Wanna Buy A Parking Lot?

Take a look at this article about the City purchasing the parking lot next to Pine Island Park/Station 4!
http://www.plantationjournal.com

Take a look at this article about the City purchasing the parking lot next to Pine Island Park/Station 4!
http://www.plantationjournal.com

And along with other big spending they want to do thats why they want us to hurry up and agree to this; I guess a contract, more like retraction; garbage. Hurry the sky is falling the sky is falling, this is the best were going to get...
did you even gather "union" that the rate theyre offering doesnt even keep up with current inflation? Did you do your homework then? But I guess there will be at least 51% of you "all for me people" who will go with a yes. Here will be stuck with nothing for three years. What the excusse next contract Mike? oh thats right you got what you want along with the other short timers. To hell with the other men and woman who serve... you go man "always faithful" HOOO RAH!!!!

I cant wait to go to the new Ampitheater at Pine Island Park.
$2.7 million......wow

The Plantation Journal http://www.plantationjournal.com
City of Plantation "Fudges" Numbers?
Written by "Concerned Citizen"
Thursday, 29 October 2009 11:54
Did you hear a loud bang last night in Plantation? If you did, what you heard was the "Veil of Secrecy" fall hard at the Plantation City Council Meeting last night. During a discussion about purchasing 3.6 acres of land for 2.7 million dollars, Mayor Rae Carol Armstrong admitted to having "Another Funding Source" if the Plantation Midtown District would not pay it's share for the property. The funding source came as a huge surprise to the rest of the council. What funding source? The council had just gone through a few months of budget meetings, the Mayor actually crying that she wished she could give raises, but we had a "maintenance" budget this year, because things were so bad. Fast forward one month, and the Mayor now says she has Funds accumulating interest for years, enough to pay for this "Parking Lot". Withholding information from Elected Officials? How could this happen? Nobody knew! Where in the Budget are these "Additional Funding Sources"? How much more is there?

The city council, taxpayers, city workers, and Police Union should be fuming. No money last month, but found 2.7 million last night? Council questioned how many more funds are out there, but you can bet the answers will not be forthcoming. When asked how this could be paid for, Plantation City Attorney, Don Lunny said something about numbers being "Fudged". What does that mean? Does the City attorney, Mayor, and Dan Keefe know something WE don't know? It's obvious that the City Council was unaware of "Additional Funding Resources" to pay for anything. It seems the Mayor only "finds" money when it's something she wants, like this property, amphitheatre, trees, and her huge pensions.

If there ever was a time for an audit, from the outside, now is the time. When the Mayor thought PAL was having some troubles (found to be not true), the Mayor wanted, and received an audit. She actually broke PAL, voided a contract, and put in her own regime, the same thing she complained that PAL had! Will she be as quick to say there is a hidden problem at Plantation City Hall? How can she un-ring THIS bell? How can this council sit back, and not want to know how much more money is buried, and where? Last night I heard enough for an audit, didn't you? Transparency at Plantation City Hall does NOT exist. If a private group, doing business with the city had said the things that were spoken last night, City Hall would be screaming for answers, an audit, more questions to be answered, just like with the PAL fiasco.

Voters need to know what is going on right under their noses. Arrogance and a lack of concern for the residents who elected people to represent us, and are not doing what's in the best interest of the city, only themselves. Councilwoman Uria was visibly disturbed about the Additional Funding Source comment, and voted against the Property, while questioning about "other" money the council was unaware of. Don't settle for we'll get back to you with answers, this was intentional! What else doesn't the council know?

Kudos to Councilwoman Uria, residents Dennis Conklin, and Lynn Stoner for standing up to this "Good Ol’ Boys" group, which has had a stranglehold on this community for many, many years. Wake up Plantation; I see some pillars beginning to fall. Ethics violations? Criminal? Bad Smell? Investigation? We need some answers Mayor!

