HIATUS EDITION
Our “leaders” are taking their annual hiatus, and to paraphrase Mark Twain, we are a heck of a lot better off when they are not in town. What can you say about a bevy of public officials who avow their commitment to “green” principles, egalitarianism, and maintaining the charm of our fair city, when they consider restricting access to those of our citizens who take pleasure in fishing from public property right of way, so that our more prosperous citizens (who can fish off their own property), are not bothered by what they consider riff-raff. It seems to some in town that this might be a civil rights issue. Well, we agree with Mr. Twain, and will refrain from commenting on some of these issues for a week or two. We will just let a few of our graphics speak for themselves. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then we are publishing a full issue of the Shadow.
June 30th, 2008
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We understand that the City choose to go to the mat, with the fire department on two rather minor issues. The major issues are not even in play---consolidation, the absurd pension compensation, and no volunteers to stop the outrageous overtime, three to a shift, needless "lieutenants", and other big ticket items like "ala carte" pay arrangements. At the meeting on July 7, we expect that they may discuss granite kitchen counter tops, but not real issues. They will probably also discuss the size of the new TV.
W-2S REVISITED
The W-2's published over the last few weeks are again presented this week as an EXCEL file so that you can manipulate the data as you wish. Additionally, we provide a number of analyses regarding pay and benefits. We have added charts in columns showing each employee and the percentage of increase that includes the benefit package for each employee.
NOTES
1. It would seem that one of the two air conditioning units at the Brannon Center is kaput and the lowest bid to fix it is about $25,000. The main control boards were fried recently, possibly by a power surge caused by the UC, and these were repaired for four or five thousand dollars. Now where to get the money to replace that shot air conditioning unit. A few small suggestions. Do not buy granite kitchen counters for the Taj Mahal needless fire station ($2,000?). Get rid of the free coffee and sodas at the police department ($6,000). Reduce the ammunition expense to what the County spends for ammunition per sworn officer ($175 each). LINK to ammunition purchase for Volusia County. The line item here is $26,000:
001 52 521 00152101552036 AMMUNITION FIREARMS 26 000 00
52101 5520 36
Account includes ammunition replacement firearms, tasers, and training equipment which includes replacement hand guns and carbines.
Bet they could find $10,000 here without even trying. It is hard to see why this line item is $26,000 unless they intend to buy everybody the most expensive SWAT team carbine on the market. (Google Armalite AR 15). Based on the County use of practice ammunition, only about $9,000 of the $26,000 is ammunition. We think that most of the rest is a slush fund.
2. There is no $1.3 million in cash sitting in a drawer at the finance department that will be used to buy the Esther Street property. They will borrow the money and there will be an interest charge. Ask the City for the balance in the cash account.
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Ok let me see if I understand. Drossman does a false arrest(allegedly). The city pays $12,500.00 to pay off the false arrest charge and we promote him to Commander. I guess if he killed the guy we would have made him police chief!
Well, I went to the website Zillow last evening to view a great aerial photo of the Beachway right of way on the river. While there is a little patch of grass and some trees on the property line there are no sabal palms or grass nor mulch nor scrub plants on the right of way as there are now. It's pretty what he has done but when he now claims it's his property is the real issue along with public access to fish and view the river.
Just left the city commission meeting and the discussion on the Hillsboro St. no fishing fiasco. It seems that the commission exercised some common sense and focused on the interests of the general public rather than the riverfront property owners that Will Miller alluded to as being residents of 2 million dollar homes who don't like sand spurs next door to them . Well, growing up in NSB and running around barefoot stepping on sandspurs was part of being a Florida boy. So just let those north beach riverfront property owners learn what the real NSB is like. PS. Chief Pagano seems to be lacking some basic capacity. When the Mayor asked him if it would be difficult to enforce the handicapped parking at Hillsboro he stated it was possible as long as the space complied with the federal handicap parking space requirements. If there is a God, please find us a Police Chief who can talk, think and chew gum at the same time.
Maybe that what the plan is. They have dragged out the union contract talks for almost a full year. Now I guess they will once again approve a budget that assumes that they will cut the FD's budget, and when those cuts don't show up, then have to go back and fund it out of reserves. This way, the commission can be seen as getting tough on the union, without being tough at all.
