Novel way to open the Commission meeting tomorrow and where’s our City Facebook page?

Shaking things up in the City of Lake Worth: Those orthodox and routine invocations to open public meetings everyone forgets about five minutes later. Tomorrow may start an exciting new trend. More about that a little later (the City Commission agenda is below).

If you didn’t know the City is doing an excellent job Live Streaming meetings. For example, tomorrow at 6:00 go to the City’s website and you can watch this meeting on the opening page — no need any more to follow a lengthy stream of links — a very welcome change.

Note that not on the agenda is starting a City Facebook page. This was a topic of discussion at the Commission meeting on April 18th, almost a month ago. It’s time to end this inanity and create the page. Going another month is senseless. There’s too much going on and so much information to get out to the residents. At public comment tomorrow, say “Create the Page Already!”

To go over the entire agenda with backup material yourself use this link and look for “May 16, Regular Meeting” to download. Without further ado, excerpts from the agenda with highlights added and some helpful links:

City of Lake Worth Commission meeting
City Hall, May 16th, 6:00
1. Roll Call.
2. Invocation: Offered by 8-year old Sophia Lynne Teutsch from Sacred Heart School on behalf of Commissioner Andy Amoroso.
3. Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Herman C. Robinson.
4. Agenda (additions, deletions, reordering).
A. Proclamation to Donna Lange.
B. Legislative update provided by Representative Lori Berman and Senator Jeff Clemons [sic, our former mayor’s name is Clemens, not ‘Clemons’].
C. Neighborhood Road Program Update to Commission.

and. . .

9. Consent Agenda. Public comment allowed during Public Participation of Non-Agendaed items [See item 12D below. Public comment is two (2) minutes, when you hear the little bell please be respectful and return to your seat].

and. . .

10. Public Hearings.
A. Ordinance No. 2017-08 - Second Reading and Public Hearing - amending section 2-1 of the City’s Code entitled “Sale of city-owned property” to include unsolicited proposals as method of selling city-owned surplus properties.
11. Unfinished Business.
12. New Business.
A. Ordinance No. 2017-09 - First Reading - amend the Traffic ordinance to include immobilization and impoundment of vehicles on City property and schedule the second reading and public hearing for June 6, 2017.
B. Ordinance No. 2017-10 - First Reading - amending Chapter 23, “Land Development Regulations”, Article 7, “Floodplain Management”, Division 1 “Administration” to update the Basis for Establishing Flood Hazard Areas, Date of Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps and set the second reading and public hearing for June 6, 2017.
C. Ordinance No. 2017-11 - First Reading - prohibiting canvassing and soliciting in certain rights-of-way intersections and set the second reading and public hearing for June 6, 2017 [follow-up from Commission meeting on April 18th].
D. Seeking Commission direction to change Commission Meetings Rules and Procedures [Should the City go back to 3-minute public comment? And discuss “civility” and how to deal with “incivility”?].
E. Community Redevelopment Agency member removal process.
13. Lake Worth Electric Utility.
A. Presentation (there is no public comment on Presentation items).
14. City Attorney’s report.

And don’t forget. The City Commission Work Session to address the Casino and what to do with our crumbling and decrepit municipal pool is the following week, on Tuesday, May 23rd:


“We cannot continue to keep losing money”, said Asst. City Manager Juan Ruiz, and “the [Beach] fund is still hurting with the pool closed.”


As part of this Commission visioning process, which needs public involvement, can you envision a municipal pool somewhere else in the City of Lake Worth? In one of our City parks? Somewhere near the Downtown? Should the City conduct a city-wide survey of all the neighborhoods?