If you want to listen the budget hearing...

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Maxwell notes that the general fund is larger than it was last year and we are layering assessments on top of that.  Stanton confirms this.  He notes that 72 positions were eliminated and pay raises were given out...along with hundreds of thousands of last minute money being added in.

Waterman said that she wanted to be sure that the only increases are part of union contracts or for two people that are getting promotions.  Stanton confirmed that there are no across the board increases.  Golden says that Maxwell missed some meetings and he could have brought any concerns on line items at that time.  McVoy said essentially the same thing.  Golden says that everyone needs to be a cheerleader for the city.  She says that Lake Worth is a "city on the rise" in south Florida.  Campaign speech, essentially.

Waterman says that they have gone line by line, page by page and, during the process, eliminating or reducing items.

Maxwell asks about the budget prospects for next year.  He asks where the five year projections are in the document.  Stanton hems and haws and says that they will be out in three days, by the end of the fiscal year.  No other local government has cut more according to her.  She says they have stopped the bleeding.  Maxwell says her talking points are getting old.

Maxwell says that the Commission should check itself before they "lecture" the public instead of taking their comments seriously.  Maxwell says Stanton lectures him too, and he is tired of it.  McVoy may stand "guilty as charged" on lecturing -  he is just explaining how they reach decisions.  The trolley sounds like toast.  McVoy says that he didn't hide that he didn't like the added a position of an Internal Auditor - he doesn't see that as a value added position.  Golden says that Marketing and Special Events should be one position - Maxwell says that those were important to Mulvehill and it may be convenient to combine since she is not there tonight.  Waterman says that nothing is really tied to an individual - that can be inflammatory.  Speak objectively she says.  She is disappointed that the trolley program is misunderstood - it was to be a shared cost with others, not entirely run by the city.  Waterman mentions ice cream again, for some odd reason.  Not anything about her consuming it, this time it is the city.  Can someone get her some ICE CREAM please!