BLOGS (Edited for spelling by the Shadow)
Date: 
3/24/2011, 3:07 pm
3/24/2011, 3:07 pmName: On a roll
Email: kilgorelook@cityofdinks.comJavascript required
OK - Liz Yancey's husband is making $70,000 at the goof course - Here is a bit of information - The earnings of a green’s keeper vary depending upon his or her level of responsibility. Supervisors make a median hourly rate of $17.93 as of May 2006. The lowest paid strata of green’s keepers in May 2006 made a median hourly wage of $9.82. Those who applied pesticides made more than others, since they must be properly trained and certified to do so.
NSB City Course is a mediocre course not Augusta National!
Date: 4/2/2011, 7:25 am
4/2/2011, 7:25 amName: Observer in Edgewater
Observer in EdgewaterThe Observer is now operating out of Lott's Edgewater home. The four-week hiatus to reformat is a joke. They are broke, pure and simple. Not enough Bert Fish ads or CRA to sustain Lott's operation. That means either Dennis is out of CRA or Lott will continue lying for him. Let me be clear about this: The Observer newspaper has moved to Edgewater. There is only one newspaper left in New Smyrna Beach and that is the online NSBNews.net, which is entering its third anniversary next week. And it is the only newspaper outlet that is actually growing.
NOTE: The SHADOW has a suspicion who wrote this blog but we print it since the writer has apparently done his homework or "investigative reporting" and the facts are telling regarding the Observer and its publisher Mr. Lott. It also raises the question of when the City Commission, led by the Mayor, will initiate action to remove Steve Dennis from the CRS board since he apparently no longer has a job or position within the CRA district. They should also request a refund on their advertising dollars given the limited print runs of the main section. We are waiting Mr. Mayor!!!!!
Date: 4/2/2011, 9:01 am
4/2/2011, 9:01 amName: nextmayor
Waterfront hotels on the Brannon site and on North causeway with a side walk connecting through the Anglers club will invigorate NSB.
Date: 3/31/2011, 2:27 pm
3/31/2011, 2:27 pmName: Wading in 2
The basic premise of any taxation system is not to affect the underlying asset. If we paid 100% of our income in tax there would be no incentive to work at all. Thus the tax would impact behavior. There is a tipping point where this occurs and it happens at about 35% in the case of income tax, about 10% in the case of sales tax and around 1.3% in the case of property tax. In tax jargon this is called the Laffer Curve tipping Point.
Here in Volusia County, we are well above the 1.3% threshold with the second highest millage rate in Florida as detailed in Derek Catrons' excellent article about five months ago. California stumbled into the exact range where they would benefit the most in terms of stable revenue streams and increasing property value when they passed Prop 13 in 1978 which limited property tax to 1% of assessed value. If the Gann Amendment hadn't been stripped by the education lobby in 1989 Prop 13 could have prevented the meltdown we see in Calif today. The Gann Amendment was the precursor to the Colorado Tabor Amendment limiting the growth of government to the CPI plus growth. Public service unions hate these type of restrictions on the flow of spending as we discovered here when we narrowly failed to get the Tax and Budget Review Commission to adopt a Tabor for Florida in 2008. Public service unions lobbied against it furiously as did the education lobby.
Taxpayers antipathy toward property tax is based on the fact it is ransom paid at the point of a gun as opposed to sales tax which is purely voluntary or income tax which, at least has a mitigating factor of progressivity. The loss of a high end sale of residential or commercial property because of high taxes causes a devastating ripple effect through a local economy. Conversely, a whole host of services are called into action when a high end property does transact.
Getting back to your request for comment about the impact of the Hospital Tax, it adds about 12% to the property tax bill of the average Volusia County resident . County Appraiser, Morgan Gilreath acknowledged in a radio address on WNDB about four months ago that the millage rates in Volusia would be competitive with other counties if not for the Hospital taxes. Property tax is not essential to providing indigent care as is often claimed by Halifax. 85% of all the acute care hospitals in Florida provide indigent care with no direct property tax subsidy. It is an outmoded and inefficient tax levied by an unaccountable appointed Board with built in conflicts of interest since they combine their Hospital and Taxing District Boards. Gov. Scott is doing the right thing by reviewing these anachronisms from the burdens facing taxpayers. He has appointed the former Chairman of Florida Tax Watch, Dominic Calabro , to head the commission. Volusia Tax Reform supports his efforts.
