May 2nd, 2011 Special Meeting @ 7 PM

May 2, 2011 Special City Council Meeting Agenda

Brock Accepts Job As Polk City Manager

Brock Accepts Job As Polk City Manager

Polk City Manager Contract Still in the Works

Polk City Manager Contract Still in the Works

Special Meeting Called on City Manager Contract

This special meeting agenda went out on Wednesday, April 20th.

There has been a new special meeting called for Monday, April 25th, 2011 at 7:00 PM to discuss the City Manager Contract.  April 25th, 2011 Special Meeting Agenda

Raising the Debt Limit

Here is a great illustration that simplifies how raising the debt limit works and what the long term repercussions can be.  The example explains it in relation to a small home owners association, but the same general principles can be applied to both small and large government.  What Polk City is proposing by going forward with this new bond, on top of all the other mounting debt that had previously been accumulated, is clearly right along the same lines as demonstrated in this example.  The proper way to clean up the debt problem is to reduce expenses and sell off assets that have gotten the city into this financial hole, not to dig the financial hole even deeper.

The Debt Limit: Made Simple

Polk City Agrees to Buy 39-Acre Cardinal Hill Site for $825,000

Polk City Agrees to Buy 39-Acre Cardinal Hill Site for $825,000

Polk City Council Members Can't Agree on New Manager's Contract

Polk City Council Members Can't Agree on New Manager's Contract

Recent Ledger Articles

New City Manager Chosen.  Former Dundee Manager Matthew Brock Chosen for Polk City Manager Job

Additional info posted late last night about night's 7:00 PM meeting:  Polk City to Consider 40-Acre Land Buy

Several new IMPORTANT meeting notices out today

Saturday, April 16th Special Meeting @ 8:00 AM Agenda
   Interviews for City Manager Candidates & possibly a decision to make job offer

Monday, April 18th Special Meeting @ 7:00 PM Agenda
   Contract for Sale & Purchase of Cardinal Hill Property

The one Planning Commission Meeting Agenda for Tuesday, April 19th @ 6:00 PM was in Word format, so I just copied the text:

CITY OF POLK CITY

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

April 19, 2011                 Polk City Government Center                                      6:00 P.M.

123 Broadway Blvd. SE

AGENDA

CALL TO ORDER                                      Chairman Charles Wilson

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE                    Chairman Charles Wilson

ROLL CALL                                                            City Clerk Patricia Jackson

ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUORUM

       

A.  Public Hearing

     1.  Text Amendment to the Unified Land Development Code – On-site Signs for Commercial

          Or Industrial Businesses

               

ADJOURNMENT

Tuesday, April 19th Planning Commission Workshop @ 6:30 PM Agenda   Overview of EAR Major Issues, State Requirements, and Proposed Amendments by Element, & General Discussion

Council Passes New Debt Bond Plan

New Ledger article: New Bond Debt and Refinance Plan OK'd by Polk City Council

The Whole Ugly Truth on the Proposed Water Rates

Here's the latest Ledger article that was posted on the Ledger's web page Sunday, April 10th, at 11:43 PM about the meeting to be held Monday, April 11th at 5:00 PM.

Polk City Council Set to Vote On Refinancing Plan

The article states,"The new rate schedule will not affect the monthly water and sewer bills for vast majority of Polk City's roughly 2,100 residential customers. "We are absolutely not raising rates," Cloud said."

The residential rates may not be changing, yet, but looking at the other changes proposed, Commercial rates will be going up if you can figure out their complex calculations attempting to hide this fact.  In the Restaurant example they used containing 50 seats, the ERC value they arrive at is 20 ERC's, or Equivalent Residential Connection, a base estimated consumption figure being used for all utility connections.  Single family homes are figured at 1 ERC, so this rate schedule is estimating that an establishment of this type and size will consume 20 times the water and have 20 times the wastewater that a typical single family home would use.  In this restaurant example, the base rate for water service without any usage fees will be $341.80 (20 x $17.09), then add the base rate for sewer without any usage $681.40.  We are already up to a monthly base rate bill of $1023.20 and this is not even charging for usage yet.  The Commercial customers are going to get slapped hard.  How is this new rate schedule going to bring new business into town?  How are existing businesses going to be able to continue to survive with all the other hardships they have with the down economy?  What is to stop these businesses from moving to Auburndale or Lakeland? If Polk City's businesses leave, how does the city expect to attract new residential growth?  Without growth of any kind, how are the residential rates going to drop at all?  These residential rates will be forced up since someone will have to pay for all this debt the city is planning to add, plus the tremendous burden of the additional millions in interest on this extremely long term loan.

