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July 9th, 2007
BECOME A CANDIDATE
THE REFERENCED DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY THE CITY EXPLAIN HOW TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. THE TWO PDF'S, IDENTIFIED BELOW, DELINEATE THE DETAILS. THE MAYOR IS PAID AROUND $19,000/YEAR AND THE COMMISSIONERS SOMEWHAT LESS. THE SHADOW BELIEVES THAT IF THEY LIMITED THEIR ROLE TO MAKING POLICY, AND LET THE CITY MANAGER IMPLEMENT POLICY, WHICH IS HIS JOB, THEY WOULD ONLY HAVE TO MEET ABOUT 25 TIMES PER YEAR, AS REQUIRED BY THE CHARTER.
DID NOT HEAR YOU
What is wrong with our hearing? We thought we heard someone say there were benefits for local control of the RCC service last week at the budget hearings. OK, you mean to say that three years of inept management is not indicative of the argument for local control being a bummer? Paying an extra half a million dollars in unwarranted charges last year is brushed off as inconsequential bird feed. The Shadow is not on a witch hunt, but applying the stock market reminder “that past performance is not indicative of future profits” is what is ordinarily used when you did well and do not want to be sued by the sucker when you fall flat after he invests. Moreover, the Shadow has never heard a stock broker criticizing himself after losing a half a million dollars through his own mismanagement, either.
There is an even more of a problem with the pabulum that is being handed out with the budget. The City is clearly are going to “save “---or more appropriately not be subject to overcharges, to the tune of $300,000 or more through the 20% reduction in the 2008 RCC budget they demanded after the Volusia County Sheriff's Office stated it would only charge $390,000 instead of the $980,000, that New Smyrna Beach spent last year, for equivalent services. This alone amounts to 2 ½% of the City Manager’s total projected budget savings, or 50% of the ridiculously low 5% reduction he has set as the Cities goal. Wake up; this City government is not seriously reducing spending. They are not taking the taxpayers’ demand seriously. They have not, and will not, address the lavish salaries and pensions at the fire department, and going forward with capitol expenditures for the fire station that will add $300-400,000 in additional tax obligations for thirty years, and, in our opinion, is irresponsible.
They should invite the Sheriff’s office to make a public presentation of their proposal to provide RCC service to the City, and let the public discuss their views. That would be refreshing, but is not expected. A Similar meeting with the Fire Chief to allow a public discussion of the numbers on the map that were used to justify the Putt-Putt station, but do not. Moreover, just think about whether there would be a need for overtime at the police department if there were one less zone during those shifts on the week when the workloads were lighter. If Edgewater with 22,000 people needs only two zones, why could we not get along with three or four zones with our population of 22,000, where is the justification? During the day, maybe one of the Commanders could provide police presence by driving around the City in a police vehicle. In this era of technology, a supervisor could roam throughout the City, and have all needed management resources at his/her fingertips. Just please do not tell us that you can put a freeze on police department hires because of “overtime.” That dog “wont’ hunt.
INFORMED ELECTORATE
Democracy is a continuing experiment that will fail in the absence of an informed electorate that exercises the right to vote. Election results are seldom to everyone's liking but since all have agreed to abide by the result even if not the one they advocated, society continues to function in an orderly fashion. Most of the population continues to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. A main ingredient of being well informed is the willingness to accept the right of a full expression of free speech, which in its purest essence is the belief that good speech will prevail over bad speech, and that eventually good speech will drive bad speech away. Most of the Muslim world is afraid that its ideas will not prevail over other speech so it denies the legitimacy of other ideas and will even kill those who accept or espouse those ideas. Anyone who converts from Islam can be killed. So cartoons, mostly in bad taste, that in our society would lose the publisher readership, leads to the killing of a Catholic nun and riots. Salman Rushdie is sentenced to death for blasphemy. We simply shrug and argue that these expressions may or may not be in bad taste but you can express them and we will debate them.
