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October 11, 2010

YOU ARE NUMBER:

PROPOSITION 4---REFERENDUM – VOTE NO

Vote for it and you might shut down all construction in the State. Just like the so-called “Save the Charm” group paralyzed New Smyrna Beach, this would probably cut all growth in the State, not just Mayberry. It is one thing to send a message that you want to slow growth, but the message to business in NSB was for a developer to go somewhere else. The Shadow agrees that the feckless bureaucrats have frequently acted poorly in permitting some of more egregious invasion of wet lands, but the answer is to throw out the offending bureaucrats. The Shadow believes that the voters booted Sally and Randy for many reasons, but no growth was one of the main ones. Giving the people who want slow growth a weapon to stop all growth seems like overkill.

Then there is the estimated costs, caused by delays and litigation both before municipalities and in the courts. Several analysis suggest that if employee pa and unfunded pension debt does not bankrupt municipalities, this proposal will.

THE REAL SKINNY ON THE TAX INCREASE A. FIRST ROLLED BACK RATE DEFINED

When the City collects the same amount of revenue (dollars in taxes) as the previous year.

1. When property values go up, it is a tax decrease;

2. When property values go down, it is a tax increase if the same tax dollar amount is collected.

Property values went down in 2010 almost 14%. Since the millage rate is not below the decreased value, it is a tax increase on property. [see LINK for analysis printed last week]

PAM’S PLAN

OBJECTIVE: DELAY ADDRESSING REAL PROBLEMS AND PROTECT CURRENT PAY, PENSIONS, AND BENEFITS OF HER FAMILY-----THE CITY EMPLOYEES

The “plan” was to not seriously address any of the problems concerning three union contracts in 2010. Succeeded beautifully. Give her an “A+”

Decrease personnel as little as possible, and give “buy outs” to employees who could have been terminated since their jobs were neither needed nor affordable. Remove from the payroll the 10 fireman on DROP. Volusia County Sheriff’s office we are told have no employees on DROP. Pam should give Sheriff Johnson a telephone call. City employment decreased by only 14 positions (258 down to 244). Give her another “A+”.

HER DIVERSION

Propose a 6% tax increase above rolled back. The Shadow has speculated that all along that this was a sham proposal. We speculated that she would jettison it and try to make the rolled back increase in taxes look acceptable, a tactic that is so worn out it should be embarrassing to the City Commission to allow it to be used another year.

Marginalization of the appointed Budget Review Task Force. This is a blue-ribbon committee appointed directly by the Commissioners. Her key plan was to delay any implementation of proposals by them through the end of Fiscal 2010. Another win, but her last meeting was a tentative agreement that she would implement many of their proposals in 2011. Give her another “A”. But in the meantime she has made at least five other very intelligent residents aware of her tactics and lack of openness. These are five people who know and understand fiscal responsibility.

THE FINAL TAX RESULT

The Commission chose a tax increase but cut it significantly from what Pam wanted—we speculate rolled back tax as set forth in her “real” budget. Give her a “D” in effecting her plan. Her plan the Shadow believes was to have the rolled back rate, not one that cut another $1.5 million out of the ad valorem tax. Now, having her money decreased by the new lower rate ($1.5 million less than the Shadow thinks she wanted) the subsidies, pay, pensions and benefits of her family of employees are at risk. There will be no loss in public protection even if the police and fire department personnel are reduced significantly. The City Manager knows this, but will say it results in a loss of public protection. Reorganization of the police top heavy management has occurred through retirements, exactly as suggested by a local expert over a year ago. The County has shown that you do not need three fireman to a shift. Keep in mind the both Jack and Lynne wanted to stick it to the taxpayer as originally proposed by PAM. But then Jack is at least consistent in his efforts to keep benefits high for his friends in the unions.

SUMMARY

The reality check is the tax base for New Smyrna Beach for 2010 is $2,519,535; for Edgewater the tax base is $685,099. Collecting about $3.50 on $2.5 billion beats the heck out of $7 on ¾ of a billion. Our taxpayers are paying 1/3 more per resident than those in Edgewater.

