annexation

I was very surprised to NOT hear ONE city official mention POLLUTION as a BIG problem with annexation, even though it is well known to locals. WHO will clean up these areas? AeroDex is out of business, the SuperFund is broke, the companies that did the polluting are gone, or wont do the cleanups.. WHO is going to do those expensive cleanups? NINE commissioners do NOT want to give up their zoning powers to us.. HOW is this POSSIBLY going to work in OUR FAVOR? I don't see it.

This is in response to last nights Council meeting where the Mayor is pushing annexation again. They apparently feel that they slipped the new gym by without doing their DUE DILIGENCE and can maybe slip another one over on the people. They are on a roll now and want to follow-up while the people are still sleeping. If the people continue to sleep, of course, they will deserve what they get. People will complain a while when their bills and taxes go up but apparently don't care enough to actually DO anything until its too late. It is my belief that the new gym will put us into bankruptcy by constant change orders and cost overruns into the MILLIONS. It is the history of these city officials in the past and will be no different in the future. They have no finished a project in the past 3 1/2 years anywhere CLOSE to on time OR on budget. To expect them to do ANY different THIS time would be insanity on OUR part because NOTHING HAS CHANGED. Since the contractors only have a sketch to work from there will be DOZENS of change orders that the City will request and they will be filled at the cost of MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to the taxpayers.
IF, by some miracle, the new gym project does NOT put us into bankruptcy, annexation will.

fiction, freedom of information

how long is reasonable to wait for a Freedom of Information request to be answered? A week? A month? SIX months? I made a Freedom of Information request SIX weeks ago and have had NO response so far. These requests were for simple everyday information and required NO complex calculations, calculus, etc. The law says 'a reasonable time frame" and doesnt allow for excuses like "we were too busy",etc. The people have a right to know where their money is going, dont they? If its because the numbers may embarrass them or are impossible to logically explain away, as I suspect, then they will just have to live with those ongoing evidences of gross mismanagement and financial irresponsibility. If somehow, they are able to present a logical explanation for $400+ or $600+ a square foot new construction costs it would be most welcomed. Normal new construction costs are $125 a square foot so we are talking considerable imagination and creativity would be required in THAT explanation, not to mention a suspension of any connection to reality to actually BELIEVE IT. Fiction is ALWAYS more fun than facts.

blind leading visually impaired

A three BILLION dollar deficit is projected for the state of Fla's budget next year and the City's politicians are acting like there is PLENTY of money to go around. The skate ramp that started at 180k is NOW 250k and was thrown in last night like it was chump change. It IS something nice for the skateboarders and IF WE COULD AFFORD IT would be something to consider. Looking down the road I dont see how we can make that happen anytime soon tho. Somehow, the Council believes that there is PLENTY of money from the FAT years that will carry them thru the LEAN years. Can they NOT see down the road any further than their noses? have they no vision? Or is it that they arent really concerned because they just plan to raise our taxes, fees, and millage rates anyway, when the trough gets low ? Its not THEIR money so they really dont seem to care. Dotson cautioned them about spending money now because next year will be even worse but they turned deaf at that point too, besides having NO vision. Lets see, they have deaf and blind covered, whats left?

hard times ahead - part 2

We are in a recession..."One thing to keep in mind here is that many of our existing revenue streams are 100% dependent on consumer-spending. As the general economy continues to stagnate, so do consumer-spending patterns. Decreased spending on gasoline can lead to reductions in state and local gas tax revenues. Reduced sales in general statewide can reduce sales tax revenues we receive from the state. Will residents cut back on heating and cooling costs, thereby reducing our franchise and utility fees? Will local businesses be forced to close and reduce our occupational licensing revenues? As interest rates fail to bolster the economy, how will this affect our return on the investment of our surplus funds?"Interofice memo - James Borgemann Feb 21, 2008
He acknowledges we are in a recession, 1.8 million behind on revenues, and "something will have to give". Yet, somehow, he and the Council decide this is the PERFECT time to go MILLIONS of dollars into debt. Apparently it is US, the taxpayers, who will be doing the giving ie increased garbage and trash fees, recreation fees, building permit fees, and occupational licenses, in addition to posible new user fees and increased millage rates. The belt tightening that needs to be done will apparently be done by the residents, not City officials. Leadership starts at the top so ALL senior officials should immediately take a 15 % pay cut as a show of leadership; or not, if they believe that the pain is only for others.
This is in response to two posts that cite fiscal problems in Boynton Beach and Tallahassee as a result of the recession. All City officials making over 100k per year should volunteer to take a 15% pay cut, effective immediately, as a demonstration of what it means to lead, to set the tone. Lead by example. Or not.

who is the City Attorney looking out for?

