YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY WHEN YOU TRY TO STOP THE LEAKS?….
They to tend to become gushers!….
It must be something to be the Town Manager of LBTS right now…when you’re in over your head… Your pockets appear full of I.O.U.s to the usual suspects…You get thin skinned and lash out when you are found to be floundering after unilaterally making decisions…on major Capital Improvement projects…Acting as Town Attorney in writing garbage contracts…codes…ordinances and resolutions….Informing the Commission of a 3 year audit contract for approx. $200,000 that required their seeing the actual proposal for their commission approval …then falsely stating in a letter that approval was obtained….Looking the other way when serious charges have been made concerning the Town’s fire safety contracted provider the VFD…Fighting with a sitting Commissioner on and off the dais and refusing to correspond with him when you feel threatened, although it is your duty to continue to do so…..calling to task those that ask for you to be reviewed annually as required in your contract (already in breach of said contract for missing the first annual review)…that you yourself proclaimed in 2007 to have written and produced with no input from others…and now the use of power to “reassign” the BSO Police Chief…WOW!…All those leaks…
Well not all….
We hear that there is more….Hold on to your hats taxpayers…LBTS residents and voters get out your raincoats and umbrellas…the flood is coming!…
First the exchange….
6/9/09 the first LBTS Budget Workshop….Fire Assessment…
Comm. Dodd- “The beach patrol is that anywhere, i that anywhere in this part or is it found in something separately?”
Town Manager- “The total contractual agreement that we have with VFD includes the beach patrol operations.”
CD- ” It does because are we therefore using the fire assessment to pay for EMS. Because the function of the beach patrol is EMS and I am concerned because that was the basis of a recall (former Mayor Parker) and we are not allowed to use a fire assessment to deal with EMS costs.”
TM- ” Commissioner Dodd if we would be funding the EMS. We’d be collecting a double fire assessment. EMS is an actual obligation, is separate and apart from the VFD. We’re only speakin’ fire.”
CD- ” That wasn’t my question, my question was the beach patrol, part of the VFD is essentially EMS.”
TM- ” No it is not sir! It is funded and operated under the VFD. If there’s another beach patrol managed by the AMR I guess you know something I don’t know.”
CD- ” No, I didn’t think that the beach patrol fought fires in the ATVs and we’ve been having discussions regarding lifeguards and all the rest of it. One of the primary functions within the that is EMS and I just want to make sure it doesn’t open this dais to any form of, that we’re doing something wrong, that we know and we’ve had a lot of situations and a lot of discussion. A fire assessment can only be used to pay for the fire department services. And this beach patrol is not essentially to fight fires.”
Comm. Silverstone- ” Point of information. Why can’t we ask the Town Attorney who would be more apt to answer that question?”
CD- ” Sure, sure.”
Town Attorney- ” I have not been asked to look at any aspect of this prior to tonight. I can certainly investigate and get back. That’s what I could do.”
CD- “I’m not trying to be a nitpicker or anything. I just want to make absolutely sure because we have a problem with fire assessments in the past. That’s all, I just wanted to clear the air on it.”
TM-” Commissioner Dodd, maybe if, I have no problem with your question. I do have a problem with the timing of your question. If this was a question that you had maybe you and I and Mike Burton (fire assess. co.Burton & Assoc.) could have talked about it. I could have had the Chief (Perkins) in the meeting and we could address those questions. But this is strictly the fire assessment. If you want to bring in budgeting in this, that’s not the, we’re talking about the fire assessment right now,”
CD- ” Okay, to me it’s part of the fire assessment. It’s what we spend the money on. We’re looking at this and we’ve got two scenarios and I totally agree scenario number two is the better option. Which is what I’m gonna come to in a minute. I’m just asking questions. You asked whether I had any questions on the information here.”
Comm. Silverstone-” I can answer that question if you’d like? Well, this question came up with a um, because of the insurance we have. The fire department needs to make sure that it’s ah, insured so we spoke to the ah, representative from the insurance company and he pacifically (specifically) said we are a fire rescue department. Rescues meaning rescuing people. After we rescue a person that’s where the EMT service come in place. Ah, same thing as rescuing somebody in a fire. It’s the same basic precedent. We provide basic ah, first aid, first responder service which is part of our state mandated um, um services that we provide. But that’s it, we don’t provide, we don’t perform EMT functions. The VFD does not perform any medical services besides basic first aid when needed other than rescuing the people.”
