Saturday, February 9, 2019

Do you have suggestions, any questions and/or concerns about proceeds from the County’s 2016 ¢1 sales tax increase?


Another question for concerned residents.


If you, your neighbors and community had let’s say sixty-nine minutes to address this matter of sales tax proceeds with your elected leaders on the Lake Worth City Commission would you find that time helpful?

Well, unfortunately, there is some very bad news to report. And if you weren’t worried before about this “pot of money” from the County then you better start getting worried very soon. Why? Because your voice is being drowned out.

Last Thursday evening, after sixty-nine (69) minutes of a presentation, public comment and discussion at City Hall about that condemned pool at the Beach Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso said this:


“I need a little clarification because we’re here tonight and our agenda item says ‘continue sales tax conversation from December 4th’. We have no backup for sales tax. In my opinion it became a pool meeting, which that’s fine, we’ll have a conversation. But we really need to have a pool conversation separate from this conversation that in my opinion it didn’t happen because it’s not transparent, there is no backup and everybody else that has a line item that they would like to see this penny sales tax spent on is not in this room tonight.”



Amoroso said,
“[E]verybody else . . . is not
in this room tonight.”


‘Everybody else’ is everyone reading this blog post today.

But guess who was in City Hall last Thursday night having their voice heard? A mob who wants millions of dollars for a new pool at the Beach. What this City needs is a mob representing everyone else in this City.

The mob who wants a new pool at the Beach thinks eight hundred unverified signatures and a poll on Facebook is representative government. Does that sound like representative government to you?

Do you have ideas on how to spend proceeds from the County’s ¢1 sales tax increase? Are you angry as hell your City Commission spent sixty-nine minutes talking about that pool at the Beach?

Well, don’t get angry. Calm down. Relax for a bit. Then click on this link and send a brief note to each of your elected officials. Do not be disrespectful. Voice your concerns in a calm and reasonable way.

For sixty-nine minutes last Thursday evening we learned this about a new pool at the Beach.

Very briefly. . .

The pool mob doesn’t just want a new pool. They want a 2nd story terrace above the pool too for tourists and they want state-of-the-art bathrooms and locker rooms too. They want a whole lot of things because that pool would only cost about $600K to fix. They said. And all this work “can be very simple”. And they said two ‘pre-bids’ from contractors would be available soon for the public to see. They said. But no specifics were provided by the mob except that a new pool facility would only lose about $250–300K each year. An estimate of course. They said. And they want the pool heater to be run on solar energy. Of course, tiki huts and concession stands for the tourists and maybe even go to another referendum if they run out of money. The mob said, “If we build it they will come” and past history should be ignored showing that is untrue. They said the pool was “rocking and rolling in 2006!” That is not true either. To get this project moving forward to build a new pool one said, “I would write a thousand dollar check right now!” The mob became excited. Although the mob did say “it is a gamble” they all agreed it all “makes sense”. They said and they said. And they said, “You have to listen to us” and “We have no political interests” and “We have really simple practical ideas!” and “Let’s get together and do something!” They said.

They said.

They said.

In conclusion today, check back later this week for more about what happened, and more importantly what did not happen at City Hall last Thursday evening.

And in the meantime come up with a list of things. Suggestions, ideas and concerns about the proceeds from the County sales tax proceeds.

Like maybe a second tie-line for our Electric Utility to make certain in an emergency we stay connected to the grid which just happens to be a major concern for Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso.