NEVER MIND THE CHAIN OF COMMAND….
So who is in charge…the Commissioners…or the Town Manager…this writer asks once again…previous posts…
She answers to the Commission…not the other way around…REALLY!…
For her to shake her head…throw in her two cents concerning a Commissioner’s actions…on and off the dais…responding that certain items are “a non issue for me”….when it was her actions that brought it to the forefront to begin with…whether it was the decision to stop the televising of the Master Plan Steering Committee……agreed to….for her cost concerns… but never voted on by any Commission to allow her to reverse the 2006 4-1 Commission vote initiating the action……..that is …until she was backed into a corner with the paperwork…..
Further confusion came when the Commission voted to resume the televising…despite the facts presented above…….McIntee and Silverstone voted no…FLIP-FLOPPERS…since they voted for it in 2006!…
BCbythesea…maybe they do not want it shown…in order to continue to delay any progress on the Overlay District repeals…and following the vote of the residents for 3 0ver 1…(more on this to come)…
Last night Ms Colon had to finally fess up……to admit that the Commission had indeed voted for a base variance fee in a Resolution of $350 dollars for both residential and commercial properties…previous posts…but only after she had it put in front her …for the 3rd or 4th time…from this writer at the podium and Comm. Dodd on the dais…….
She alone decided to insert a $900 charge for a commercial property …which was the previous fee charged before this Resolution was passed…. …without pushing her to respond and acknowledge the Resolution…this Commission …would have voted…. to overturn that equal base rate ….in her new ordinance…without knowing it….YIKES!…A repeat of the flags..entryways and who knows what else decided on by her unilaterally…without a full Commission vote…previous posts…
Surprisingly….in another FLIP-FLOP….the Vice Mayor…and Commissioner Silverstone voted against the simple fee for both types of properties that they voted for…in the Resolution…..stranger yet when you factor in the variance refund…Silverstone received…and he voted for in another new ordinance….and the upcoming discussion on holding down the increase this year on the leases for sidewalk cafes….including his Fiancee’s establishment…which he probably should have recused himself from voting on……
McIntee changed his vote after seeing it passed….an example of what Commissioner Clottey brought up in her backing for an electronic voting system….
Speaking of the cafes…did they realize that in the passing of those consent agenda items…e- Village Grille…..f- Aruba……and g- 101 Ocean……they also passed the decisions on renewal and removal from the Commission to the Manager?….Including a 90 day action to renew before the expiration date…and wonder why it was not brought up about the annual permit…for Aruba being $150 VS the other two at $225?….Did “standardizing” the language make the permit fee the same for all three?…
An earlier attempt by Commissioner Dodd to make all fees for applications equitable as well was turned down by….curiously by Commissioner Clottey… this writer called her on it..being caught off guard ….due to her stance on not wanting to charge for staff time…in this process for those in town…as a benefit to those living in this town…I would have thought commercial would have been included in her assertions…
By passing Ordinance 2008-23&24….the decisions and re-designating the personnel charged with making recommendations…to the Development Head…seems a little risky…considering the new head of Development Jeff Bowman was not present last evening… why. not?…..he should have been …as was the standard practice of previous LBTS Development Directors….
Final note: When Commissioner Silverstone says…”We have a a Professional Town Manager….leave it up to her”…it speaks volumes …why there is a problem with the proper way this Town government is supposed to be run….he is wrong….
FROM THE TOWN WEBSITE….
“The Town operates under a Commission-Manager form of government. The Commission represents all of the citizens of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea and is responsible for setting policies not designated by Florida law or the Town Charter. The Commission also adopts ordinances and resolutions on key matters, adopts the budget and establishes the tax rate and other various fees.”
more to come….
Tags: LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, town government