Is it possible that the City Attorney has written the bathroom contract like he did the CC contract? no materials specifications, do it whenever you get around to it, add on as amny change orders as you want, no deadlines, and no penalties for anything? A first year law student can write a better contract than that!! That was an open-ended invitation to pad the bill at the tax payers expense! and that's exactly what happened- we got hosed then, we are now getting hosed again on the bathrooms, and we will be ROYALLY hosed on this new gym project!! ENOUGH !! Find a competent attorney who can write a competent contract that protects the interests of the the tax payers, not the contractors ! And yes, I STRENUOUSLY object to having my pocket picked and money stolen. Most people would object to that, I believe. The only ones who WOULDNT object are the muggers and thieves themselves.
We do NOT pay him to protect the contractors interests. The CC contract was a contractors dream, unheard of in the construction industry! DISASTEROUS for the taxpayers! is he going to give away the store again? If past history is any indicator, we will be sold out AGAIN. The contractors dont NEED an attorney because they have the CITY ATTORNEY looking out for THEM. Why would WE pay him to represent THEM?

money is NO object projects

I have NO problem making improvements in the Springs. I DO object strongly to paying three, four, six, and seven TIMES more than it SHOULD cost to get those improvements. I hear a "money is no object" mentality on some of the posts and assume those comments are made by the Council and/or the City Manager because that IS their attitude. The only people who have that attitude are the ones that are going to profit from that approach. I don't believe the average middle-class Springs resident could, would, or should pay those outrageous cost change orders and cost overruns.
I STILL haven't seen ANY numbers that contradict the numbers that were presented. You can call Poe's rental yourselves to confirm those numbers. And I am talking about having the work done by a licensed GC, not a bunch of local kids. Don't be ridiculous. If you have no clue about what you are commenting on or factual basis for your remarks maybe it is just better to keep your mouth closed and have people suspect you are a fool, than open your mouth and confirm their suspicions.
"Money is no object" is NO FINANCIAL BASIS for running a city, except for those lucky local few that reap the benefits of the TRIPLE billing and payments. I expect those who are lining their pockets at the resident's expense to be in favor of these outrageous projects. At least some of them are upfront about it and freely admit their self-interests; others are deceptive, devious, and dishonest about their profit motives.
After living here for OVER fifty years I see no reason for me to leave my hometown anytime soon. Retirement here looks pretty good to me. It is precisely for the next generation that I protest the wanton wastefulness of this City government. They are determined to mortgage the next generation of kids futures by building this new community center that we don't need and cant afford (during a recession). That makes NO SENSE.

figures

Okay. A local contractor with 25 years experience has examined, photographed, and measured the bathrooms and states that he can do BOTH of the elevations in ONE DAY, for less than $5,000 and be done by 3pm. He can give quotes for crushed rock, Poe's rental for a machine to tamp it down, and includes one day of labor to run the machine (labor). We paid $38,5000. That is more than SEVEN times what the actual costs are. Where did that $33,000 go? He also says he can hook up the bathrooms sewer connections for $8 a linear foot. If you generously figure the distance needed as 300 feet that is $2400. If you rent a trenching tool from Poe's and hire a guy to operate it for a day, two days at the most, the costs are STILL less than six grand, well below the $35,000 we paid. That's almost SIX TIMES what the actual costs are. Where did THAT money go? The actual hard construction costs of the two-wall enclosure at the Country Club was $315,000+. That is OVER $600 a square foot. Normal construction costs in Dade County should be $125 a square foot for that 520 foot enclosure. 125 X 520= $65,000. We paid $315,000. Where did that $250,000 in cost overruns and/or questionable payments go? Several other financial fiascos, overruns of TRIPLE the usual and customary costs, questionable bids, AND MORE are available for your response but I would be interested in your reply to these first.That's a start but here are MANY more examples to come. Thanks for the opportunity to detail the specifics of my objections to blatant ineptitude and/or mismanagement (or worse) by our City officials. NOBODY can be as consistently stupid, clueless, or inept (the choice is yours) as the City has been over the past three years or so. ITS IMPOSSIBLE.

This is in response to a poster who suggested they had rational responses to the multiple and repeated City boondoggles of just the past three years or so. I was hoping somebody would ask me for numbers to back up my claims and they finally did. Its a perfect oppurtunity to list each project and how much money disappeared from each one, over and above normal costs. I am NOT a construction expert (although I have some construction experience), so I consulted with a couple guys who each have over 25 years in the construction business and some other seasoned construction-related professionals. Apparently the normal Dade County new construction costs at $125 a square foot includes a healthy 25 % profit built into it for the contractor. Anything above that is icing on the cake. the City is consistently paying TRIPLE, QUADRUPLE, and up to SEVEN TIMES the actual costs for these projects. This can NO LONGER be tolerated !! Those responsible have to go ! NOW. A recall petition is being circulated around town. Stop the bleeding before we bleed to death.