There is a problem when those in a position of responsibility refuse to engage in any semblance of a reasonable debate on any of the major subjects that confront us. We do not have a debate on the important questions that determine how our money is spent or something as basic as whether a Utilities Commissioner working for a lobbying firm that takes money from at least two of its competitors, has a conflict of interest. The result is your bloated utility bill. They will not talk about the decision to build the new fire station on Third Avenue. Nor will they talk about how we should deal with the fire department pension and pay, the police overtime rip off, or how we were overcharged by the RCC service. This management fiasco last year cost the City almost $500,000 in overcharges. Nary a word. The attitude seems to be that we do not have to discuss these issues because no one cares, and few of those that do care, will vote. This is a perversion of the democratic process and speaks poorly for our community unless it changes. Open debate is necessary for an informed electorate, and we simply do not have that here. Moreover, if we do not have an open debate, and do not insist on an open debate, we can not argue that we deserve better.
NOTES
1. We were deluged, well all right just drenched, with information that we have requested over the last few months. Here is the haul:
If you are just talking about residential and/or structural fires Beachside, there were only two in 2004, four in 2005, four in 2006, and so far, five in 2007. Now if we just talk about these fires, it will cost the New Smyrna Beach taxpayer about $400,000 each for each year for threes for a residential or commercial fire Beachside. It looks like only three of them in the past four years were South of 27th Avenue. Answering calls south of 27th Avenue is the phony basis for justifying the station at the Putt-Putt course. It is phony because, under our agreement with the County, the first responder would be the County’s Silver Sands station. Governor Crist and Volusia County Tax Reform should use building this station as a poster child for municipal waste.
Another document supplied is the 2008 RCC budget explaining how it will cut expenses by half a million or more dollars. In the beginning, it states that this budget reduction was initiated because of budget cuts and not because the Volusia Sheriff's Office said, it could provide the same service for up to half the price. Really! Well, we also believed in the tooth fairy at age three! In order to help evaluate this June 1, 2007, RCC document, John Hagood might note that it overstates, on page 3, what the Sheriff says he will charge by $118,000. This, of course, does change the evaluation somewhat. How could the RCC make such a glaring error?
Then there is the Mayor’s statement at the last Commission meeting (not yet approved), that Port Orange would support the resolution he initiated to oppose building the ramp at Pioneer Trail and I-95 —fat chance. We were told that Port Orange is actively lobbying for this ramp, and already has plans in place for future development of at least one high end commercial center. Did we say fat chance?
2. It looks like Bert Fish and the New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) are having a tiff over the CRA refusal to build them (Bert Fish) a new parking garage. We chose to think that denial by the County to provide matching funds for this project might have something to do with this tiff. After all, the site is not blighted, and their intent to fund this garage with a hidden set of taxes is unseemly. Bert Fish used its property taxing authority to collect $410,000 that it gave to the CRA. We thought it was an unfair property tax to begin with and said so. Several months ago, we also suggested that the County not match these funds. How about the CRA giving $410,000 back to Bert Fish, and Bert Fish reducing its millage this year?
1. The edifice complex seems to be dying in the Volusia County government. Remember, we needed the large new building because it would be a great convenience for the average citizen who could make only one stop in a given day when he or she wants an occupational license for doing pedicures, a motorcycle registration, and a dog license for Fido. It would seem that paying for this new building thorough taxes was more of a pain than the inconvenience of not having one-stop service for all of the diverse needs that must be done on the same day in down town DeLand. How about the needless firehouse on the Putt-Putt site?
2. The beach is beautiful. Go look at it. Thousands did over the weekend. It is worth the trip and the view
DEAR JOHN
We are reprinting the letter we wrote for you to send to John Dinneen, Volusia County Manage because your counterpart in Edgewater, Jon Williams, made a request for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office to provide him a proposal for providing police services to his City. He may not have been shocked at how much Edgewater could save by contracting for these services, but we were. It looks like millions. Since we believe that our City Commissioners would want to make a similar comparison, since we are confident that by now you would have asked, and in view of current efforts to determine next year's budget so that the property tax millage can be set, would you please publish the Sheriff's response?
DEAR JOHN, Jan 26, 2007
As we have stated in the past, John Hagood, the City Manager, is limited in the resources available to him for pursuing cost reduction projects. Therefore, we have decided to help him out and provide draft letters for his review and forwarding to the appropriate people that might offer to help him resolve many of his problems, and free him up for important things, like dealing with deficiencies at the Parks and Recreation Department. We have crafted the following letter to deal with the problems of the overtime at the New Smyrna Beach Police Department.
