What is Really Going On In City Hall?
from Constance Doggood:
Was it just a coincidence that the water Rate Study was presented on April fool’s day ? OR
Did the City Manager deliberately throw Council incumbents Burnette and Ford under the bus at last evening’s special meeting by stating that Port Orange failed to reinvest adequately in the City’s water utility system over the past ½ dozen years,or what ?
Was he trying to put his thumb on the scale in favor of the candidates he and the Mayor encouraged to run against Burnette and Ford by implying they failed to adequately safeguard the taxpayer’s interest in City infrastructure?
Was last evening’s suggested $57 million reinvestment requirement anything more than a pretext for the double digit water fee increases and additional borrowing his consultant buddies are recommending?
If the $57 million number was pulled out anything other than his Public Utility directors rather large you know what then where is the engineering analysis,and why are the relevant calculations not available for inspection now instead of in 60 days?
[Editors note]
..I seem to recall that during a November Council Meeting several of the Councilmen clearly provided the PRMG Consulting Group with their expectations; directions & policy regarding the Utility billing study.
Did the City Manager deliberately throw Council incumbents Burnette and Ford under the bus at last evening’s special meeting by stating that Port Orange failed to reinvest adequately in the City’s water utility system over the past ½ dozen years,or what ?
Was he trying to put his thumb on the scale in favor of the candidates he and the Mayor encouraged to run against Burnette and Ford by implying they failed to adequately safeguard the taxpayer’s interest in City infrastructure?
Was last evening’s suggested $57 million reinvestment requirement anything more than a pretext for the double digit water fee increases and additional borrowing his consultant buddies are recommending?
If the $57 million number was pulled out anything other than his Public Utility directors rather large you know what then where is the engineering analysis,and why are the relevant calculations not available for inspection now instead of in 60 days?
[Editors note]
..I seem to recall that during a November Council Meeting several of the Councilmen clearly provided the PRMG Consulting Group with their expectations; directions & policy regarding the Utility billing study.
The Council clearly indicated they were not really interested in pursuing rate increase but were looking to focus on reducing the large number of different rate schedules that grew out of proportion during the previous administration.
The above begs the question: Who hijacked this study and instructed the consultant to prepare a proposed financial plan to increase utility rates? Were the City Council instructions ignored? And why?
I think you are forgetting this important fact:
The City’s current engineering consultant contract, for such engineering services, as water, waste water, and storm water……..hasn’t been “let out to bid”……FOR OVER 20 YEARS!
( This happens to coincide with Mr. Parker’s time, ( along with many of now disgraced Department Heads)
…….And now you wonder why the City’s current ENGINEERING CONSULANT…….has suggested the City Council spend a FORTUNE….on “needed Improvements” to our City’s Water and Waste Water systems……
……..without ANYBODY….else….. looking into what the City REALLY NEEDS? ( Besides them)
COME ON…….ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?
ps
Maybe, after 20+ plus years…..Our City Council should ask SOMEBODY ELSE……to LOOK at out Cities Utilities?
We all agree that we must maintain our utilities infrastructure, but that is not the main issue at this time. The main issues are mismanagement.
The City Manager and his staff pulled a $57,000,000 budget request out of thin air with absolutely no documentation to support that requested amount. When that amount was challenged by Council Mr. Kisela said he and management staff would need 60 days to figure it out and they would get back to the council. Well, duh! … Did they even know were to start spending any of those millions of taxpayers dollars requested or was the plan just to spend for the sake of it?
During both the previous and current administration while the water & sewer infrastructure maintenance was being neglected … city management was providing millions of dollars from the water and sewer accounts to fund a city owned Golf Course and a Restaurant with $6 dollar hot dogs. — W.T.F !
Concerned Taxpayers
To Concerned Taxpayer:
You write……”The main issues are mismanagement.”
Consider this:
The City’s main consulting engineering contract, has been “extended” and “extended” and “extended” for over 25 YEARS!
( FYI: That means, the same engineering firm selected by the City Council, way back in the 1980’s……IS STILL ON THE JOB!
( Without any City Council EVEN looking at any ALTERNATIVE) ( for 25+ years)
( By the way. this firm got annual raises, according to a contract. written in the 1980’s) ( and that contract ts still in effect)
And if you care to care to look; This same engineering firm has donated money to a lot of our City Council Members, over all those years…….and they always got contract “extended”………………(NO KIDDING!)
DO YOU THINK THAT IS JUST….. A “COINCIDENCE”?