1. CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
The third tow truck operator that will take a cut of the new rotation tow truck calls made by the police in New Smyrna Beach is from Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. The Chief of Police in New Smyrna Beach is from Hollywood, FL. One of his Commanders is from Ft. Lauderdale.  The Shadow draws no conclusions as to why a Hollywood based tow truck company ends up opening a branch in Holly Hill (2001) and   leases a small,  lot in Port Orange ( September 2009) so that it can be within the five mile circle of Mayberry as required by the City ordinance. Maybe some of the bloggers could help the Shadow out with this quandary.
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February 28, 2011
DEAR PAM

DEAR   PAM

As we have stated in the past, we realize that various City officials have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help them out and provide draft letters for review. As we have said, this will free them up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.
Dear Mayor Barringer,

I want to buy a fancy set of frying pans since I understand that on the bottom of most sets there are instructions on how to negotiate a better 911 call service with the County. I would then put the pans in the police department kitchen to encourage them to eat in and not bother the restaurants in town for discount or free lunches.

PAM


THE UTILITIES COMMISSION IS STILL STIFFING THE SHADOW ON INFORMATION YOU THE TAXPAYERS ARE ENTITITLED TO HAVE.
NOTES

1. THE SOUTH EAST VOLUSI TAX REFORM MEETING
The meetings will be on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m.  For meeting location – email debvishnesky@aol.com or call 386-847-4258.  The guest speaker will discuss the petition process to change to a Mayor-Council form of government as opposed to the current Council/Manager form. The Shadow published five articles by Ken Taylor on this subject  See LINK
2. NSB AMBULANCE — WHY?
Yep, NSB has one. It was bought in 2005 off Seminole County, which had taken it out of service. It cost $11,000. Why?   So NSB Fire Department, along with all of the fire departments in Southeast Volusia County, can mount a frontal assault on EVAC. They all have ambulances they basically cannot use. Now understand, the only time that any of these vehicles can be used is if the EVAC vehicle is delayed, and EVAC tells them to handle. According to EVAC, in the many years since this was agreed to by the County it has been invoked two times. Yep, twice we believe. So let us tally up the costs of letting the boys in red run around in fancy vehicles they do not use except to impress the gullible.  Way over a half a million in fixed costs. Then there is all the wax they use to make them look pretty and the spare light bulbs for the overdone assortment of emergency lights!
At least here they bought a discarded Seminole County vehicle in 2005 for $11,000 and just paid $6,000 to paint it. It could be a lot worse.  Port Orange bought a new one for $226,000 two years ago and Edgewater bought a used one like NSB in 2005 and for $206,000 bought a new one last year.  None of these vehicles make sense unless they kill off EVAC.  They do look pretty spiffy when they drive around town in their needles toys. About as bad as the boats they own and go out in once in a while. 
EVAC pays $98,000 for one of its vehicles; they are essentially using GSA specified equipment, the same you would find at Patrick AFB or NASA. No short-changing in the emergency medical life saving gear, just a few less lights, bells, sirens, and chrome. Think about it.
BLOGS

Date:  2/25/2011, 9:38 am
Name:  RR
Email:  RR@aol.com

The Bert Fish decision at least reflects that the Sunshine Law is still alive and well. However, the whole Hospital situation kind of reflects the arrogance of many in the New Smyrna Beach area and/or business people associated with Leadership of the Community. It reflects that many do not or did not care about the Citizens or public during the whole process. The Bert Fish Board should all resign or be replaced by the Governor right now. We need people to recognize that all Citizens and especially those in New Smyrna Beach be treated with respect, integrity, and honesty. It is time for a new start or new beginning for the Bert Fish Hospital, its employees, and the Taxpayers of this area.


Date:  2/21/2011, 10:08 pm
Name:  NSB Observer on Boat Ramp Parking

Interesting spot in the FAQ regarding the parking fees for the boat ramp parking. Seems FIND essentially told the City they could not give City residents a discount unless they gave the same discount to all member counties of FIND (or those on the east coast of FL). [See the email from FIND in the package, page 188 of 264] Our over the hill City Manager who apparently, from this stunt, either can't read an email or does not want to, spun this to ALL must pay the same, including City residents [page 186 of 264] Simply not true and every boat owner in this City should shove it back down her throat. If you live here and pay real estate taxes, look on your bill and you will find that you paid money into FIND and thus you paid for this ram that the City now wants to tax you to use. Make any sense?