February 19, 2007
John Dinneen
Volusia County Manager
RE: Police Department
Dear Mr. Dinneen:
The New Smyrna Beach Police Department has unfortunately been spending a large sum of money on its Police Department personnel costs over the last few years, particularly in overtime, and we are interested in exploring alternatives to the self-management method we had adopted. We are aware that you provide the City of Deltona with Police services. That City has about 86,000 residents, and ours is only about 22,000.
The City would like to know what you would charge to provide proper service. We would of course meet all current obligations we have made, and would hope that any proposal on the County's part would include employment opportunities for our current police force.
Yours truly,
John Hagood, City Manager
Administrative Office Building
120 North Causeway
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168-9985
VOTE IN THE NEXT ELECTION, YOU CAN PREVAIL
YOU CAN PREVAIL IN THE NEXT ELECTION IF THEY KNOW YOU WILL VOTE. THEY WILL DEBATE THE ISSUES AND TELL YOU HOW THEY WILL HANDLE THE EXTANT PROBLEMS. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE, OR MAINTAIN BUSINESS AS USUAL AT CITY HALL, VOTE THE CANDIDATES OF YOUR CHOICE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION. IT IS THE ONLY TIME YOU ARE GUARANTEED A SAY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 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. IF MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE RUN FOR ANY OF THE THREE POSITIONS TO BE FILLED, THERE WILL BE A PRIMARY ELECTION ON OCTOBER 9. THE GENERAL ELECTION WILL 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.
TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE. IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH THE ACTIONS OF YOUR CURRENT ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO REPLACE THREE OF THEM AT THE NEXT ELECTION. VOTE, AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE!!! IN THE LAST ELECTION, ONLY 4444 PEOPLE CAST A BALLOT FOR MAYOR! ONE VOTE MORE THAN 2222 (50%) WOULD HAVE ELECTED A NEW MAYOR. YOUR VOTE DOES COUNT! IF YOU WANT TO RUN FOR ONE OF THE THREE AVAILABLE COMMISSION SEATS, PICK UP THE NECESSARY PAPERS AND RETURN THEM COMPLETED WITH THE REQUIRED FEES NO LATER THAN NOON ON SEPTEMBER 6.
HOW TO JUSTIFY BUILDING A NEEDLESS FIRE STATION
That City trash collector, who was fired after the City said no one would lose their job when they contracted for trash collection, was rummaging through the firefighter union’s dumpster and came across their play book for how to manipulate the taxpayer and gain support for constructing new fire stations. On page three of this book was an entry for Altamonte Springs that told how they tried to manipulate their city fathers into constructing them a new building. Here is how it worked. They claimed their station was rat infested and not habitable. The firefighters’ union demanded and obtained alternative living accommodations, at a cost to Altamonte Springs of about $40,000.dollars, while they proved otherwise. This action appeared to be an attempt to delay consolidation with Seminole County and force a new station to be built. Before attacking us for this statement of fact, contact Altamonte Springs officials or the Seminole County fire department.
So recently when “mold” was found in the Columbus Avenue fire station, we thought, how fortuitous, and asked, what was done about it? First, a trailer was provided to accommodate the firefighters, second, the ducts were cleaned, the mold is being removed, and finally, the long suffering firefighters, now in the trailer will shortly be moving back into the existing building. They have been standing at the ready to run next door, mobilize the truck, which is still housed in the moldy building, and answer the once every three month residential or structural fire call on Beachside, this does not include runs to Publix, Dunkin Doughnuts or other emergency locations. Travel time to 29th Avenue via Atlantic Avenue is about three minutes, ten seconds, assuming they can quickly get into the truck. Remember, boots on the ground time should be less than two minutes so that a fire rescue call can arrive on the scene within the six minute window allowed for preventing brain function. However, for this scenario, the Silver Sands truck would be the first responder, and would probably arrive first at the scene, because it is closer.
Mold, mold, mold! This mold is essentially in a large garage. Fixing the roof leak was trivial, as was removing the mold from the small living quarters attached to this large garage, and cleaning the duct work a snap. Apparently, harmful mold was there, but how convenient to have it as an issue as a way to diminish the value of the one you want to eliminate. The map shows that travel time from the proposed new station to a call on the south end of the Beach is about the same as from Columbus Avenue. In other words, the response time from Columbus Avenue is as good the response time for the new Putt-Putt station that was purported to be significantly better. As stated elsewhere, there were only three fires in the last four years that the Columbus Avenue station would not have arrived at sooner or at the same time as the first responder, the County's Silver Sands station. So the back up argument for our department is mold and other problems with the older station. In Altamont Springs it was rats.”
