Showdown begins at 6:00 tonight, City of Lake Worth’s “Special Commission Meeting” on the budget.

Did you know you can watch this meeting Live Streaming? You can. At 6:00 tonight go to the City’s website (www.LakeWorth.org) and scroll down for the YouTube video feed. To look over the agenda use this link to download the “Agenda & Backup” for today’s “Special Meeting” on the City budget.

Will tomorrow be another split vote, 3-2, on our
City budget? Maybe 4-1? Or unanimous, 5-0?

Who stands where on the issue of lowering the City’s millage rate by 0.25 mils? Find out below.

This meeting could be called, “The Clash of Principles” or “To Pontificate Or Not To Pontificate” vis-à-vis lowering the City’s millage rate by 0.25 mils or keep the general millage rate where it is now: at 5.4945 ($5.4945 per $1,000 assessed valuation by the PBC Property Appraiser).

To learn more about this situation use this link for the blog post titled, “Is it time to table the 0.25 millage rate reduction? Stop the ‘pontificating’?”

So. How will this play out?

• Commissioners Andy Amoroso, Herman Robinson, and Omari Hardy can stand firm and say, “No. This is not the right time. Maybe next year.”
• Mayor Pam Triolo and Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell can stay firm as well and vote “No” on agenda items 5A–C (see below).
• Or. . . possibly Amoroso, Robinson, or Hardy can switch sides (but that seems highly unlikely).

Here is part of the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting including the three very important “Second Public Hearing” items:

• First agenda item: Roll Call.
• Invocation or Moment of Silence on behalf of Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell.
• Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Omari Hardy.
• Agenda: Additions/Deletions/Reordering.
• Item 5, “Public Hearings”: A. Resolution No. 43-2017 - Second Public Hearing - establish the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 final general City millage rate. B. Resolution No. 44-2017 - Second Public Hearing - adopt the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget. C. Resolution No. 45-2017 - Second Public Hearing - establish the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 final Debt Service millage rate.

Just to be clear, the vote last week (at “First Reading”) was a split vote, 3-2. Commissioners Amoroso, Robinson, and Hardy voted “Yes” on agenda items 5A–C; Mayor Triolo and Vice Mayor Maxwell both voted “No” on all three budget items. Commissioner Amoroso made the motion on all three items and Hardy seconded on each one as well.

Get that?

Anyhow. Stay tuned as they say. This is the City of Lake Worth so anything is possible, especially when it comes to politics.