1. THE MANY FACES OF POLLING--- ILLEGAL?
Here is one. Ask yourself, how does good ol’ Pam know to put an issue on the consent calendar unless she knows that there are three votes and no one will object that the matter is being jammed through? Simple! She talks to each of those voting before the agenda is put together, determines how they will vote probably within a minute or two, and then determines whether there is any meaningful dissent from the other two. Viola! No public discussion and no discussion that might raise questions by the taxpayers. Now on Union contracts that is legal, but on new tax scams it violates the spirit of the Sunshine laws.
2. GAMES WITH PERSONNEL
Four of the Parks and Recreation employees are shown as employees of the CRA. So they are not employees for the P&R for pay purposes. They are City employees, but their pay is from a different pot. This probably lets the City make a book keeping entry that shows about $200,000 savings in costs from its general budget. Can you say “phony”? Say it with a smile.[the CRA budget is part of the city budget]
3. ON TAKE HOME CARS (39) AND SUV’S (18). DROP
From the City Clerk:
#1 – Have thirty-nine (39) vehicles assigned. [Police]
#2-18 Have SUV’s: Police-10, Fire-3, and 1 each for Commission, Planning, IT, Recreation, Public Works
#3 last fuel delivery - $2.907 gallon
An SUV for the IT? WOW.
Oh by the way, 11 members of the Fire department (out of 41) are now on DROP. Give them all a turnip to squeeze.
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Visitor on this Site This Week (Nearly 1300 hits last week. Thank you, enjoy your visit and come back ya' heah.
April 4, 2011
DEAR PAM
We realize that many City officials have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help them and provide draft letters for review. This will free them up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.
THE UTILITIES COMMISSION IS STILL STIFFING THE SHADOW ON INFORMATION YOU THE TAXPAYERS ARE ENTITITLED TO HAVE. CHECK HERE NEXT WEEK
NOTES
1. THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS POSTED IN DIGITAL FORM ITS EMLOYEES’ SALARIES, PENSIONS AND BENEFITS
As we stated a couple of weeks ago, your Utilities Commission denies you this information in a useable form. The City can provide it, the State can provide it, but the UC will not. Frankly it is the City that has oversight over these losers at the UC and the five of them will not protect your interest as ratepayers and taxpayers. Remove the UC Board for violating the State Sunshine Statute. All it takes is three votes. And if they do not remove them, perhaps the States Attorney might decide that those that violate Florida State laws cannot remain in office. We will see who has the intestinal fortitude to accomplish this badly needed task on behalf of the rate payer in New Smyrna Beach. Remember, the City Commission must approve the UC's budget; in essence they have a hammer over them if they would just use it.
2. ROLLINS AND “FOX DAY”
A day off for college kids to come to New Smyrna Beach should be scheduled any day after the old folks leave after Easter----April 24, 2011. Why not a special dispensation for beer in a two block area near Flagler. Now be nice, they are your kids. And to correct the misspeak of our City Manager, a bunch of college kids throwing a dart on the wall to decide to come to NSB and see what damage they can do, does not equate to "turning the economic development corner." For her information, they were banned from Cocoa Beach because of their behavior. But then, maybe they will enjoy the OM bar with Lott and his buddies.
3. SE VOLUSIA CHAPTER OF VOLUSIA TAX REFORM NEXT MEETING - Next Meeting 4/14/2011 at 6:30 P.M.
The Shadow is pleased that some citizens have seen the need to organize and begin the process of taking back our City from the politicians that have stolen it. We encourage more to attend the next meeting where committees will be formed to review next actions. The group meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Pine Island Gazebo Clubhouse located across the street from 712 Pine Shores Circle. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM. Contact Debbie at debvishnesky@aol.com for more information.
Directions: Wayne Ave, past City Golf Course, right on Pine Shores Drive, right on Pine Shores Circle, Gazebo on left.
DROP, DROP****TAXPAYER GIVE US YOUR WHOLE WALLET
“DROP, DROP (Deferred Retirement Options Plan) should be renamed as TPRO (Taxpayer Rip-Off Plan). The way it is set up now employees under the program announce that they are so important to the government employer that they must be allowed to work another five years, whether the employer cares or not if they work another minute. Adding insult to injury, the employer will pay them twice for their pension, DUH. Why this is not solely up to the employer as to whether the employees' retirement is unwanted and there is a benefit to the employer by retaining their services?
The City of New Smyrna Beach did not need to keep Cindy Richenberg on the staff at the fire department the last year when she announced she should basically be paid double ---her pension and her salary. She then walked away with another $48,000 as a lump sum payment. What a joke. Stop the hemorrhaging. Get out of this Taxpayer Rip off Program. Tell the legislature and the Governor that merely letting the City have a say whether you are important enough to be in the program and that it was a benefit to the City.