How stupid do they think we are? Millions of taxpayer money are at issue, and we have a fortuitous issue patently designed, even if real, to make Columbus Avenue more unattractive. They could take a small fraction of the five million they are planning to flush down the tube to build the new station, and totally refurbish Columbus Avenue and just not spend it to remove the mold.
POLICE VEHICLES, GAS, AND COMMUTING
We have been visiting the issue of how money is spent for police vehicles in our fair city off and on for a couple of months. It is a multifaceted issue, but each facet reduces to a factor of cost, and whether the municipality should bear all costs, or whether some costs should be borne by the police officer. Keep in mind, providing a vehicle of any variety, whether a police pursuit vehicle or an antiquated four wheel jeep, is a significant perk for the recipient. Commander Drossman for example, drives a pursuit vehicle that was in an accident but is suitable, dependable transportation even if it is no longer deemed suitable for high speed chases, because someone is concerned that its frame was damaged in the accident. Of course, this question could be resolved quickly by having a local body repair shop make an evaluation. If the frame is bent, and the vehicle is judged to be unsuitable for high speed pursuits, then the question is answered and Commander Drossman could continue to use the vehicle. If it is not bent, then back on the line it goes, and he can drive the Chief’s car.
We do not understand how decisions are made about the use of police vehicles. While the decision to have police officers take their vehicles home may be justified, none seem to include using it as a personal commuting vehicle where significant millage is added to a specialized, expensive vehicle. The usual justification for allowing officers to take a police car home, like the one at the alley on 26th and AIA, is that it projects a police presence, or that an officer provides better care for his/her vehicle when he/she is allowed to take it home, and it lasts longer. We wonder what that says about the character of police officers today, if you must bribe them to take care of city property. Nevertheless, this rationale does not seem to be appropriate when the cars are driven to Pierson, Ormond Beach, or Edgewater. Assuming these vehicles average 20 miles/gallon of gasoline, the vehicle that spends the night in Edgewater and averages 10 miles/day, and uses about 115 gallons of gasoline/year. The Ormond Beach vehicle travels 30 miles/day, and averages 345 gallons of gasoline/year, and the Pierson vehicle that travels 60miles/day, averages 690 gallons of gasoline/year. The argument is put forth that they can not afford to live in New Smyrna Beach, and this is an incentive for retaining their services. Does that mean the City must buy each police officer a $20,000-$35,000 vehicle to retain their services? We believe there is a bigger problem with the police department than meets the eye, and should be resolved immediately! There is little or no merit to this argument since we are sure they can weigh the benefits of the cost of commuting against a position near their homes and at what we are willing to pay, recruiting should not be a problem, unless the hiring process introduces disincentives of its own..
The motor pool provides an annual report to the City Manager of the costs for all vehicles and their operating history. To date, we have not received a copy of this report, but will provide the information when it is made available. In the meantime, we have included the chart below that provides an estimate of the fuel cost borne by the City to effect this perk for these three police officers. Costs do not include capitalization or other operating costs.
LOCATION RT MILEAGE/YEAR FUEL/YEAR PRICE/GAL ($) COST/YEAR
EDGEWATER 2300 115 2.50-3.25 288-374
ORMOND BEACH 6900 345 2.50-3.25 863-1121
PIERSON 13800 690 2.50-3.25 1725-2243
TOTAL FUEL COST TO THE CITY/YEAR $2876-$3401
Keep in mind that a V6 Impala equipped as a pursuit vehicle can reach 100mph 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.
ose.
TAXES AND CURRENT
BUDGET TIMES
By State law the County Appraiser is required to inform the various taxing authorities (County, City, School Board, or Bert Fish) of the total amount of the value of assessed property in each district by no later than 12 PM on June 30th. The taxing authorities each have until August 4 to inform the Tax Appraiser of the millage rate that will be applied in those tax districts. That millage rate will then be applied to individual properties, like your house, business, or second home. You will then receive a TRIM notice that is the amount of taxes you will be assessed unless you can convince the taxing district to reduce the millage rate, or the Property Appraiser that the appraised value is inflated and should be reduced. THE TAXING AUTHORITIES CAN ONLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT IN THE TRIM NOTICE; THEY CAN NOT RAISE IT.