And just how does this fit into the Mayor's Economic Plan? Does not sound like an invitation to come here and spend some money.

This is but another tax, pure and simple, issued by a government that has had a deficit and yet gives your money away when they do not have any to give away and then caters to the whim and demands of unions and its own high paid staff, when they should be cutting salaries and eliminating all of the overblown benefits such as free health insurance. And that includes the pensions, to quote the Mayor, "unsustainable pensions." All of these idiots need to go and go now.

Date:  2/19/2011, 12:48 pm
Name:  Afternoon Jake

It was interesting to watch the Volusia County council in action last Thursday. By a unanimous vote, they essential gave the death notice to the RCC and Pam and Barlow's little kingdom (at least in their minds a kingdom), while eventually reducing taxes for Volusia County residents. But the real benefit will be better coordination and more efficient delivery of emergency communication services. The sad part is it took so long. Many of the Council members acknowledged that fact during the 2 1/2 hour session on the 911 issue.

The other good result is that consolidating the 911 function also sets the stage for consolidation of fire and rescue services, which will result in cost savings due to less duplication of coverage and equipment, as well as better long range planning for population service area changes and needed infrastructure such as fire stations, etc. It fits perfectly with the previous studies that have universally shown that consolidation of the fire and rescue in VC will enhance the services delivered and at a lower cost.

But our City Manager and her buddy in Edgewater, have been secretly trying to sabotage this plan, despite the known savings, by throwing our incorrect statements about hidden costs and lost ability to have "hands on." In my humble opinion, Ms. Pam would not know what hands on in public safety communications means if she were shown it. Nor could we expect her to treat it any differently than she treats everything else, which is always favoring the employee not the citizens who pay the taxes.

So I suggest Pam and the rest of City Commission and especially our boy Jumping Jack Grasty who just loves the RCC, to stop worrying about it and get on with fixing the pensions and salary issue we have here in NSB. They are far more expensive and costly than this.


CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO
CLICK ON ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO
OUR CONDOLENCES TO JUDY REICKER ON THE LOSS OF HER FATHER. WE SHARE IN HER LOSS AND THERE IS LITTLE THAT CAN BE SAID TO LIGHTEN HER BURDEN. THE LOSS OF A PARENT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT.
AMERICAN GREED
         NEW SMYRNA BEACH STYLE
  (NEW AND OLD)

1.  BERT FISH MERGER SET ASIDE—ACCORDING TO COURT, ENGINEERED BY THE  CEO, WHO              WAS ALLEGEDLY PAID $1.4 MILLION TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.  (SEE LINK IN ARTICLE BELOW);

2.  $600,000 “FRANCHISE” TAXES ADDED TO “LOW” BIDS FOR CITY SEVICES;

3.  SUBSIDIES TO RICH GOLF PLAYERS, YEAR AFTER YEAR; CITY MANAGER KEEPS TRYING TO           WRITE OFF THE NON-PRODUCING LOAN;

4.  $30 TOW OPERATOR TAX IMPOSED ON DRIVERS FOR PAID POLICE OFFICER TO CALL TOW               TRUCK FOR A CITIZEN;

5.  REFUSAL TO PROVIDE INFORMATION BY THE UTILITIES COMMISSION IN A USABLE FORMAT            ON SALARIES AND COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES RESULTING IN POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF          THE FLROIDA SUNSHINE LAW (BUT WHAT ELSE IS NEW FOR THE UC);

6.  POLICE COMMANDER WITH NO REAL DUTIES; CITY PAYING HIM  A COMMANDER'S PAY TO               PERFORM SAME WORK AS  A LIEUTENANT, PER THE CITY'S OWN CLASS SPECIFICATION 
    ($109,000 COST –SALARY, PENSIONS AND BENEFITS—SEE W-2s); and

7.  CITY ATTORNEY PAID OVER $330 SALARY, PENSION, AND BENEFITS WITH $500,000                            SEVERANCE PACKAGE, YET HE CONTINUES TO HIRE OUTSIDE COUNCEL FOR EVERY CASE AS       APAPRENTLY HE IS NOT QUALIFIED TO HANDLE IT; CITY COMMISSION NEVER CHALLENGES           HIM ON OUTSIDE COUNSEL COSTS.

