the owner. We would be astonished if the shop that repaired this vehicle would tender it back to the City if it did not meet factory specifications. Why would the City accept this vehicle as repaired if it was not? We do not know for sure who repaired the vehicle in question, but would like to see the document returning it to the City. It would seem there is nothing wrong with Commander Drossman's vehicle that would prevent it from being returned to patrol duty. Perhaps he and the Chief could share, or he could use an older vehicle? Do they both live in Port Orange?
Now let us look at the City's other pursuit vehicles. City records provided to the Shadow show that the vehicles assigned to the police department consist of at least 31 pursuit vehicles, 29 of which are Ford Crown Victorias and two are Chevrolet Tahoes. Non-pursuit vehicles include one Ford Explorer XLT 4x2, 1 Ford explorer XLS 4x2, 2 Ford Escape XLT 4x2, 1 Chevrolet Suburban, 5 Ford Taurus, 1 Ford 150 4x4 truck, 1 jeep Cherokee, and 4 Ford Crown Victorias, for a total of 43 vehicles. However, we hear that they have acquired a Dodge Charger. If true, they have 44 vehicles. We know that at least ten of them spend their idle time in other cities. We do not know how many more of these cars sleep in the County, but will continue to pursue obtaining that number. We also know that 43 of these vehicles are specifically assigned to officers who take them home when they are not on shift. Additionally, it is interesting to note that the Police Chief is not assigned a police vehicle. However, we believe he must receive a monthly automobile allowance, as do other City officials.
Based on our newly obtained information, we have prepared a chart with a different twist so that you may understand the cost incurred by the city for this perk. Remember, the argument is put forth that these officers cannot afford to live in New Smyrna Beach, and use of a vehicle to commute is an incentive for retaining their services. Again, we ask, does that mean City taxpayers must buy each police officer a $20,000-$35,000 vehicle to retain their services? We have found no valid substance for this argument. However, it seems that the police Chief and other City officials think so.
We believe that the officers and City accountants should keep in mind that if the commuting mileage were considered a legitimate business expense, the IRS would allow a deduction of 44.5¢ per mile. This number includes wear and tear, and fuel. Since the cost of providing these vehicles for their personal use, and the associated mileage expense is not included in the officers’ W2 as income, and more than likely not reported to the IRS, the federal government may be interested in investigating this practice.
To give you a better perspective as to cost, we have revised the chart to provide an estimate for the total cost to the city. Remember, however, the following numbers do not include those vehicles that sleep in the County.
LOCATION RT MILEAGE/YEAR FUEL/YEAR $/ MILE COST/YEAR
OAK HILL (2) 16,616 831 0.445 $7,394
DAYTONA BEACH (2) 17,858 893 0.445 $7,947
EDGEWATER (2) 6,818 341 0.445 $3,973
ORMOND BEACH 11,546 577 0.445 $3,034
PIERSON 20,911 1,046 0.445 $9,305
TITUSVILLE (2) 30,604 1,530 0.445 $13,619
COUNTY ESTIMATE (10) 46,000 2300 0.445 $20,470
NSB ESTIMATE (23) 52,900 2645 0.445 $23,276
TOTAL /YEAR 203,353 MILES 10,163 GALS $89,018
Taxpayer cost to provide personal vehicles to police officers $860,000-$1,505,000
(Total number of vehicles 43, estimated cost per vehicle $20,000-$35,000).
Keep in mind that a V6 Impala equipped as a pursuit vehicle can reach 100 mph and costs about $20,000, and an SUV costs about $34,000. The Impalas used in Winter Park save a fortune in gas each year as a bonus. DUH! Why does NSB need pursuit vehicles anyway? Our department does not patrol the only interstate, and the newest strategy for urban areas seems to be to use the radio, and not engage in high speed pursuits. As an after thought, Al Gore's son was stopped during a high speed run, over 100 MPH, while driving a Toyota Prius. Amazing, what! (link to the pdf showing city vehicles and assignments.)
NOTES
1. The Fire Department Union has clearly asked its members to change the subject from the pay and command structure at the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department to state that personnel should not be required to live in moldy buildings. Their pitch is, how can you retain good people if we attack them for being over paid for the job they are doing for the community and to live in moldy, decrepit buildings. We think they have given a prize for badly written essays to post on the bulletin board (people's blog) and that most of what is written by them is just a smoke screen to hide the real issue--- a discussion of just and reasonable compensation for their services and what the community can afford to pay. No one is suggesting that fire personnel live in ratty buildings and not be paid a reasonable wage, or that their union has not done an excellent job in mobilizing its members to influence elected officials and their election. Our elections in the past have been notable for the failure of the electorate to be informed or participate in the debate. Fire department personnel are both informed and participate, and have a disproportional influence on what our elected officials say and do. The most telling point made in the current debate is that service to the community has hardly increased over the last five years, but the costs for those services has skyrocketed due to wage and pension increases.