You have had an increase in taxes that is significantly lower than proposed by Management. WOW [ see property appraiser's chart] This is possibly a sign that the worst of the City manager “of the employees, by the employees, and for the employees” has been given a warning shot across the bow to cut personnel deeper. Weak but nonetheless there. The City has no reserves this year to raid. The City has negotiated no leases for market rates of City property. The City still has not cut benefits of a vaunted 53% of its pampered fellow employees. We expect a desultory negotiation with the unions since the City track record is to leave them alone. Watch. The fire department union rep at one of the early contract negotiations for this year said we are told that they should leave the employees’ pay alone and raise taxes. Secondly, with a major election looming in less than a month comments should be permitted in the BLOG about our local Congressional candidates, the incumbent Suzanne Kosmas, and the challenger, Sandra Adams. We will ask each for a short statement. While there are definitely National overtones, the politics that the Shadow will consider relevant for comment on the BLOG is only what affects us locally. Read and participate in other places for national issues debates and straight party attacks. Get your partisan kicks on both sides from the attack television ads. That stuff does not belong here.

WASTE OF MONEY ON AMBULANCES

On October 23, 2010, the Volusia County Council is poised to grant “carry authority” (contingency emergency ambulance service when the Volusia County Ambulance Service—EVAC). The proposal is that those communities that already have ambulances can use them when EVAC in an emergency situation in excess of 9 minutes. The proposal is not for each of these fire departments to go out and buy an ambulance for each station. Edgewater already has bought a second ambulance.

First, there is no such need. The only recent example the fire departments use was caused by their own 911 service not informing EVAC of the need for a response vehicle. That is the only case that has occurred to our knowledge. The unintended consequences is that every one of the municipalities will demand an ambulance in every station. Port Orange bought one two years ago for $225,000 and Edgewater is buying a second one for its second station. It is giving a green light for unneeded equipment purchases and a license for each city to add equipment as well as try to claim their pampered fire departments have meaningful work. The Shadow thinks we should investigate the stock holdings of the County Council members to assure ourselves that they are not profiting from these ambulance purchases.

This proposal should be denied. In the event that the County Council caves and votes for both this needless and bad proposal, they should make it clear that no City should go out and buy more ambulances. Port Orange for example does not need a million dollars in equipment when it is improbable that it will ever be used.

THE SHADOW HAS DECIDED TO LET THE BLOGS PUT FORWARD THE PROS AND CONS OF THE BERT FISH HOSPITAL FIASCO

Date: 10/3/2010,9:23 am

Name: On Bert Fish

I would agree with 526 as well as 525, in the sense of eliminating the hospital tax. We are in the minority here in Volusia County with three

taxing districts; there are only about 17 or so left in the state out of about 100 acute care hospitals (one hospital equals one tax district). That fact is part of the reason Volusia County taxes are so high, along with Echo and Volusia Forever, both of which have outlived their usefulness. We, as a community, need to demand the hospital stand on its own two feet without tax dollars and move on; if that is Florida Hospital, so be it. But whichever one it is we should demand that they sunset the hospital taxing district by the end of the 5 year lease. And then go after Echo and Volusia Forever. Lets get the taxes back to essential services only and since the other hospitals treat the indigent without the tax dollars, demand they do the same here. And by the way, ask them where they got Williams one million plus parachute; out of indigent dollars I am sure. He should be run out of town on a rail as he has done nothing to make the hospital balance its books. [READ MORE]

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 know that the City is expected to have oversight over the Utilities Commission. But, it would require that we question the wages of the employees and that would call into question the wages of the City employees. I want to leave them alone.

PAM

NOTES

“HIDING HAND” AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

The theory of the hiding hand is that God places his hand over the eyes of men who propose grandiose projects. This hides the true costs and dangers of the enterprise. The corollary is that events have unintended consequences, such as stopping a project that should be undertaken because along the way some injustice occurred and someone stopped the project long enough that it then failed. The building of the Panama Canal before the discovery of how to control malaria is the example that is frequently used to describe the hiding hand. The Bert Fish Hospital fiasco could be a perfect example of an unintended consequence of the Bert Fish Board’s folly. Having so mismanaged the enterprise that they needed to merge, the merger process is so flawed that delay is certain

to occur and the future cloudy.

