Saturday, November 8, 2008

Palm Beach won't pay nearly 63% sewage rate hike from Lake Worth

Ay caramba!
From the article:
Palm Beach Town Engineer James Bowser said the town has tried to get Lake Worth to fully explain its operational costs but "they've been very, very poor at communicating with us."

Bowser said Lake Worth's operational expenses are unrealistic and "don't give us much confidence."

For example, he said, Lake Worth reported administrative charges of $639,498 for a system that has the equivalent of 3.4 employees.

By contrast, he said West Palm Beach charges members of its East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility $467,505 for a system with 38 employees.

"We want a better review of the budget and more of a say in how the money is spent," Bowser said.

Talks also have been complicated by a high turnover rate among Lake Worth city officials, Bowser, Elwell and Mattey said.