August 3rd, 2009
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1. Golf Course Pro Shop Renovations
We have been hearing stories of several thousand dollars being spent on renovating the municipal golf course pro-shop. Some one posted that they bought $1000 worth of wood clothes hangers, but we have not found that invoice yet so do not know if it is true. We asked for the invoices and were surprised to find that we were given just a few of what is starting to appear as a larger number of purchases of building materials—e.g., sheets of laminate and cabinet wood. We did not get them all from the City, since “all” to the City seems to be “some”. But what we were able to obtain some of the missing invoices from the vendors in Orlando and Palatka. A major renovation was undertaken. It looked like in-house. So we wondered who was doing the work. It looks like the employees at Public Works are the contractors and subs. Now this raises a few other questions as to how the golf course is charged for this labor and whose tools and equipment is being used. These are expenses of the golf course, not Public Works. Besides, in these lean and mean budget times, why do we have available resources in Public Works to renovate a pro shop at a golf course? Or is it the same as using the Public Works employees out on the links where they augment the ground’s crew? By the way, we are looking for a scholarship at an accounting school for the golf course flack who seems to have missed the budget line item showing the golf course lost $539,000 last year. Maybe he cannot read numbers?
2. County Garbage Rates
An esteemed reader favored us with the following questions for Council Member Jack Hayman concerning the County decision to double the charges for garbage and trash removal. Basically, he wants to know how much of the 50% increase in trash collection rates are a hidden tax that is being collected by the County? The scheme here in NSB is pretty straightforward: the low bidder is told to add several hundred thousand to the amount to be collected as a franchise to the City for using the City streets to collect the garbage. What a joke. In a depression there is no excuse for this type increase unless it hides a few taxes called by another name. The reader suggested to Mr. Hayman that County residents do vote and have a memeeory.
“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
7/26/2009, 7:11 am
NSB Taxpayer
There should be one focus issue for candidates - elimination of pensions. Pensions in private industry have been effectively eliminated over the last 5 years. The reason is they are ticking time bombs for companies financial health. No different with municipalities. If NSB was a company it would be declaring bankruptcy over its pension liability, or at best be a penny stock. Employees are very well compensated in NSB. Let them invest in tax free retirement vehicles like the rest of us.
7/27/2009, 8:47 am
TaxWatcher
For all:
Millage rates can't be compared by city. Each city has a different value for the property that it taxes, so rates may be higher in one city than another because the value of the property in the higher rate city is lower than the value in the lower rate city.
That said, you can measure increases and decreases of dollars taxed to see if one is reducing and the other is not. The "roll back rate" is a sham created by the legislature at the request of the cities and counties to cover their business as usual spending. If they stay at a roll back rate than generally they have in fact increased the millage and your taxes when the economy goes down as it is now, so they can fund everything at the same level as last year.
The problem is when the economy was booming and they were awash in money, they spent like crazy and no one asked why. We continued to elect people to office who only understand how to spend and take care of their special interest groups, like fire and police or just government employees in general.
The root of our fiscal problems lie with the unions and their encroachment of our rights as taxpayers to fund their overly generous pensions and other perks. Now that the economy is down they continue to operate in the same way as always, thus our frustration with their behavior.
I would suggest that we need new people who understand the fiscal crisis we are facing today.
7/27/2009, 11:03 pm
Poor Heidi
You silly goose the restaurant concession in almost every golf course loses money. You seem to think even thought they HAVE NO SALES us taxpayers who don't eat there should pay the "workers" to sit on their butts. How sad you show no concern for the employees of local restaurants that are closed forever. It is also funny you seem to hold the "workers" blameless. Lets count! First they are not WORKERS. Both other golf courses combined have less employees doing the same job. I think they are "workers" and your buddies are slackers. Second since the slackers are so numerous they do indeed contribute to the downfall and we must blame them. Third since the golfers fail to pay the actual expense of the course they are also to blame for the demise of the course. If you don't take care of your house it eventually falls down! That’s unless you go on welfare. Golf welfare is especially sickening. But not as sickening as number 4 - Your ignorance and willingness to support taking money from real workers who are suffering to stay afloat to pay for other peoples hobbies.
NOTES
1. Grasty Wants to Leave Angler’s Club Lease Alone
We believe that Flop-flip Commissioner Grasty is the Angler Yacht Club’s favorite flack on the Commission. He showed up at one of the Commission meeting with a three ringed notebook which had all of the talking points provided for him to say what a swell bunch these greedy rich grifters were and what an asset they were to the community. What a joke, but then the ties that bind include the other Commissioner’s too, even including the one whose husband could not join this discriminating (pun intended) bunch. We believe that one Commissioner’s father is a member. Jack. Give us a break. It is simply a gas to watch you prance around the meeting room with a three ringed binder of notes given to you by Club members. Try memorizing the talking points. We know that is hard for you, but you can do it.