It is also not clear what the penalties are if a single family residence exceeds the average of 1 ERC or estimated daily water use of 300 gallons per day (GPD)  and the new lower 250 GPD for sewer, instead of the previous 270 GPD for sewer. This comes out to 9,000 gallons of water usage for a 30 day month.  If your household has several people or you water your lawn using your regular household water since you are in an area without sewers, so therefore do not need an irrigation meter, the 9,000 gallons for 30 days can be easily exceeded.  Will the ERC of this household be increased with occasional bills using over the average ERC or will the penalties be excessive?  This issue is not clearly addressed.  On page 10 of Ordinance 2011-1277 under Other Criteria (C.) states,  "If deemed necessary by the City, the estimated sewer demands and corresponding connection charges shall be redetermined based on actual usage when the development is at very near full/maximum occupancy/use.  If the redetermined use and ERC value is larger than originally computed, the additional connection charge will be collected from the user/developer.  The town shall have the right to redetermine the connection charges and require the customer to pay any additional charges."  This leaves the public wide open to be charged whatever the city wants to for not only the monthly bills overages, but also possibly going back and charging more for impact fees that were collected at a lower rate at the time the original permit was pulled.  There are no consumer protection laws to prevent the municipalities from charging whatever they want for these services.  Consumer protections are only in place when the utilities are provided and owned by a privately held company.

In addition to raising commercial rates, many existing fees are also going up.  For instance, if you get a crazy utility bill, as many already have in the past and continue to get, that shows your consumption jumped 10 fold for no explicable reason, instead of it costing you $25 for the city to check your meter, it will now cost you $150.  A refund will only be issued if the city can prove that it was their error.  With the excuses given in the past about some mystery person using your water without your knowledge, or a mysterious leak that miraculously fixes itself the following month, but the city is not able to reproduce the problem or prove that their meters are at fault, what do you think the likelihood is that anyone challenging a water bill will ever get a refund of their $150, or see any kind of correction in their inflated bill?  With previous blog posts showing proof that the city is charging for far more water than is ever pumped out of the ground, it is obvious the city's water meter and billing system has some major issues.  Some of these problems may have been fixed since then, but who will be able to afford to even challenge these errors now?

The poorest people who are having a hard enough time paying their bills are also being targeted with these new fee increases.  The reconnection charge is going up from $50 to $55. This fee goes up to $100 if the reconnection is outside normal business hours, which we all know have been cut back.  The city is notorious for shutting off service over long weekends. The delinquent charge is going up from $5 to $10.50.  There is also a brand new Premises Visit charge of $40 that will likely be charged when someone comes to shut off the meter.

Other new fees include an Illegal Water Use fine, plus actual usage charge of $500 per event, plus usage at applicable rates.  Account Transfer Fee Charge of $15, RV Dump Fee of $5, Grease Trap Surcharge for service costs and inspection of $65, plus contractor's fee.

To add insult to injury, the wording of this new utility service contract is targeting the long term residents of Polk City who have water wells which have been grand-fathered into the system.  So much for the grand-father clause. The city is now claiming that the water coming out of the ground at these wells, just down the road from their own city wells is so different that it will contaminate the city's water system and therefore must be taken off-line and these residents will be forced onto city water.  If this contamination truly is a risk, the likely contamination cause is the water originating from the improperly treated sewer water being sprayed out of the city's own failing water treatment plant.  GO FIGURE!!

The article clearly states that the main cause of all the city debt is the Mt. Olive Utility System.  If the county is willing to take it back and forgive the debt that goes along with it, why in the world is the city not taking this generous offer?!!

PLEASE MAKE YOUR CONCERNS HEARD AT TONIGHT'S 5:00 PM SPECIAL MEETING!!

Two IMPORTANT Meetings Scheduled for April 11, 2011

If you are not on the regular email distribution for meeting announcements from the city, you may not be aware that there are TWO meetings scheduled for Monday, April 11, 2011.  Even if you did get the email, the links for the agendas did not work.  Below are the links to the important information for Monday's meetings found on Polk City's web page.  Links are also included on the full ordinances and resolutions to be discussed, since usually the description on the agenda is not very clear and leaves out a lot of important information and the full documents are not provided at the time of the meeting, either.

Obviously, city council is hoping not too many of our citizens will be able to attend this very important 5:00 PM special meeting, since most of us will just be leaving our place of employment at that time.  Looks like you might have to bring your dinner, since the regular City Council Meeting is scheduled at 7:00 PM the same evening.  PLEASE READ these very important new ordinances that will be voted upon in the public hearings at the 5:00 PM meeting.  They will have a substantial impact on all of us.  If at all possible, please try to attend this meeting and make our voices heard!

April 11, 2011
5:00 PM - City Council Special Meeting - Several Important Water and Wastewater Issues
Agenda April 11, 2011 - 5:00 PM

Ordinance 2011-1276  -- ATTENTION: Individuals using well water or lake irrigation inside and outside city limits PLEASE READ.

Ordinance 2011-1277  --  ATTENTION: All individuals inside and outside city limits in Polk City's utility service area, residential, commercial and undeveloped property PLEASE READ  Significant rate changes on all kinds of fees.  Long 29 page document containing lots of important changes.

Ordinance 2011-1278  --  ATTENTION:  This time the city is going after a 30 YEAR loan/bond for $9 MILLION!


April 11, 2011
7:00 PM - City Council Meeting
Agenda April 11, 2011 - 7:00 PM

Resolution 2011-02