signs of the times

I spoke with Tex Ziade this morning and he assured me that zoning has none of my signs. The question remains: who DOES have my missing signs? All we need to do is catch ONE person stealing signs and put their name and picture in the Gazette for all to see, and that behavior will very likely stop! We will also report the missing signs to the police, make a police report, and replace them. Dr. Mel P. Johnson

zip code approach works

Detailing the numbers of participants in the 33166 zip code addresses the area of concern and avoids any possible privacy isues. Great idea! How can ANYBODY object to that? The Gazette has been a lapdog and cheerleader for City Hall for years, practically since its inception. the City throws a lot of advertising business their way and they arent about to bite the hand that feeds it. When you go to lift weights you have to sign in. When you swim at the UM you have to sign in. When you request an FOI you have to sign in. when you go to zoning you have to sign in. its a way for management to document that they are providing services, and more importantly, services to the residents that pay their salary. is there ANY posible reason why a roster of names would NOT be provided to interested parties, especially residents whose taxes are paying for the pool? Somehow THAT is top secret information, while all the other city functions its just a matter of course and good business principles and practices? It may be moot anyway, as the zip code approach alleviates those concerns.

NO COUNTY FREE LUNCH

I have no real problem with hiring friends or even family IF they are the best qualified candidates available and have the required credentials and experience. I DO have a problem with unqualified individuals padding the payroll. It was interesting in the last Gazette how an article about the Water and Sewer transfer can be misleading. It says the Springs will get TWO huge perks. One, that the County will pay off our current sewer bond debt of 8 Million - that is true, I understand they will pay the debt off BUT fold it into another bond.

It IS NO GIFT from the County. Neither is the reported $9 million in repairs. My figures indicate that there will be 4.8 million in water improvements and 6.86 million in sewer improvements for a total of 11.6 mil. Add in the administrative costs, wireless meters, etc and the total capital improvement costs are 13.249 mil. When you add the 8 million in bonds we already have it comes to 21.249 million, which for 20 years at 3.92 % will total 29 million.

There ARE NO FREE GIFTS from the County in this arrangement. To suggest that there ARE is misleading and shoddy journalism. The immediate repairs will be billed to us as a onetime surcharge over the span of the loan.

The City administration is very cagey in going for the loan for the new gym because, as we know, it circumvents having the residents vote for any new capital project. If they were SO SURE that a new gym was what the majority of residents want, why don't they just let us vote? Can it be that they know that the majority of residents DO NOT want this new gym and, at the very least, want to vote on it? At least FIVE TIMES the residents have signed a petition AGAINST the new gym than we there to support it a couple weeks ago. And these are taxpaying residents, not junior high kids, Pelican Players, contractors, or people who have lived here for a week. A couple hundred votes could make a HUGE difference to some re-election plans next year and , in some cases, could make the difference. The residents WILL remember.