2. The Real Cost of the Municipal Golf Course Subsidy
Not only does the Municipal Golf Course cost money as a direct subsidy, it cripples the two private golf courses by limiting the available players. Turnbull Bay and Hidden Lakes both pay taxes which we estimate to be about $35,000 to $40,000O each. The City course pays no taxes. Breaking even should include the $40,000 tax subsidy. Each of the other courses have homes around them whose value would be compromised if they go under. It was one thing for the golf course to be supported by the City 60 years ago when there was no other way to play, but to subsidize it today makes it a threat to at least two other businesses as well as unfair to the taxpayers who should not be paying for someone else to play recreational golf.
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.
TO: Mayor Mackay
FROM: Pamela Brangaccio, City Manager
May I address City employee pay, pension and benefits without being fired? How about my putting out a public notice that the City will have an open bidding process for the lease of the property currently occupied by the Angler’ Yacht Club without a valid lease? It could fetch between $120,000 to $300,000 annually. The City Marina and the private yard to the East could be packaged for sale with this property several years from now when the market recovers. it could bring in a real fortune. I have prepared an increased interim rental for the facility until it can be sold. This is a bargain rental. May I send it? Please advise.
Pam
FEEDING AT THE PUBLIC TROUGH
The Shadow has had a running dialogue with a number of its readers concerning the Shadow’s failure to discuss the major issue concerning governance in the City of New Smyrna Beach. The main issue before the electorate is the assumed right of the old time residents, those here essentially before the first condominium construction boom which began in the late 1970’s, to believe that they are entitled to special treatment. The critics’ point is that this underlying philosophy is THE FOREST dominating all other decisions. The rest of the taxpayers have put their heads in the sand and avoided the developing problems in our fair city. Many have taken no notice of the increased influence of the unions and the exorbitant salaries, benefits and pensions paid to them. They have been taken in by smooth talking representatives who have convinced you that all of their services are critical to your well being both in the police and fire department. This of course is not true but by extension, salaries, benefits and pensions have also been extended to all city employees. Other perks provided to some of your fellow residents are almost free golf and cheap leases at the Angler’s Yacht Club for 90 privileged rich members. The issue is not how much money any of these old time residents have or do not have. The common thread is that they are owed something because they are the ones who made the “charm,” and that the new residents, mostly second home owners from Central Florida and retirees, can be made to pay for their perks. Moreover, since most of the second home owners can not vote and the retirees do not vote, the residents who are the beneficiaries of the give a-ways and perks, can and do elect ill-qualified officials who will continue the largess. They have also made an effort to convince those that cannot vote that services must be paid for at exorbitant costs having nothing to do with risk or value. It would seem that the price for charm is letting the natives rip you off.
The FOREST is the above described underlying philosophy. The evidence is the so-called trees proposed every summer at budget time. Everyone talks about controlling the budget, but no one does! The so-called trees, is the refusal over the years to reduce giveaways to those who claim the privilege and reap the benefits. What you have is a giant transfer of wealth to the privileged few at the expense of the 80 percent who do not share in the largess but who pay for it through high taxes. Think of the Angler’s Yacht Club as a $100,000 to $200,000 tax and lease loss because if they were assessed at a minimum of $5,000,000 for those expensive covered deep water slips their tax bill alone would be over $50,000. Their lease bill would be at least $250,000 also since covered slips are probably each valued at $200,000 and why should the city not collect the $21,000 a month revenue they should be collecting from each slip at the going lease rate for uncovered slips (43 X $6,000 X 12=$258,000=$21,OOO per month). Every other tax payer paid for these losses through higher taxes. At the same time you paid for police and fire protection for your property, you paid for them because they did not pay their own way. A similar analogy is the failure to reign in expenses of government employees. The worst example here is the unaffordable pension plan of the fire department personnel, but it is only one of many and while they can be singled out as the poster child for what is wrong, they can not be blamed for trying to grab their share from their local officials that have turned their heads while your money was shared with them.
But there are other visible rip-offs that are everywhere. For example, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) gives away money to support events that are supposed to help preserve the blighted area of the City which just happens to include both Flagler and Canal business districts. The money they lavish does help a few vendors, primarily the bars and restaurants, but basically the money spent by the CRA is wasted. It does not support businesses on Canal in any meaningful way, and few vendors benefit on Flagler. But every cent that the CRA spends is money that you must make up as taxpayers. The scheme is very simple. Money in the designated area goes to the CRA and is not available in the general city budget. You make up the difference. The tax losses of the CRA are compounded by the contributions of the County, again taxes collected from you. The contribution of Bert Fish to the CRA is simply obscene since it is from a separate over lay tax district including both City and County taxpayers and is also matched by County money that you paid. Every cent that the CRA spent is money not collected to run the government and provide services. It is basically money passed out to their friends.
The next article on this subject will address the separate groups within the cohort of those who think they are entitled. At this point there are at least two groups who think that they are entitled to spend the money. Interestingly, a third group fighting over the purse may be emerging. Each wants to raid the public purse and distribute the money to their friends rather than lower the tax rate.
ORLANDO IS ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF THE COST FOR TAKE HOME POLICE CARS THAT ARE PARKED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
This article was run by the Shadow on July 16, 2007. Nothing has changed here. Orlando, however, appears to be addressing the problem. Is this what the Mayor calls proactive?