2. The map, used as a means of justifying the needless new Third Avenue fire station, is provided for your review and analysis as a PDF (LINK). We discussed last week the difficulty in obtaining this map. Check the numbers.
1. Ms Plaskett not only sees spirits and aliens; they intercept her thoughts via ESP. Apparently, however, they did not explain to her that ESP travels throughout the ether and can be intercepted by others having this exceptional capability. Some of our readers so enabled have intercepted and decoded a number of her transmissions that are shocking, but not unexpected. It seems that Ms Plaskett and her side kick Randy Richenberg are incensed that the Shadow is requesting information, that when made public may show them in a bad light. To prevent this unwanted public disclosure, they pressure the City Manager to procrastinate or delay delivery of requested information, even though the City is obligated to provide it under the freedom of information law. If hard proof becomes available in this earthly world of reality that they are engaged in such behavior, legal action might ensue. However, not to worry, the spirits may not expose her until after she is replaced in November. Randy, will then be on his own, unless the FD/PD unions and their cohorts can elect her replacement.
It is amazing that a candidate for Mayor has (1) appointed a person in bankruptcy for her treasurer Ms Herrin apparently had little concern about defaulting on student loans funded with your federal tax money, among other things, after apparently trying to protect a large sum of money by placing it in an annuity that could not be attached. and (2), appointing a former city commissioner who conspired to fire the city attorney for giving him sound advice as opposed to advice he wanted to hear. Finally, he was the primary mover in placing his good friends Jeanne Diesen and Kevin Para on the Utilities Commission so that they could, with the help of the candidate's husband, Richard Spangler, bring you high utility bills. By the way, remember that Ms Herrin opposed Wal-Mart on SR 44 because, as she stated, it was being built in a valley, while the Home Depot was ok because it is built on a hill. Good start Sally. The Mayor must have picked your campaign leaders for you. You know the old saw, “Birds of a feather flock together.” You should hope that before voting, none of the good citizens of New Smyrna Beach review their utility, cable TV, telephone, and Internet bills. Bill Rogers’ record as a city commissioner or Barbara Herrin's bankruptcy filing so they can see what the family has already done to them. Please get new managers and run on a platform of spending cuts. Then we will be with you
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 important.
DEAR JOHN Feb 19, 2007
We know of the limited resources available to John Haygood, the City Manager, and to his inability to get all of the important letters written that he would like to send. So we have decided to help him and give him drafts that will simplify his tasks and free him up for important things like dealing with all the problems at the Park and Recreation Division. We have crafted the following letter to deal with the problems at the municipal golf course. Since Port Orange is only paying its golf pro only $55,000 and we are paying ours $70,000 and its Greens keeper $50,000 , but we have a fancier title and pay ours $85,000 , we thought a letter should go to Kemper Sports (Tel. 847 850-1818) and ask them what they want and would give us to take over management of our golf course. They manage the course in Port Orange and spin off a profit to Port Orange.
Kemper Sports
Suite 444 February 19, 2007
500 Skokie Blvd.
Northbrook, Ill. 60062
RE: Golf Course Management
July 16, 2007
Dear Sirs:
Subsequent to our letter of February 19th, a number of problems have arisen convincing me further that your skills and experience in managing municipal golf courses would be advantageous in our on-going effort to maintain ownership of this course. We would like to again to invite you to sit down and discuss your professional management of our course.
Thanking you in advance for your assistance,
John Hagood, City Manager
City of New Smyrna Beach
Administrative Office Building
120 North Causeway
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168-9985
ISSUES FOR OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
No more beauty contests for electing our Mayor and Commissioners. The time has arrived for a serious discussion of how we are going to fix the problems with which we are faced, and how to restrain the unfettered spending machine that was allowed to develop over the past few years. Prominent examples of its output are excessive employee compensation for some categories of employees, pensions that are unreasonable for the services rendered, construction, and maintenance costs for facilities citizens choose to support, and within the limits of our budget. The biggest problems are open communication and the willingness to reexamine decisions in the face of new, contrary facts that call for revisiting issues—like the needless new fire house and the tortured path of the decision for just fixing the Pavilion at the Beach at Flagler.
