2015 Budget Final Hearing, Storage Lot Fees & More...

I want to let everyone know that the Cooper City Commission is proposing, in the upcoming final budget hearing on Monday, September 22^nd at 6:30 PM, to approve a nearly $50 million dollar budget! During the first budget hearing on September 15^th, the only item that was discussed in regards to this entire budget was the Storage Lot Fees. Commissioner James Curran demanded that the storage lot fees remain the same and NOT be reduced, as previously promised to the Storage Lot tenants. Please come to the final budget meeting and show your support for Item 6-D-5, ‘Approving an amendment to the Lease, Lease Rates and Rules and Regulations for the Municipal Parking Facilities – Res. No. 14-9-12’. Come out and tell Commissioner Curran that we are sick and tired of him wasting our hard earned money and not living up to his promises! What do you have to say about this? Let’s keep the storage lot fees low! Please, come out and let your voice be heard!

The issue of the Cooper City Commission giving themselves a hefty pay raise is on the commission agenda for public hearings on Tuesday, October 14^th and October 28th, at 6:30 PM at City Hall. The pay raise is scheduled to be anywhere between 100 and 233%. I object to the pay raise for many reasons as I have previously stated. Please be there to voice your opinion and concerns.

The Education Advisory Board of Cooper City is sponsoring a Candidates Forum on Wednesday, October 15th at 7PM in the Cooper City Hall Auditorium. As your ‘Go To’ Commissioner, it is my pleasure to invite you to participate in this event.

The issue regarding the closure, or opening, of 53^rd street and Palm Avenue has been addressed for the ‘umpteenth time’ at our last commission meeting. I have received many, many emails and calls about this issue, and I have always supported the resident’s wishes on this issue. There are legitimate concerns by the residents who live along 53rd Street that too many vehicles use it as a through street from 106th to 100th Avenues, with many of them speeding while they do so. With the left turn blocked off, this concern was mitigated, but the traffic has had to shift up to 51st Street or down to the Sterling Springs entrance, forcing residents to wander through other streets to get to and from their homes, and simply transferring a problem from one street to another. There are no stop signs on 53rd Street, so it has been the preferred route compared to 51st with its two stop signs, for traversing from 106th to 100th. It is suspected that many of the drivers using the shortcut to 100th Avenue do not live in the neighborhood, making it even more frustrating for locals. In addition, rather than quote all of the details and facts, you can read more about it at http://aroundcoopercity.wordpress.com There is a great amount of detail in addition to the background and history synopsis of this issue which can be viewed at http://www.johnbsims.com/SW53StreetBackground.pdf

The city commission directed the city manager to remove the barrels on a temporary basis, perform another traffic study over the next few weeks if the county approves and agrees to it, which will include traffic counts, and speed monitoring on the neighborhood thoroughfares. This was the only way to get the county to do the study in order to resolve the issue in the long run. At that point, in order to be able to obtain real time and reliable data, the county will remove the barrels from Palm Avenue and perform a subsequent traffic study in order to justify stop sign implementation, enhancing the position that the 53^rd street thoroughfare is unsafe in order to possibly install stop signs in the future.

Cooper City residents will be rewarded very soon since we implemented a recycling points program. Cooper City will offer RecycleBank, an online rewards program that distributes points based on the amount of material recycled. Homeowners can trade those points for discounts at local restaurants, obtain retailer coupons and also obtain free items such as magazine subscriptions and other goodies. Currently, our residents recycle an average 150 pounds of per year which is a 20 percent increase in recycling after the city introduced the larger rollout carts last year. The truck will be weighed after each route and the points equally distributed among those who sign up for the program. Other ways to earn points are to report "green actions," such as riding a bike to the store or walking to school, taking surveys or quizzes and watching educational videos. I certainly hope RecycleBank will increase our recycling efforts, and in addition, the program will certainly help educate all of us on other ways to be "green" and also to help promote local businesses.

If you haven’t seen the new (now old) Face Book page for Cooper City, (Cooper City Community Corner) you’re too late… All of the posts, comments and the entire page have been forever deleted! That’s too bad, especially since there were over 4,000 participants, in addition to some great discussions and issues presented that directly affected you. However, you can visit my Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/keepsims

Also…you can vote from home! Absentee ballots in Broward County will be delivered in less than a few weeks! I wanted to confirm that you’ve registered to vote by mail. If not, you can do so now, and it only takes a few minutes…Check your status, or order your absentee ballot, by clicking here right now. 

Have your vote from home counted first by voting by mail. It is the easiest and most convenient way to participate in our upcoming election. If you have any questions, email me personally at johnsims@bellsouth.net  or call me on my cell at (954) 445-6997. If you've already registered to vote from home by mail, please forward this email to your Cooper City friends and neighbors and ask them to do the same. Voting from home by mail is simple and it saves time. Sign up now and avoid the long lines and the wait!

More…

• The City Commission will hold a 2^nd Budget Hearing for FY2014-15 on September 22^nd.
• The next Regular Commission Meeting will be held on October 14^th.
• The Education Advisory Board will host a Candidates Forum on October 15^th.
• BSO will be hosting a 1-day AARP Adult Safe Driver Course on October 27^th – Register NOW.
• CrimeMapping Feature on the BSO Website allows you to view Reported Crimes in your area.
• Sign-up to receive Emergency Notifications via Text and/or E-Mail through CodeRED!

• Don’t miss the Annual Community Garage sale on October 11^th.
• The Popular Community Book Swap will be held on October 17^th.
• Register NOW for the AARP 2-Day Adult Safe Driver Course on October 29^th & 30^th.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for my next Town Hall meeting on Monday, October 20^th at 7 PM, at the City Hall Commission Chambers. Please be there to voice your concerns and to show your support!

Thank you for your unwavering and continued support, and if you would like a yard sign, please let me know. Also, any and all donations are gladly and humbly accepted. You can donate any amount on my website at http://www.KeepSims.com

Have a great weekend!