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.)
BLOATED POLICE FORCE
If Edgewater, Fl., a city of 22,000 with 26 square miles has only 32 ( and two reserve officer) police department employees, it seems that NSB, a city with 23,000 and about the same number of square miles, should need no more police than Edgewater. Worse for those that think that bloat is good, the Volusia County Sheriff’s office has said his office would police Edgewater with ten sworn officers (eight patrol and two detectives) and two clerical at cost to Edgewater of a million or some less than its current budget expenditures. Deltona with its almost 90,000 residents pays the Volusia County Sherriff under $10,000,000 for 77 sworn officer. It is not possible to rationalize either New Smyrna Beach having the staff or paying the money for services of huge police forces that provide no protection to the public more than those half or one-quarter of the size.
The County will not say what it would charge New Smyrna Beach for the same or better police protection unless the City asks. The City will not ask because the elected Union Commissioners do not want a benchmark. This is the philosophy that the taxpayer comes last.
The funniest early joke at the budget workshop was the Push-Poll “survey”. It was dutifully reported that the public was happy with the current level of police protection. Then the Police Chief stated this level of protection was provided with five less sworn personnel than he is currently authorized. He also has two sergeants that sit at a desk all day and four commanders to make sure he has no work to take home on the weekend. In Iowa the elected officials would immediately delete five positions from his budget. The Police Chief refused to answer almost any of the questions of one of the participants. The Mayor then cut off the individual asking the questions and made it clear that there was no requirement that the Police Chief answer. Call the “workshop” a joke! We seemed to remember her campaign promise of open government.
We thought we should show you one of the cars the City Commissioner’s authorized the Police Chief to buy. Almost every other city police department, including the County, bought the just as effective and much cheaper Chevy Impala, rather than the ford Crown Victoria. Last year, Chief Pagano bought Dodge Charger with grant money. but that was your tax money too. They, the City Commissioners, authorized the gas guzzlers the Police Chief wanted, and, despite the fact that this grant purchase was supposed to be an unidentified DUI vehicle, the Chief had it painted anyway. Forget stealth. As already stated, the more expensive purchase and the more expensive operating costs for these cars was approved by all five of the City Commissioners. They authorized these purchases over the last two years despite knowing that they were wasting money. It is not their money; it is yours. When they tell you how responsible they are in cutting expenses, remember items like these police cars as well as employee wages, pensions and benefits.te.
DEBRIS ON THE NORTH CAUSEWAY
We are having trouble understanding how some of the structures by the Marine Discovery Center could be placed on City property under the current building codes. Try and put a shack on your property and see what happens. Also, we thought the $20,000 worth of kayaks were supposed to be stored in the $20,000 shed built for them at Indian River Lagoon Park. It may seem that it is better for some of them to deteriorate in the sun. But maybe these are other peoples’ kayaks?
We have been favored with a copy of a recent nationwide release concerning the issues surrounding the Angler’s Yacht Club of New Smyrna Beach. LINK You might just see New Smyrna on National Television for something other than shark bites.
Look at what is NOT addressed in this budget. Any reduction in the pay, pensions, or benefits of the Fire Department personnel. Any reorganization of the Police Department. Any brake on the great giveaways from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) like reductions in the waste of money by the CRA on plastic Christmas trees, drinking parties on Flagler, and $125,000 contracts for consultants to instruct its employees how to spend money. The Director at the CRA was hired to tell the Commission how to spend money and they hired a consultant to “advise” him. And let us not forget the deliberate delay in handling the Angler’s Yacht Club lease and, the fact that almost a month after being told there is no valid lease, they can not even figure out how to terminate the tenant and force the issue to be litigated if the all white male club wants to go to court. Then there is that $1 a year lease to the Chamber of Commerce, the Marine Discover Center kayaks and the water taxi that is now spending your money as it goes down the tubes.
MORE OF YOUR MONEY BADLY SPENT BUT AT LEAST NO NEW EMPLOYEE PAY RAISES. WHEW! ARE WE LUCKY! THANKS SALLY
The Mayor is pleased that the City is saving money this year by not giving employees pay raises. PLEASE APPLAUD. Businesses all over the Country are cutting back wages that are no longer affordable if they are to stay in business. They lay off employees, as New Smyrna Beach did in the early 1990’s, and they reduce salaries and benefits by forcing furloughs and pay cuts. Employees have the right to walk into another job, but when jobs are scarce they usually gripe and complain and do not leave. Businesses live within their budget, and if the budget is restricted they cut back. Not here. The Mayor’s mindset is that she has done well by not giving pay raises which the City has done in the last three years. (6% in 2006, 3% in 2007, and 3% in 2008). The difference is that his year she wants to be reelected. If she suggested that she would reduce the pay of all City employees by the percentage of pay raises she and her predecessors granted the city employees over the last four years, maybe she could curry a little favor. Not much, but possibly some who believed her two years ago when she “demanded” that the fire department personnel “step up to the plate” and then she gave the taxpayers a raspberry when she and the other four Commissioners gave the employee pay raises. Remember the $88,000 policeman who said he and his friends deserved the pay raise.
