Long time passing. Where has all the money gone, long time ago? Where has all the money gone? Gone to consultants every cent. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?Click here for PB Post article.
I remember last year about this time, during my campaign for the District 3 Commission seat, talking about the perception that "Money was flying out the windows at City Hall and there is no accountability". Well, here we are about a year later and the internal auditor's report is out pointing fingers at the problem - almost half a million dollars spent that was not approved or authorized by any City Commission action. There is now talk of the possibility of pressing criminal charges over the unauthorized expenditure without competitive bidding.
Let's look beyond the issue of these landfill related expenditures for a moment. What led the City to be in this most unfortunate circumstance? My money is on a series of weak City Commissions dating back 15 or 20 or more years. Over time, the polarity has been reversed so that the City Commission answers to City staff. This culture is one where the Commission ends up being the public relations arm of a City staff that knows best and is unchallengeable.
In this instance, staff omitted information or contorted information to continue unauthorized spending. Where were the questions from the Commission? Where was the overall policy related to the strategic vision for the landfill? Mayor Clemens is quoted as saying any sort of redevelopment of the landfill would be a "waste of taxpayer money". Nice sound bite, Jeff.
But what is the City going to do with this substantial amount of acreage along its southern boundary line that isn't a waste of taxpayer money? Could we have a discussion on that please? Why not call a special meeting on just that issue?And, let's have a series of meetings about establishing a policy related to procurement of professional services! Let's find a way to conform with State law as it relates to issuing contracts for professional services so that we are not under the control of Mock Roos (City staff asserts that the City's civil engineer is not subject to the bidding requirements under state law since the relationship started in 1957 - WRONG!).
This is where the hole in the SS City of Lake Worth is. Let's stop bailing out the water and fix the leak once and for all.
2 comments:
Wes, If all that happens as a result of this audit and report is civil and/or criminal charges filed against the former City Manager, Finance Director and Public Works Director, we will have failed to address the stuff and substance of a problem we are resigned to face again and again.
The report itself is stunning, not only in content and depth of documentation but because of what is not included. What motivates public employees to take such risks and liberty with public funds that benefit no one except the contractor? No mention of "kickbacks" or "finder's fees" or "hush money" or anything remotely like that is mentioned.
Is it possible that these acts were committed simply out of an inflated sense of empowerment and impunity? Has Senior Staff been so long and so left to the their own devices, with no Commission oversight to impede the damage, that consequence is insignificant?
These employees left the city's employ on their own terms - with benefits and severance. Two have gone on to serve other communities in similarly high placed positions. All of them had "for cause" termination clauses in their contracts and yet none of them were held accountable - even though the salient details of this particular debacle were well known by the Commission and Interim City Manager at the time they left.
Now that the report has been made public and referred to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution, the day of reckoning for these employees involved in this matter may be at hand. Maybe the Commission will be inspired to dig deeper in other areas - like the utility. A wave of red flags over that budget have been raised by the public and have so far been ignored. Perhaps this is the tipping point many of us have been waiting for.
There's no joy in Mudville today over this report or the article splashed on today's front page of the Post. Comfort lies not in the exposition but in the remediation.
You're right Mary - there is no joy in Mudville. But the bright spot here is at least it is out there and we are talking about it. I am afraid the time to act on these employees was when they were let go without cause - since it was perceived to be the easier way. Well, now we know it wasn't necessarily so. What has to be made paramount here is that AT EVERY CORNER there has to be the consciousness that you are working on the public's behalf. That has to be reinforced by Commission action and senior staff - and it has to be deliberate.
It reminds me of a time when I worked for a very demanding employer that consistently reminded us who we worked for and we could NEVER let our eye off the ball. If you did, you were gone. Period.
I know it's painful and some do not like the negative attention that this brings the City. But until it is ALL out there, we are not going to experience the change that we deserve as residents of this City.
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