[Received with a request to post]
I would like to encourage everyone to please attend (or watch on television - Comcast Channel 78) the upcoming Cooper City Commission Meeting this Tuesday evening. Following the last Commission Meeting in which the Commission voted to increase our water rates by 12.5 percent on March 1, with another 7.5 percent increase on Oct. 1, and another 4 percent increase on Oct. 1, 2009, it now appears that, upon the completed audit, the City Manager has found a 3.94 million dollar overage. There is an item on the upcoming agenda to amend the Fiscal Year 2008 budget; yet, we still haven't seen a year-end statement for the 2007 Fiscal Year.
We ALL need to become more involved, more aware, and more educated regarding matters which will directly impact our quality of life and standard of living. Let's not forget that the Mayor, Commissioners, and City Manager work for US, the taxpayers!
Sherry Ibbs
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Cooper City Alert! Automatic Rate Increases
[Just sent to us from one of our sources.ED.]
Detail reading of the rate sheets reveals the following statement:
(d) Effective with bills on or after October 1, 2010 and each year thereafter, the City will institute annually an automatic increase to the monthly water service availability and consumption charges established in this schedule, to be applied to such rates which are in effect immediately prior to the effective date of each annual increase. The annual index adjustment shall be automatically increased by an amount equal to the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers - CPI(U); U.S. City Average.
This means that your water charge can increase yearly anywhere from 0% to 5%-6% without a vote by your City Commission.
Detail reading of the rate sheets reveals the following statement:
(d) Effective with bills on or after October 1, 2010 and each year thereafter, the City will institute annually an automatic increase to the monthly water service availability and consumption charges established in this schedule, to be applied to such rates which are in effect immediately prior to the effective date of each annual increase. The annual index adjustment shall be automatically increased by an amount equal to the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers - CPI(U); U.S. City Average.
This means that your water charge can increase yearly anywhere from 0% to 5%-6% without a vote by your City Commission.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Your Water and Sewer Rate Increase
Now that the election in Cooper City is over, 4 out of the 5 commissioners have been replaced in the past year, the remaining commissioner/mayor was only able to muster a 48% vote for reelection with 52% of a record turn out voting for someone else. The a second commissioner received only a 42% vote with the remaining new commissioner receiving a breath taking 79% of the vote. Seems as though there does not exist a strong vote for returning to the previous style of city leadership.
Due to a change in the law regarding the election date and the date of assumption of the office there will be a period of 6 or so weeks of a lame duck commission. Commissioners Roper and Kleiman will be replaced with the new commissioners. However, they and the minority Mayor and the two already seated Commissioners Mallozi and Sims will be making decisions on issues brought before the commission.
It is of some interest to all that the ordinance for a rate increase for the Water and Sewer rate will be brought before the lame duck commission for passage. This issue was not perceived by the mayor or city manager as needing any decision before the election but is now being quickly placed on the agenda. It does appear that this was intentionally pushed back on the calendar/agenda for political reasons. One should read this as nobody wanted to answer to this one until after the election and then have it dealt with by the lame duck commission.
The rate increase ordinance which is listed online for all to see is much more than a rate increase. It appears to be a series of increases that will by all reasonable calculations increase the Cooper City water/sewer charges by 25+%.
That’s right a whooping 25+% increase.
This is somewhat startling as the citizens were led to believe that a huge reserve fund of $10.1 million which mystically appeared and had to be placed in the water/sewer fund in order to meet the W/S bond convenants and would help resolve the problem. A full explanation of the actual requirements has failed to be conveyed to any of the taxpayers or even to the Commissioners. (It is not in the backup material that is supposed to render this type of decision easier to understand and would therefore provide for an effective solution. So much for that idea.)
Based upon our interpretation of all of the facts as we see them at this point, this is a “rush to judgment” to jam a huge rate increase “down the gullet” (pardon the pun) of the lame duck commission.
We can only assume that all of the commissioners would want to take a deep breath before committing the citizens/users/taxpayers to such a large and possibly unnecessarily large increases without asking some really probative and important questions. In particular, Commissioners Roper, who for most of his term has been a voice of reason and has performed well and will depart with many accolades on his admirable service to Cooper City, and likewise, the departure of Commissioner Kleiman, should not be tainted by the political maneuvers of Mayor Eisinger, who very cavalierly dumped Commissioner Kleiman in favor of a newcomer with what some have called marginal capabilities. Cooper City should expect and is entitled to an appropriate conscientious turnover not a “dump and run“.
It may be best for all concerned that a more vigilant approach be taken by this commission in order that this issue be dealt the caution and do diligence that it deserves. It has monumental impact as the total increase and possible additional rate increase puts this on the level of a $40-$50 million agenda item.
Remember to tune in this Tuesday night at 7:30 P.M. for an interesting Commission meeting which will directly affect you and your every dwindling wallet.
BTW, you may find the article about Monterra at this link, http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2008-02-07/news/ol-man-wiley-had-a-farm/ , very interesting.
Due to a change in the law regarding the election date and the date of assumption of the office there will be a period of 6 or so weeks of a lame duck commission. Commissioners Roper and Kleiman will be replaced with the new commissioners. However, they and the minority Mayor and the two already seated Commissioners Mallozi and Sims will be making decisions on issues brought before the commission.
It is of some interest to all that the ordinance for a rate increase for the Water and Sewer rate will be brought before the lame duck commission for passage. This issue was not perceived by the mayor or city manager as needing any decision before the election but is now being quickly placed on the agenda. It does appear that this was intentionally pushed back on the calendar/agenda for political reasons. One should read this as nobody wanted to answer to this one until after the election and then have it dealt with by the lame duck commission.
The rate increase ordinance which is listed online for all to see is much more than a rate increase. It appears to be a series of increases that will by all reasonable calculations increase the Cooper City water/sewer charges by 25+%.
That’s right a whooping 25+% increase.
This is somewhat startling as the citizens were led to believe that a huge reserve fund of $10.1 million which mystically appeared and had to be placed in the water/sewer fund in order to meet the W/S bond convenants and would help resolve the problem. A full explanation of the actual requirements has failed to be conveyed to any of the taxpayers or even to the Commissioners. (It is not in the backup material that is supposed to render this type of decision easier to understand and would therefore provide for an effective solution. So much for that idea.)
Based upon our interpretation of all of the facts as we see them at this point, this is a “rush to judgment” to jam a huge rate increase “down the gullet” (pardon the pun) of the lame duck commission.
We can only assume that all of the commissioners would want to take a deep breath before committing the citizens/users/taxpayers to such a large and possibly unnecessarily large increases without asking some really probative and important questions. In particular, Commissioners Roper, who for most of his term has been a voice of reason and has performed well and will depart with many accolades on his admirable service to Cooper City, and likewise, the departure of Commissioner Kleiman, should not be tainted by the political maneuvers of Mayor Eisinger, who very cavalierly dumped Commissioner Kleiman in favor of a newcomer with what some have called marginal capabilities. Cooper City should expect and is entitled to an appropriate conscientious turnover not a “dump and run“.
It may be best for all concerned that a more vigilant approach be taken by this commission in order that this issue be dealt the caution and do diligence that it deserves. It has monumental impact as the total increase and possible additional rate increase puts this on the level of a $40-$50 million agenda item.
Remember to tune in this Tuesday night at 7:30 P.M. for an interesting Commission meeting which will directly affect you and your every dwindling wallet.
BTW, you may find the article about Monterra at this link, http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2008-02-07/news/ol-man-wiley-had-a-farm/ , very interesting.
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