Now for the fun part. While you might think that the recent cuts dictated by the State will benefit you across the board, over 50% of these property taxes are levied by the School Board and Bert Fish where there is no mandated cut in spending. Those two entities can raise the millage rate to obtain the same amount of tax dollars as last year (plus we assume inflation). We believe they will, and that at least 50% of the your expected will be eliminated thorough an increase in the millage rate levied by Bert Fish and the Volusia County School Board. Over the last few years both exacted almost all of the increases they could with almost no roll back.
Neither the State nor the County dictates what level of voter participation is required during the period between June 30 and August 4, 2007, when setting their millage rates for the next fiscal year. We suspect there will be little to none for Bert Fish. Aw shucks, they might even have a meeting, but you will not likely have a lot of notice, and the argument will be that they need all of the money to provide you with quality care. Do you believe that? The School Board increases taxes whether they have more students or fewer students. You can have an input with the City and County, and we predict that the budget meetings held this month will be more open and more informative. It would be good if all input was not put aside until after the TRIM notice.
One other matter must be addressed. The Volusia County Council sets the millage rate for a number of different entities that are represented to the public as independent tax setting authorities, for example, —the Mosquito Control District, library, and the Ponce Inlet Port Authority that currently has a stash of about $7,000,000, and certainly does not need more. Then there are the tax districts, particularly the fire tax districts where they can collect all sorts of general taxes and use them as they see fit. In other words, there are many “nooks and crannies” where they can collect your tax money other than the straight forward, and some say the honest way, the millage rate. In both the County and the City, ask how much they received from indirect taxes over the last five years, if any one cries poverty.
CINDY RICHENBERG, THE UNION, AND POLITICS
There is a saying that there is no such thing as coincidence. So when we suddenly see a candidate for what passes as the local political machine's dissatisfaction with the Mayor, we get really very suspicious of the politics that are in play. We were musing on the issue and came to the conclusion that running a feminist with more than a passing grade on smarts makes a lot of sense for the machine. It would be business as usual if the Mayor wins, but if your “in the pocket” candidate wins so much the better. Nothing to lose except for a little money you cadge (look it up) from your friends and a little time from people who owe you.
However, what really caught our attention is how the fire department and its union will react and that is where Cindy Richenberg comes into play. Obviously she is pretty powerful because any of our current elected officials who were worried about public opinion and felt the need to assuage the electorate, mad because she was over paid, would have demanded that she not be paid a boot load of extra money for a job that really belonged in the Fire Chief's job description. Her designation for this position costs the City more than $13,000 annually in extra salary and benefits. She gets out in the community as a presence and plays the political ball game, though, with the baggage of her bloated pay she might not be the poster child they had in mind.
Last year she led the charge for supporting, and there is evidence that she insisted, that the fire department union not endorse Jack Hayman, a long time friend of the union. She is about as thick as you can get with Jeanne Diesen, who we probably should be calling “Boss Tom”
(Research Thomas Prendergast), in recognition of her apparent behind the scenes manipulation, and Grayce Barck. It is all in the family, a tight knit little group- Randy, Lynne Plaskett, good old Sally the union candidate, with her husband Richard Spangler on the Utilities Commission, Bill Rogers, and Barbara Herrin, a County resident, to name a few.
This leads us to the conclusion that running Sally Mackay is not necessarily a falling out with the Mayor who has been supported by them in the past. It is more of a rather transparent effort to have a suitable fall back position if he should be vulnerable to a white knight candidate on a white horse who would promise to clean up the City. We must face the facts. The Mayor carries the burdens that sit on the shoulder of any politician, successful or not, who has been around for 25 years. Cindy Richenberg will deliver the union to Sally Mackay. Herrin will tell everybody how green she is. That is the plan, and the unions and the so-called no growth group will gang up to give the Mayor a hard time. Bill Rogers is there for the dirty tricks part of the campaign went it gets down to the wire. In sum, a vote for Sally will be a union vote, and Cindy and Randy will both be in clover if she should win. Sally, we think, would be a better candidate without her currently named supporters
