Park of Commerce related item on 12/1 City Commission Agenda

One of the items on the next Commission agenda is to extend a contract to Donna Brosemer for assistance with organizing and shepherding the City's progress with the development of the Park of Commerce. This is a good thing and the Commission should approve this unanimously, one would hope.

The City received a $250,000 matching grant in August from the Economic Development Administration to inventory the public infrastructure needs in the future Park of Commerce (an area of about 400 acres, west of I-95, south of 10th Avenue and north of Lake Worth Road). The City had to come up with a cash match in order to take advantage of the grant. This was in no way guaranteed. There was a lot of reluctance and hemming and hawing about where the money would come from and if it fit in to other City priorities. The City Manager got over the reluctance and found the matching money and the City is going through with the project. All this is a good thing, except for the initial reluctance.

If you read the back-up material on the item, you might find the following a little unusual - especially in light of the Sunshine Laws under which the City operates.

This line appears at the end of the "Reviewed by and Recommendation" of the transmittal memo. I don't remember ever seeing a reference to how other elected officials are leaning as part of a memorandum from staff. Isn't this telegraphing how certain members will vote? It makes one wonder if this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the behind-closed-doors conversations that take place at City Hall.

Again, nothing against this particular item, but there are many things in Lake Worth that "make you go hmmmm...."