The only thing missing in this list is the invitation from “Dancing with the Stars” for Pam and Gummy Man.
1.  THE FLAWED BERT FISH FIASCO
Finding gross violations of the Florida Sunshine laws and possible violations by the Bert Fish Chief Executive Officer for engineering the so-called “sale”, Judge Graham set aside the purchase by the Adventist group. See LINK for the full Court decision and Court Order [Check Paragraph 8 (b) in Judge’s order]

2.  EDGEWATER AND NEW SMYRNA BEACH AS CRIME ZONES WITH NEW FIRE STATIONS
Barreling down U.S. 1 heading south you cross from Port Orange into a crime zone. Port Orange, that poor town with little crime, has 86 police for 56,000 residents in a 100 square miles, we have 43 for 21,000 in our crime ridden 100 square miles, and Edgewater, two years ago, had 34 for roughly the same area and population. Worse, both Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach have a bevy of new fire stations, expensive and highly visible, and Edgewater until now has no similar symbol of false prosperity and waste. [READ MORE]
3.  SAVING $450,000 a YEAR IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH WITH ONLY THREE PERSONNEL CHANGES
They clearly reduced the number of City employees over the last several years, but they left many overpaid employees in place. By letting go a few top aides, Orange County Chairman says she can save $700,000 over four years.  But here in New Smyrna Beach we need to hand out only three pink slips and two of those we are sure have vested retirements. The third is married to one of those who should be retired and we believe will be paid a retirement benefit.

Last year your City Manger raised your taxes by 3%, about what it cost to keep these three on the payroll.  The mill rate went up. If she had reduced the payroll by what we suggest here, good old Pam would not have had to stick it to the taxpayers. So what makes Pammy so attached to these unneeded and non-contributing hangers-on?
We have nothing against any of them personally, although we do admit that whereas the Shadow believes that several positions in New Smyrna Beach are overpaid, only the position of the City Attorney seems to be so out of sight as to not be remotely defensible. So where is the Mayor on this issue and when will he takes action to force Gummy Man out? It will only get more expensive the longer he stays, so let's get with the program Mr. Mayor and for once make a taxpayer oriented decision. 
[READ MORE]

4. A BLOG WORTH READING ON THE FRONT PAGE

Date:  2/25/2011, 9:16 am
Name:  Hazz Ben Yackin
The CC has put on hold "pay for parking fishing" fee to your weekend enjoyment. A great idea! Perhaps before sticking another hidden tax on citizens, the CC should formally look at all cost factors including a projected investment / income / expense information before the city buys a pig in a polk. Let’s see what we're getting. Has anyone read the Director's proposal? What is the entire yearly cost to maintain the boat ramps? After all, several budgets ago, it was the Director that could not find any expense reduction that would not affect her department adversely. Afterwards she laid off her least senior and low paid employee. Could it be that the resources of her department may be better utilized to do only the required work for tax payers?

This is not Fish Hospital! From time to time the Shadow blog has questioned work content of the Park department. In our current economic climate should we invest thousands of dollars to decorate Canal Street? What did this cost the tax payers?  Weeks of trimming trees, putting up lights and rental equipment. What other work is preformed out of whim and not out of necessity? The city had a $40,000 study of efficiency of the Park department. What was the outcome? No fair putting it on the city web site for all to see. The Director commands a rather large salary and should earn hard decision money. Should the Director seek sunshine for Parks?  Pun intended. The City Commission, the City Manager and the tax payers should be treated to full disclosure of all park expenses and expenditures rather than “suggestions” without full documentation. We've just been treated to a hidden tax in the form of $30 for a police officer to call a tow truck. Tax payers actually use our boat ramps to feed their families. Why don't we arm the Citizen Patrol and have them go take food off the table?