Beazley has the audio of just the section discussing the height ordinance on his website. http://beazleylaw.com/PublicHearings.html . It would be nice if the city commission broke down its audio into agenda items like Mr. Beazley does on his site.
City commission is doing much more damage then just spending us into poverty. Mayor Sally is helping so don't give her a free pass. Read yesterday now they want to ban or reduce bus seat advertising. Despite cash paid into city coffers some commissioners want them gone. Of course it was save the charm time drivel. City is 1.7 million in debt already. Goof course is bleeding money, Cindy Richenberg is the first of many $60,000+ pensioners we will pay for. MDC gets $80,000. Chamber and ski club ride for free or worse get money. Rezoning will cost both in law suits and tax base dollars. Ratkowski ran off two businesses Lowes and Ruby Tuesday in the past twelve months and NOW THEY WANT TO ELIMINATE BUS SEAT ADVERTISING REVENUE! At least they are making sure they don't miss any opportunity. What’s next those ugly newspaper machines? Go Randy go with Lynn at your side you can be proud to say "I set the stage the day New Smyrna died".
why did the city buy MDC a fleet of new kayaks with our tax $
Leech center is not in business they are funded by tax dollars. Even with free prime real estate and city dollars they are losing money. Get rid of friends on commission and they are gone.
I had a theft recently, and the investigating officer was not even aware that there had been a series of similar thefts in our neighborhood. If the policemen don't even know where the rash of thefts are occurring, guess there is not much patrolling in the needed areas. Communication within the police department appears to be about as good as we see from the PD at city commission meetings.
What has this City Commission really accomplished? Can anybody tell me? It seems to me, all we hear is talk. They talk about a tight city budget, and then decide to spend millions of dollars to buy a piece of property that is to say the least non-essential. They talk about the Golf Course losing money, and then spend even more money hiring a consultant to study why it is losing money. They talk about Going Green, yet vote to buy more expensive gas guzzling SUV's for the PD, and then after that, they decided to save gas, by having only one Fire Truck respond to certain emergencies. Does this sound like the actions of reasonable, well-balanced people, or does this sound like someone suffering from Bi- Polar disease? Maybe somebody should ask them this question before the next Commission Meeting begins: Did you take your medicine today?
Somebody should do a family tree of the NSB fire department and see how many of them are related. I think the one of the Jones' is a cousin and an uncle to the other Jones.
To C Thomas..... you should be ashamed of picking on our Lynn. Her statements at the Brannon Center Debate that she has the experience and knows her mind. She understands the people who elected her and will continue to serve based on what she knows is right. It is interesting that she represents the West Side and did not want to spend the Gazillion Dollars there. She chose to declare the beach and not West Canal Street Scape. Curious trend. I’ve attended a number of meetings and never herd her ask why any of the West Side project are under construction? Curious. The fishing park near Randy's place was discussed and she did not even question why the police are not doing their job and stopping the illegal activity. Are her fellow commissioners going to stop fishing? The fishing law breakers may go to the new lake on the west side, hence her support of the big, hostile fence paid for by with tax funds. Curious. Maybe the PD are to busy with hot pursuit of desperados west of US1. Curious. Who does Lynn represent? The Gazillions that will be spent on Esther should include a thank you plaque with her name.
The city over the last twenty years did a good job of fixes up the city up and raising the tax base. The broken problem is city did not use the growth in the tax base to reduce taxes. It used the money to raise salaries of city employees and city give aways like the golf course and city marina. The UC same deal. We should have the lowest electric rates not the highest. How can a non-profit cost more than a profit business?
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 more important tasks.
To: Mayor Mackay
From John Hagood
Re: Winter Springs Consolidation
Since we are having an open meeting with the fire department Union on July 7, I would like you to invite the City Manger of Winter Springs to this meeting and engage him in an open discussion on consolidation of fires services. His City Commission recently voted to consolidate with Seminole County. The arguments for Winter Springs’ determination to consolidate are certainly on point here.
John
