pool audit needed

For ALL of the reasons noted previously- missing daily logs, liberal uses of whiteout on the daily logs that ARE there; erratic and inconsistent documentation on the daily logs; unapproved handshake deals for swim practices that are valued at pennies on the dollar and amount to subsidies for private enterprises; the questionable legality of the handshake deals; highly questionable annual revenue numbers; improper taping of pool employees; lack of controls in place to properly document admissions; annual revenue numbers that the City Manager says he has NO idea how they were derived, meets not billed for (nor apparently collected), back rents that have been allowed to be over two years in arrears... the list goes on and on. It is for all of these reasons I am asking the Council to initiate an outside, independent audit of the pool and all of its operations. Dr. Mel Johnson

Gym dictates to Council

Gym would NEVER allow the Council to fire him, and the Council would NEVER even consider it. Who would tell them what to think and do? Who would tell them that 300% and 400% and more, are normal profit margins for construction in Dade Co.? The only way he would PERMIT that to happen is if he had his golden parachute in place and promises that everybody would write glowing letters about him as references- then he might resign for "other oppurtunities". Wonder what an indictment would do to speed up the process? Fraud and misappropriation of funds are two leading possibilities now, plus this sales tax situation. An outside independent audit would clear up ALL these questions, wouldnt it? Start at the pool.

pool ponderings

A current schedule of charges for use of recreation facilities and related services shall be approved from time to time by resolution of the City Council after submission for approval by the administration. (Ord. 655-81, p ed 9-14-81) How much did the City Council authorize the City Manager to charge as rental for our pool for meets? for swim practices? Are those revenues reflected ANYWHERE? If not, why not? The website projected figures for the 2007-08 Waterpolo/Aquatics is $2150 for this whole year. The standard charges for Dade Co. pool rentals are $165 an hour. Sixteen hours times $165 = $2640, for ONE MEET! And we have supposedly rented our pool for NUMEROUS meets this year! Where are THOSE revenues reflected? the GMAC meet? The pool revenues for 2006-07 were $4200, $1250 for the FY 2005-06,and $1872 for the FY 2004-05, supposedly. How many meets did we have at our pool those years? On another page we get DIFFERENT numbers: $100 for 2005-06; $4400 for 2004-05. For FY 2003-04, FIVE YEARS AGO, there is ZERO revenues listed. We had NO meets that year? No water polo? No scuba? No pool birthday parties? How so? No swim practices? No GMAC? These numbers are very questionable, at best, and brings into question the veracity of all the other numbers presented. For this reason alone an outside independent audit is needed NOW.

commentary

According to reported City of Miami Springs website figures in the Fiscal Year 2003-04 Water Polo/Aquatics revenue was ZERO; FY 2004-05 was $1872 ($4400 on another page); FY 2005-06 was $1250 ($100 on another page); FY 2006-07 $4200; FY 2007-08 was projected to be $2150. Which of those numbers are the correct ones? Does ANYBODY know? THREE and FOUR years later and they STILL dont know how much revenue we took in? Different and contradicting numbers are NOT unusual with this administration and management team (to use the term loosely), as they are seemingly in a general state of chaos, confusion, and disorganization. Whose on first? Did they forget their original story? This is why we need a complete and thorough audit by an outside independent auditor. These figures are straight from a packet from the City Clerk, a result of a Freedom of Information request. They may have been ADJUSTED in the past couple weeks by City personnel but a THIRD number to consider doesnt add to our confidence in ANY of those numbers! Only a comprehansive forensic audit wll reveal the true numbers. Why are they resisting it so, if they have NOTHING to hide? Those who doubt what the conversation was in Mr Gorlands office need to ask the principals involved. Is Mr. Gorland denying that he ordered DR. Johnson out of his office? Is he denying that he told him to go ask for a Freedom of Information form after refusing to answer Dr Johnsons question? If he is denying it, then one of the participants is NOT telling the truth. The one question Dr Johnson asked him was, "Are you aware of any padding of the admission numbers at the pool?" It was a YES or NO question. Mr Gorland became upset and defensive, saying that he was being attacked because Dr Johnson hated his boss. Dr Johnson DOES hate having his tax dollars disappear by the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS on a regular basis in EVERY project the City Manager is associated with. The pool is just one more stage where our tax monies disappear, magically, somehow. He doubts he will EVER get used to being ripped off, and believes that most Springs residents are hard-working and honest, and dont like it either.

outside audit needed

The outrageous bathroom numbers stand alone, and have NOT been disputed so far. The same goes for the pool numbers, the CC numbers, the bathroom elevation numbers, the omission of water, sewer and electric hookups to the bathrooms, the ramps to the bathrooms, the lack of pool contracts to confirm and substantiate pool revenues, the wildly erroneous Finance Dept numbers on the website, etc etc.- all of these fiascos have a documented factual basis that invites scrutiny and possible rebuttal with different claims that are backed with different, yet hopefully accurate, numbers. Until they are challenged, they will have to be assumed to be accurate. ALL have happened on this City Managers watch. The facts and figures of these multiple ongoing City fiascos have not been denied. The numbers speak for themselves. An independent outside audit would clear up this situation and any questions decisively- why do we NOT have one? What are they hiding? The taxpaying residents have a right to know how the City is managing their tax monies. If nothing is being hidden, the audit will show that is the case. If there ARE monies unaccounted for, or expenditures not in line with generally accepted accounting principles the residents should know THAT too! Mr. Dotson is an accountant, let him review the books! Or, if he doesn't have the time, let him suggest somebody to do this task.