Dear Mayor Barringer,
We can have more beach parties if we let the kids drink beer. Tell the Beach Patrol to ride a turtle. After all you were one of them in your youth!
PAM
It would be an improvement. Then we would only have to contend with the joke of the politics in naming a Commissioner's wife as a “Public Information Officer” at the Fire Department in order to augment her salary at a cost to the City of $13,500 a year.” The following article was published in the Shadow April 7, 2008.
The Shadow was dismayed to read that the Florida State Senate committee did not address DROP. It is a rip-off of the taxpayers and unless reformed will continue to be a drain on all local governments. Governor Scott wants it changed. All levels of government would be benefited if this program were abolished.
It was originally established with the thought that an employer might have a need to keep an employee, not that the employee could have it as a double dip job perk. Nor was it designed for the abuse of the employer work out a subterfuge to take care of friends. Abolish it. Human foibles have made it unworkable and an affront to the taxpayer.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TAX AND SPEND MESS
Three of the current Commissioners represent the high taxes and spend mentality of the New Smyrna Beach Commission. Hathaway (18 years), Plaskett (7 ½), and Gratsy (5 ½). They are the “prior” Commission that is blamed for all of the bad decisions in prior years. Think of, for example, employee pay, pensions, and benefits. If you want to place blame for where we are today on that issue, that is exactly who you should be blaming. But they also had help from the Surf Dude (we all know why) as well as the prior Mayors, who all jumped on board. And you can add the outlandish and fiscally irresponsible golden parachute given Gummy to their dirty laundry list.
You can carp at Adam and Judy for both continuing the bad habits and taking too long to fix the old mistakes, but even they need another vote. That translates to the proposition that the two newbies, even if so inclined can do nothing absent Hathaway’s vote. They are unlikely to ever to get anywhere with Jack or Lynn. So where is the coalition of the willing? Where is Hathaway? The Shadow thinks it is way over due time for him to match his fiscal conservative jawboning with action.
At this juncture Adam and Judy could start to live up to their campaign promises. Make it clear that the spending spree is over and that taxes will be reduced. No more spending tax money except for essential services. Recognize that all government grants are your tax money. Hathaway should either join them or be shown as part of the Jack and Lynn show, who are refusing to put in place the sea change necessary to protect the taxpayers. However, if Hathaway joins the newbies, they can cut spending. Instead of just talking fiscal responsibility, he could vote for it. The Shadow waits patiently.
GOVERNOR SCOTT AND HOSPITAL TAX DISTRICTS
The Governor has put in place a panel to review why any hospitals have tax districts. We in New Smyrna Beach have the worst in the form of the Southeast Volusia Hospital District that has become the uncontrolled cash fund for Bert Fish, with a close second being Halifax in Daytona. We hope that they are abolished out right or phased out on a short time frame. This would represent a decent property tax cut and would reign in the abuse of mismanagement which we have been subjected to in Mayberry. Do not forget the $1.4 million dollar severance pay contract for the manager who apparently bankrupted the place. The SHADOW encourages you to write the Governor and his panel demanding that they do just that.
Interesting to note that the well written article was not by Mark I. Johnson, but rather Anne Geggis, who has been on the Bert Fish fiasco from the beginning; well done Ms. Geggis and kudos to Mr. Rice, the editor, for finally getting the News Journal into the action here in Southeast Volusia County.
A STATEMENT BY THE SHADOW
The Shadow generally does not edit BLOGS. Very profane comments, even in only first letters, and attacks accusing anyone of a crime are deleted or reformed even when they are about public officials. Personal attacks upon the publisher that are devoid of content are deleted. But not always. Not all postings are essays on important subjects. Not all are fully cogent. On the real positive side, there are way more than 100,000 postings over the last few years and many are excellent tip offs as to funny goings on in Mayberry. Many also are excellent essays on relevant topics. Do our readers a favor and stop attacking the opposing political party as commies or reactionaries.
The SHADOW Fun Pick of the Week: Don't Forget The Balloon & Sky Fest
for a
Great Day with the Family at the NSB Airport
We forgot an April Fools comment last week, so here it is. The Volusia League of Cities nominated Mayor Barringer (who cut off public comments at Commission meetings) and City Manager Brangaccio (who has a track record of not getting along with citizens) as finalists for Elected Official of the Year and City Manager of the Year, respectively. Interesting, since neither one of them seem to be able to find the Angler's Club. Now laugh all the way into May.....