We have a crisis in spending because of bad financial planning decisions were made over the last five years to spend windfall revenues from the increases in property values, rather than spend only the increases that flowed from the increases assessed on homestead properties. If they had limited expenditures to three percent over inflation for non-homesteaded as well as homesteaded property, and placed the excess in our reserve accounts, we would not be worried about the current downturn in revenues. Other cities that took a more conservative financial view are not so troubled. Over five years the City spent 35% more than inflation and an adjustment for growth.
1. Budget and Spending:
In the up coming election, all candidates should be asked to adopt Governor Crist's planned reduction in spending. Namely, the level of expenditures in 2001, increased by inflation and a factor to account for population growth. This formula leads to the conclusion that the City of New Smyrna Beach has spent almost 35% more than it should have, mostly for salary and pension increases for employees and programs such as the sports complex and the $3.2 million “loan” (subsidy) to the municipal golf course. So far, there appear to be two candidates for Mayor and it would be useful if both adopted Governor Crist's platform.
2. Taxes:
Meaningful reductions in spending should be reflected in the 2008 budget in anticipation of further reductions that may be required for the 2009 budget, with concomitant reductions in the millage rate. However, it does not appear that our elected officials have embraced this concept. We already know that a property value increase of 2.1% for homesteaded property has been proposed in the tax notices preliminary posted on the Tax Appraiser's web site (You may want to look yours up at Volusia.org, tax appraiser, search). We are almost certain that the School Board and Bert Fish will raise their millage rate even if you wail, scream, and beat your breast. They will use the well worn argument that it is for the children and the old and infirmed. The City and County will listen to your protests, but the current mandated cuts for 5% and 7%, respectively, offset by the 2.1% homestead rise, will not seem excessive.
3. Capitol Expenditures
There should at least be a moratorium on construction of the needless Third Avenue fire station, and the up scale police station design. In this time of budget and spending cuts, these buildings represent an annual expenditure of over $1 million dollars just to service the 30 year bonds. With the sports complex running large annual deficits and the unlikelihood of the municipal golf course paying its way, constructing these buildings at this time continues the practice of poor financial planning.
4. The Utilities Commissioners
The next big issue is the Utilities Commission. This administration has the opportunity to fix what they broke. The Shadow looks at the current Utilities Commissioners as a wrecking crew, whether deliberate, as some believe, or merely incompetent. Recently we found that while they were turning the UC from being one of the best and most efficiently run municipal utilities in the State, into one with almost the highest rates, they have been adding employees at an alarming rate. Where is that additional oversight the City Commission needed when they passed Orinance19-05 to make sure the UC was properly managed and looking out for the best interest of the owners? What have they done to fix the problems? Ask the candidates.
5. Growth The Non-Issue
The Beach: Growth is not a serious issue in this election. We made decisions over 50 years ago and now we must live with their consequences. We do not have skyscrapers, but we have high rise limits that several groups within our society think are now ill advised. Others want to protect the flow of water through the inlet for surfers, some find that beach renourishment is awful, and others, mostly beach front owners, see it as not only protection for their property values, but as a necessary part of what makes New Smyrna Beach the gem of Southeastern Volusia County. The efforts to limit reconstruction of existing facilities is an issue that will likely be played out in court and limitations, if voted for density, will likely be played out there too.
Sub Divisions: We have cast the die by annexing lands West of I-95, and have changed the equation of growth in the City forever. Venetian Bay is where we crossed the River Rubicon. Talk all you want, but we exact large development costs for the infrastructure improvements in these sub divisions, and we tax them while having to supply almost no services over the next 20 years. It is like dope to the City. It is unlikely that any road in Venetian Bay will need to be repaired for the next 20 years but the owners out there will cross subsidize road repairs for the rest of the City. Folks that is one of the reasons for growth. There will be more commercial centers, and the current plan for seven traffic lights between I-95 and Mission, on SR 44 will look like Lake Mary road in Sanford. This growth will ebb and flow according to many factors that we can not control, but we can adjust the level and the timing through all sorts of demands like adequacy of roads and availability of schools.
TELL US IT IS NOT TRUE
We know the City Commissioners voted to overpay a golf course employee who was hired without posting the position, at a grossly inflated salary level, and not even submitting an application for employment until months after he was “hired.” Well now, we hear that the police department has purchased a K-9 dog from a friend of one of the Commanders, that the dog was purchased without competitive bidding, and that the dog when purchased, was ill. Please tell us it is not true!