You said that your job was to handle the "tough" situations. I think this qualifies.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/browar ... 7437.story (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/plantation/sfl-plantation-parking-lot-b102909,0,2597437.story)

Plantation takes heat for $2.7 million purchase

Topics
Plantation
Unions
Budgets and Budgeting
Lisa J. Huriash

South Florida Sun Sentinel

8:04 p.m. EDT, October 29, 2009
E-mail Print Share Text Size

PLANTATION - The leadership of this cash-strapped city is taking heat for spending $2.7 million of taxpayer money on a plot of land near the Broward Mall for parking and future development.

The Plantation City Council agreed in a 4-1 vote late Wednesday to buy the 3.6 acres and use it first for parking for nearby businesses. Just off University Drive, at Federated Roadway and Southwest Third Street, it is next to Pine Island Park. Once it was the site of a movie theater.

"You should not be thinking of buying this as a parking lot," City Attorney Donald Lunny told the council. "Its uses are very broad."

"We have got a great deal at $2.7 million," said Mayor Rae Carole Armstrong.

Scott Brenner, the landowner, has been courting the city for years, Armstrong said."We knew it was a good fit, but the deal was always out of our reach."

The decision for the city to spend about $245,000 on loan payments annually for 15 years drew outrage from the city's police union. The tight budget left them with no raises for this year, and residents will pay more in property taxes.

"It's disappointing to me that you've been telling us for six months there is no money for employee raises, yet suddenly there's hundreds of thousands of dollars that came from another account," said Michael Hanlon, the union president. "It's interesting priorities. Buying a parking lot nobody else is bidding on is more important than taking care of your employees?"

Councilwoman Sharon Uria was the only dissenter.

"I don't think I, in good conscience, can use taxpayer dollars to do this," she said Thursday. "Right now, with so many people having personal economic issues, it's not the time to increase the debt."

Councilman Jerry Fadgen said 25 percent of the loan payments would come from the general city budget, and the rest from a surplus in the midtown budget of the special taxing district for area businesses.

Fadgen said the deal was too good to pass up. He said the land is worth between $3.4 and $3.8 million.

"It'd be great not to spend the money, but we have a need for it," he said.

Others voted to approve the deal, but expressed reservations.

"We passed a budget that was so lean," said Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic. "If we had a quarter million dollars in our budget, why didn't we put it to use somewhere else?"

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com or 954-572-2008.

What's the old saying, a parking lot in the hand today is better than a parking lot in the bush tomorrow. I'm sure the elected officials are so proud of their contribution to the residents of the city with this totally unnecessary 2.7 million dollar purchase. I know the city employees heard them loud and clear when they said there was no money for raises, tears and all. From the contract standpoint, how we doing, we got a hand, bush, or neither at this point. I know I'm feeling real sympthetic to the city woes at this point. Any body know of when they might let us all start using the "parking lot" to set up camps for city workers so we can set up FEMA like stations. Hope they didn't overlook the cost of landscaping that they are going to need to make it look presentable, we can't lose that tree city USA designation. Spend that money, spend it hard and fast!

What's the old saying, a parking lot in the hand today is better than a parking lot in the bush tomorrow. I'm sure the elected officials are so proud of their contribution to the residents of the city with this totally unnecessary 2.7 million dollar purchase. I know the city employees heard them loud and clear when they said there was no money for raises, tears and all. From the contract standpoint, how we doing, we got a hand, bush, or neither at this point. I know I'm feeling real sympthetic to the city woes at this point. Any body know of when they might let us all start using the "parking lot" to set up camps for city workers so we can set up FEMA like stations. Hope they didn't overlook the cost of landscaping that they are going to need to make it look presentable, we can't lose that tree city USA designation. Spend that money, spend it hard and fast!

Understanding your point. But John or jane doe plantation resident is not too understanding. I to their point of view you seem greedy. It doesnt matter how many times you send the barganing unit over there, it will be no.
Hows that 12 hour shift working for you now? Oh thats right NO STANDBY OT and kiss shift assignment bye bye!!!
I guess no one ever told you be careful what you wish for.