DISCUSSION OF THE SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA ADVERTISING AUTHORITY

The following postings on the BLOG elicited a spirited discussion on the BLOG last Sunday and Monday (Oct. 3, 4,and 5). The responses on both sides of the issue make good reading. Look at opinions last week , particularly Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wed.). Two of the first ones are in the LINK For the rest, go to the BLOGS. THE TWO BLOGS BELOW ARE THE LINK

Date: 10/3/2010, 8:30 am

Name: Kilgore Alert

Look at CC Meeting minutes/city budget - Waddler (Deb Boyd) gave a presentation about SVAA. She highlighted their "Everybody Loves New Smyrna Beach" marketing program. It is the same one you took photo from, with her and Downtown Clown

dressed like hayseed hicks in NYC. Look at promotion text and count their participants. Don't count photos, count how many people submitted them. Mayor thanked her for good job, what a joke - program is a big zero. Boy mayor is going to look vacuous as usual! Enjoy /jj

Date: 10/4/2010, 5:14 PM

Name: SVAA

Our leads from SVAA is 0%, never had one pan out. We book 100% on our own. Never contacted by SVAA for any info.

Also sit on the board of a timeshare that has rentals. Timeshare books its own, no help from SVAA. Timeshare has also provided rooms at 1/2-price to SVAA sponsored events with no takers. SVAA never follows up or has a debriefing.

I think 582 may have ignored other posters who have reported that they get 100% of their bookings on their own. Seems like you waited for the 40%. An unweighted/unscientific average of 40% and 0% is 20%. Thus you might conclude that at best the SVAA impacts the rental market by 20%. Q: But at what cost? A: A Million $$ taken from the visitors at say $60 per week stay. A previous poster pointed out (without statistics) that that $60 would be best spent in the local economy at a restaurant or shop. Imagine an additional million spent in the local economy. [READ MORE].

GULLIVER’S DISPATCH NUMBER 2---- A PARODY

“I turned west and headed for the break in the dunes, but as I did so, I encountered another strange but pleasant person. This older lady was standing with a cane and what appeared to be a brace on an obvious injured leg; she was

standing next to a street sign that said Ester Street. As I walked up to her she was also mumbling a chant of some kind, repeating the words over and over "Ester, Ester, please help me as the 'Shadowites' are after me. " Not knowing who these new people were but assuming she was also looking for the park also, I asked if this was the location for the Ester Park. She turned and said "You can't see it? Why it is right before your eyes; but, you must want to see it before you can or are you just another Shadowite? " Tried as I might, all that could be seen was a vacant lot and some sand.

Although I had no idea who these "Shadowites" were, I assured her I was not one and explained that I had just washed ashore this morning and that she was only the second person I had met. I asked her if this was some kind of joke about the park and she became upset, saying "See, if you can't see the park, you must be a "Shadowite?" Lacking an understanding of who these "Shadowites" might be, I asked her if she might explain who these "Shadowite" people were. She proceeded to tell me about how these "shadow people" hate the "Charmers" and "Highties" and are always attacking them. She went on to explain that "Charmers", to which she proclaimed that she was the "head charmer", really value items that are always priced more than they are worth and thus the "Charmers" always prefer to pay more than an item is worth, while those vile "Shadowites" always complain when they do so. She went on to say these "Shadowites" also hate the "Staffers" and especially the head "Staffer" named "Just A. Girl". [READ MORE]

THE SHADOW HAS DECIDED TO LET THE BLOGS PUT FORWARD THE PROS AND CONS OF THE

BERT FISH HOSPITAL FIASCO

Date: 10/3/2010, 9:23 am

Name: On Bert Fish

I would agree with 526 as well as 525, in the sense of eliminating the hospital tax. We are in the minority here in Volusia County with three taxing districts; there are only about 17 or so left in the state out of about 100 acute care hospitals (one hospital equals one tax district). That fact is part of the reason Volusia County taxes are so high, along with Echo and Volusia Forever, both of which have outlived their usefulness. We, as a community, need to demand the hospital stand on its own two feet without tax dollars and move on; if that is Florida Hospital, so be it. But whichever

one it is we should demand that they sunset the hospital taxing district by the end of the 5 year lease. And then go after Echo and Volusia Forever. Lets get the taxes back to essential services only and since the other hospitals treat the indigent without the tax dollars, demand they do the same here. And by the way, ask them where they got Williams one million plus parachute; out of indigent dollars I am sure. He should be run out of town on a rail as he has done nothing to make the hospital balance its books.

[READ MORE]