CD- “Okay, thank you. I just wanted to clarify the issue. To make sure that there’s no problems with it, that’s all.”
BC….WE HEAR THERE IS INDEED A PROBLEM WITH IT!!!!!
We hear that the Town Attorney found that indeed the VFD CANNOT use fire assessment funds for their medical call and beach patrol service!!!!! (Who directed her to look into it is not known, as no such direction was given on the dais June 9th.)….
The Manager was incorrect in allowing it…and we the taxpayers paid for the VFD to make the countless medical call since Oct. 1st…along with their ever growing beach patrol division!
We heat there was a VFD board meeting ant the VFD has decided in the next 6 months to continue the call and the beach patrol using the VFD Booster fund!…
So how will the Manager explain her actions?….She again owes Comm. Dodd an apology!…Will the taxpayers be refunded for the illegal use?….The 2nd 3 mos. income/expense report for the VFD…(posted soon) … shows no amt. balance in the Booster Fund…with no donation received/ no expenses from the fund…HMMM….We hear the Town Manager wanted to lower the VFD contract amount after receiving the news…but she cannot due to it being an agreement signed by both parties…OUCH!….
To add insult to injury with this latest abuse of authority on the part of the Town Manager and the VFD Deputy Chief …the De-facto VFD Chief….(as he spoke of all “tightening their belts”!) ….We hear the new Dep . Chief Command vehicle has been purchased and will be delivered any day…that lights and sirens have been purchased and installed on the beach patrol ATVs and the Jet Ski…with a second jet ski to be purchased (if not already done)!….
The audacity of it all ….The Town Manager and the Vice Mayor along with Comm. Clottey sat on the dais…June 23,2009 berating the BSO Police Chief for wanting to use confiscated funds for the BSO Public Safety Complex renovations!…
Is now the time to call for the Manager’s resignation?…Perhaps she is waiting to be fired?…Why?…A look at her May 22, 2007 employment agreement which shows the following…
page 2- 5.0 Rights and Obligations Upon Unilateral Termination by TOWN
5.1 Unilateral termination shall be in writing following a vote by the TOWN Commission and need not reflect performance related reasons. If this Contract is terminated by unilateral action by the TOWN, TOWN MANAGER shall be entitled to:
5.1.1 three hundred and sixty-five (365) days of severance pay, less customary withholding.
5.1.2 reimbursement for as- yet unreimbursed expenses pursuant to this Contract:
5.1.3 an amount for all accrued and unused vacation leave.
5.1.4 an amount for accrued and unused sick leave.
VERSUS….
6.0 Mutual agreement by TOWN and Manager
6.1.1 severance benefits as mutually agreed to in writing by TOWN and TOWN MANAGER.
VERSUS….
8.0 RESIGNATION
8.1.1 base salary through the date of resignation or such other date as mutually agreed between TOWN MANAGER and the TOWN.
8.1.2. reimbursement for as-yet unreimbursed expenses pursuant to this Contract;
8.1.3 accrued and unused sick vacation leave
8.1.4. an amount for accrued compensatory time accrued prior to appointment as TOWN MANAGER
8.2 A resignation shall be submitted in writing to the Commission through the TOWN Clerk and shall provide for actual resignation date no later than thirty (30) days following the date of notice of resignation, or later with the consent of the TOWN Commission.
8.3 In the event of a resignation, the TOWN Commission may establish an earlier resignation date tha the date established by the TOWN MANAGER
BC- Perhaps this is why the Manager was “baiting” Comm. Dodd on the dais to fire her when he discussed the contract required Town Manager Review?…
The Vice Mayor/ Dep Chief and Comm. Silverstone should also be reprimanded and should resign for their roles in this illegal use of the fire assessment!…
FLOOD INSURANCE ANYONE?…..
more to come….
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Tags: BSO, fire assessment, local government, Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, VFD
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