Rumors also abound that improper evaluations are being made on infractions by Sergeants, and that a review of charges made against the reports filed would disclose preferential treatment and a deliberate effort to downplay the infractions. We have seen this before. Please tell us this is not true!
The City has a number of lawsuits pending. The City Attorney files a report at least once annually, and in one of the reports, at least one suit discussed is against the City and a number of police officers. Like all lawsuits, there is no ability to state how it will end at this time, but some of the rumors circulating do seem to suggest that the insurance company may end up losing the case. Please dispel the rumors that a man with a concealed weapons permit was arrested only after a certain Commander insisted that he be arrested after the investigating officers on the scene had decided to not arrest him. Tell us the rumors are not true!
RCC 2008 BUDGET
In the introduction to the report from the RCC on June 1, 2007, there are two remarks that the Shadow believes are of utmost importance in showing just how disingenuous our elected officials in New Smyrna Beach are about addressing tax cuts, or spending reductions, if you prefer. First, the Director of the RCC states that in the face of obvious spending cuts as dictated by the State of Florida he has decided to review the proposed budget for 2007-2008. Secondly, he states that the Board of Directors of the RCC, the three mayors and City Managers of the three coastal Cities, has directed him to cut 20% from that budget. O.K. 20%. Should we say that again just so you do not miss it? Roll it around your tongue—20%.
We found this budget startling and it was ordered after the Volusia County Sheriff's office presented a plan to provide the 911 service now provided by Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, and Edgewater through the RCC, for up to half the cost we were charged last year by the RCC. For New Smyrna Beach the VCSO base charge was $390,000 instead of the $980,000 we paid RCC last year.
The response by the RCC Board of Directors was to direct that management cut the RCC budget by 20%? Where we were they last year, the year before, and the year before that? They certainly were not performing their fiduciary duty.
Now let us get look at the details. These people are Directors of a corporation (RCC) that is owned proportionately by the three cities, who ordered its management to cut 20% from a $2.8 million dollar budget (a little under $600,000), but the Mayor allegedly told our own City Manager to cut only 5%. If you look at only the $12 million dollar property tax take, that reduction in spending is equivalent to about the same reduction levied on the RCC ($600,000) or, if only on a 5% reduction from the 2007 rollback, about $200,000 of mandated cuts. The reductions in the RCC billing alone will save about $600,000. It seems to us that the reduction in RCC billing alone, between $300,000 and $600,000, will account for the so called 5% reduction in the NSB budget allegedly requested by the Mayor. From our vantage point, the Shadow believes that this 5% is not a spending cut at all, but it is more like hiding a beer belly by sucking it in and tightening your belt to hide the obvious. Or, another smoke and mirrors event.
“Best Blog 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
Grants are not free you idiot - It is tax money just like overpayment in wages to city employees.
Update on the P&Z meeting this evening... -no Lowes on myrtle, the board passed an amendment to the LCDR restricting "Home Improvement Stores" in the I-1, I-2, and I-3 zoning districts. -the board also recommended that a majority of parcels in the B-4 district along Atlantic Ave. be restricted to 4 stories -many parcels along S. Atlantic Ave were rezoned from R-4 to R-6, thus restricting them to 4 stories.
How about a change in hours of operation for the Municipal Golf Course. For the golf, shop to close its doors (i.e. not take in any more money) at 5:30 everyday is disgusting. What is it a bank? One additional green fee and cart rental after 5:30 more than pays for the two staff to stay. If the sun is up the darn place should be open. During the summer, golf can be played until 8:30. The golf shop and snack bar have been closed for three hours. Three times the seven days of the week is 21 hours. That is 21 hours of potential profit making that is completely lost. Lets not forget about accountability and liability. If someone gets injured, or something happens past 5:30, they are SOL.
Lieutenants who are also certified paramedics will receive 40.00 per week Specialty Pay as long as Paramedic certification is maintained. Driver Engineers who are also certified paramedics will receive $20.00 per week Specialty pay as long as Paramedic certification is maintained, in addition to continuing to be paid at the “Paramedic” pay scale rate. Employees who teach CPR classes in the evening hours while on duty, shall be paid a stipend of $20.00 per class taught, provided the CPR class is of three (3) hours or more. The City will reimburse all employees who have completed six (6) months of service with the City for any costs incurred for tuition upon successful completion (i.e., receipt of a “C” or better grade) of courses related to the fire service area and for all courses necessary to complete degrees in fire service areas, or those necessary to obtain a promotional certification.
