OXYGEN MAY BE REQUIRED BUT NOT UNDER THE FIRE ASSESSMENT!……..
5 PM-SPECIAL MEETING….BUDGET…..
1. CALL TO ORDER, MAYOR ROSEANN MINNET
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
3. ITEMS OF DISCUSSION:
a. Resolution 2009-18: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA, RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES, FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS IN THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA; DESCRIBING THE METHOD OF ASSESSING FIRE PROTECTION ASSESSED COSTS AGAINST ASSESSED PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN THE TOWN’S GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES, KNOWN AS FIRE PROTECTION ASSESSMENT AREA – TOWNWIDE; ESTABLISHING THE ESTIMATED RATES FOR FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2009; DIRECTING THE PREPARATION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL FOR FIRE PROTECTION ASSESSMENT AREA – TOWNWIDE; AUTHORIZING A PUBLIC HEARING AND DIRECTING THE PROVISION OF NOTICE THEREOF; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE
BC- Readers know by now this writer is at a loss as to why we need to maintain $130 fire assessment for a town this size with a VFD that has a membership of 63 members (not the 2009/2010 LBTS budget number of 82 FFs…steady at 60 + or – a few for months now) and we now know cannot be used for VFD medical calls or VFD Beach Patrol …
We are told that there is $35,000.00 in an interest bearing acct. that is not shown in the budget (justification pages…no line item) to pay for Beach Patrol … The VFD has shown in its reports and its income and expense acct. reports thus far that Beach Patrol and medical calls were being paid from the fire assessment..(the only town fund funding the VFD)…We are told the VFD decided recently to pay the members from their neverending Booster Fund for the 2nd 6 mos. of their 1st contracted year. ( after hush-hush confirmation the fire dept. funds from the town were used incorrectly in the 1st 6 mos. for these calls) The Manager at the 7/14/09 budget meeting said the medical calls were for “training” per Chief Perkins…but some of these medical calls are “code 3” and are in their report as “medical calls -assist “…OOPS!….The decision of the VFD to use the Booster Fund does not “jibe” with this special acct. (from ad valorem ) the Manager said is in-wait for a “bill” from the VFD for Beach Patrol hours…It seems “suspect” in light of the past payments and no line item last year or in the new budget!…
Fort Lauderdale is going to pay approx. $135 for their large professional fire dept…..Davie is at $104 and Pompano Beach is raising there assessment to $108…again for large professional fire services……We are slated to pay a 4% increase for year 2 per the contract…the amt….$887.875.00 (total with Fire Marshall…ins./ pensions/consultants/audit services…$1,025.776,00)..We have no control or oversight …due to the VFD being a contracted private non- profit corporation….We have watched as the dept. continues to become “bloated” with trucks …now at 5……The Manager’s early on assertions that the town must own all equipment for any future change in fire service providers … went by the wayside after the VFD purchased truck # 2 for the year… again with the purchase of the Jet Ski and the new Dep. Chief Command vehicle (title belongs to the VFD)…and the recent purchase of the $100,000 + 102″ ladder truck…(let’s see if the VFD asks for town funds on this one. It might happen at the 7 pm reg. Comm.meeting to follow during the VFD report per Chief Perkins…The Manager …we hear… has has said no)….With the last truck…the reason given for the purchase is the ISO rating…but a look at the ISO report already gives us credit for the ladder truck (prev. post. “kinder,gentler ISO”)….We hear that in the 1990’s a previous VFD Chief chose to pass on the truck because it “wasn’t worth it” in terms of servicing the town…OUCH!…
So here we taxpayers are…watching as one professional town public safety provider was decimated in retaliation for “fiscal irresponsibility” and another volunteer public safety provider again in year 2 will be “flush with funds” and allowed to continue to spend like “drunken sailors”…courtesy of a fire assessment that is too high and a hands off policy from the Town Manager!…
Drop the fire assessment cost!…
June 2009 VFD REPORT …
b. Resolution 2009-19: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA, ADOPTING A PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2009, AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2010; STATING THE PERCENTAGE AMOUNT OF THE PROPOSED RATE DOES NOT EXCEED THE ROLLED BACK RATE; ANNOUNCING THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE OF THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE AND THE TENTATIVE BUDGET; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, CONFLICTS, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE
BC- It’s an election year…so this will be a fast the Commission will accept the proposed 4.4829 for the year in order to drop it at the Sept. 14th meeting (MONDAY..so it does not compete with Broward County’s Budget workshop) at 5:01 PM to 3.9990…It cannot be raised …thus the “reason” for the rate this evening…
4. ADJOURNMENT
more to come….
Comments Off on Here’s The Scoop ….. 7/28/09 LBTS Agenda …. 5 PM Special Meeting ……. Oxygen Required ?….
Tags: fire assessment, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, millage rate, Scoops, VFD
Posted in Uncategorized