The city is hysterical. It outlaws Lowes on industrially zoned property, but if you read back a few months, the city just changed its regulations to allow Adult Entertainment Establishments in same the zoning district. So, I guess, the city’s answer to the South Myrtle street residents is PORN YES, home improvements NO.
Monday, June 9, I attended a hearing of the Planning and Zoning Board of New Smyrna Beach. I was there to oppose an involuntary down-zoning of most of the coastal properties within city limits. What I learned is the proposal is even more egregious than expected. Here are the important facts; most residential properties in the area from Crawford Rd (about 1/4 mi north of Flagler Ave.) to the southern city limits (4495 S. Atlantic Ave.) will be down-zoned from R-6 to R-4. The height limit for R-6 is 95' (9 stories); for R-4 it's 45', or 4 stories. The impacts to you vary depending on the type of property you have. For Low-Rise Owners: When you consider re- development of your tract, you will be subject to the 45' limit rather than have potential for up to 9 story buildings as you currently have. Although you may not be considering re-development soon, the imposition of this new height limit is a definite reduction in potential land value. And because of the storm risk, we never know when unplanned re-development might be necessary. For Buildings Taller Than Four Stories: If you're an owner of a condo unit in a building of 5 or more floors, in the event of re-development, you will not be able to re-build more than four stories! This means if a hurricane renders your building unusable and you own on the fifth floor or higher, you've probably just lost your unit forever! The city planner tried to explain the building could be rebuilt on a bigger base so you could have just as many units on the new four floors, but I'm at loss to think of any New Smyrna building which has enough extra land to accommodate a larger footprint. He also presented it as no problem for owners because it could be up to fifty years before the buildings reach obsolescence. Although we can hope this is the case, we've seen how a weather event could cause mass damage to any building at any time. If you have a high-rise unit and wonder why you didn't get notice of this unprecedented taking, it's because the city only sent one notice to the Homeowners Association of each building, not to the individual owners of each unit.
We need to clean house at P&Z. These people aren't planning and zoning (verbs), they are scheming and sabotaging. They're taking away property rights. How anti-American is that?
DECISIONS IN LIMBO
We are no longer sure of the true meaning of limbo, but for us trying to figure out how things are accomplished here in our fair city, it seems to devolve around questions that are raised and then shelved, sometimes only long enough for our elected officials to think that we have forgotten a project that should be dead. Sometimes we think they were sent to Haiti so that they could return at a later date as a “Project Zombie”. Here are a few:
THE PAVILION
This small potatoes paint job had grown into a monster proposal to tear down a perfectly sound structure and spend up to another million dollars ($750,000 in the architect's plan) plus the almost certain overruns as you can see from what happened at the golf course. The architect does not like Victorian – it is not his style. Tough. Every time the Shadow thinks its dead, by golly they think of a way to spend money to breath life into it. Please tell us that you let the contract to paint and make minor repairs, and that the appointed CRA that the elected officials control have killed all proposals to tear it down.
THE FIRE STATION ON THE PUTT-PUTT SITE:
The map showing the alleged need for this $5+ million expenditure of your money through a bond issue which is going to cost more than $300,000 annually to service for the next 30 years show that is not needed. The next time our elected officials want to spend money to go forward with this project, ask them to look at the map supplied by the fire department that shows no particular savings in run time from the Putt-Putt site when compared to the Columbus Avenue site, to the South portion of Beachside, and longer run times to Minorca. ( See PDF link in NOTES). We have had questions about whether one or two of our Commissioners can read balance sheets, so we have doubts about whether they can read maps. At least put this extravagant waste of a project on hold until those maps are provided and some one teaches them how to read it.
THE ORANGE STREET PROJECT;
There is a drainage project needed on Orange Avenue South of Canal Street. Fix it. Forget about roundabouts and fountains. Better, the gateways to downtown are Live Oak and Palmetto. Do the landscaping on those streets if you want to make it pretty to come into the City. Kill the expensive landscape project on Orange Avenue and just fix the drainage problem.
THOSE SUVs:
Get it straight. They are status symbols, that when driven by City officials, are sticking it to the taxpayers. They are not so much more expensive to operate than some other vehicle, but much more expensive to buy. Every day they are on the street with a City official in one of them, it is a poster boy, and in this case girl too, showing disdain for the taxpayers. Put them at the motor pool and leave them there. Say you did it.
