THANK YOU COOPER CITY!

I want to thank Cooper City for their unwavering support and for their confidence and faith in me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!


Also, a BIG THANKS to everyone who stood fast and volunteered in the race! YOU deserve the kudos!


Together, we will make Cooper City more than just 'Someplace Special'! It just goes to show that dirty politricks, empty suits, corruption, smear campaigns, lies, sign theft, frivolous newspaper and corrupt union endorsements and the 'it's all about me' attitude just doesn't work anymore in 'Someplace Special'!

The $6 Million dollar "Soccer Park"...Can you say 'Red Herring'?

(Comments from a resident I was asked to post, and gladly obliged...)


What’s really going on?


What is really behind the planned $6+ million dollars to be spent on the soccer field, AKA West Sports Complex (Flamingo Road between Sterling & Griffin Roads),  Debbie Eisinger's Folly, you know the park..., the one on the far, far west side of Cooper City just south of Stirling Rd. on Flamingo Rd? 

I wonder if Southwest Ranches would like to join with us in providing a sports facility for their city. Just what every parent wants, is that their kids will have to traverse the dangerous roads and intersections at the corner of Flaming Road to get to this lavish Soccer Sports Field...Of course NOT!


Questions begin to arise when a meeting of the commission members (Workshop Scheduled May 8th 6:30 PM) is conducted in ‘secret’ (April 12, 2012). City officials quickly denied that the meeting was secret (The public was NOT notified regardless of what the city attorney opines). Strong responses from city officials proclaimed that a notice was posted on the bulletin board (inside the foyer) at city hall. The City attorney quickly jumped in with ‘legally sufficient’ applied to it and the minutes submitted (as an email from the city manager), all 24 words (in a meeting that lasted well over an hour and a half).


There were several slip ups on the veracity of the participants however...A recent blog comments to the lack of remembrance on the part of Commissioner Mallozzi (this one). City attorney syas he was not present contrary to Commissioner  Mallozzi in her published article (In the Davie & the Ranches Magazine) to the residents that the city attorney was there, Hmmm...


Commissioner Curran who, since 2008, has been designated by the city commission as being the 'Optimist Liaison', very aggressively proclaimed that he has attended some 18 meetings on the subject of  the Flamingo Soccer Park. (City personnel vigorously deny that it is a soccer park...) It is noteworthy that Commissioner Curran has never provided any commentary during commission meetings, sent any memos, discussion papers, or anything that could be construed as being informative regarding the agenda, topics, and agreements with the Cooper City Optimists regarding usage of the sports field. (Informal commentary by members of the Optimists seems to indicate that the Optimists have required that the field be designated, designed and constructed to meet the needs of the Optimists. The main purpose of which is to consolidate the fields for the convenience (ease of use) of the Optimists).


Does this raise the question...Has a deal been struck? If so with whom? What was given in return? (Let's not forget, the city attorney stated that the Optimist 'Field Use Resolution' was a valid and binding contract between the city and the Optimist club). When anyone asks for some sort of explanation, lockjaw sets in. It sounds too absurd to believe that the self declared righteousness of the Optimist Club believes that they are above reproach regarding any suggestions of political ‘quid pro quo’ regardless of somewhat dubious actions in handing

You draw your own conclusions....

(Note from Comm. Sims: As your 'Go To Commissioner' my sole concern regarding this issue is 1) Does the Optimist Club owe the City any 'Non-Resident Fees', and if so, 2) Who will be held accountable for not making that happen?

West Parking/Storage Lot Notice

The installation of the new security fence at the West RV lot will begin on Monday, February 24.  Below is a letter that will be mailed this week to persons leasing spaces in the West RV lot to notify them they will need to remove their items from the lot for two weeks during the installation.
###

February 7, 2014

West RV Lot Lessee

The City of Cooper City is preparing for the installation of security fencing at the West Vehicle Storage Compound.  We are sending this courtesy letter to notify you, as the lessee of a spot in the Storage Compound, that your property (ie: vehicle, boat, trailer, camper etc) must be removed from the Vehicle Storage Compound by 5:00 P.M. Sunday, February 23, 2014.  Should your vehicle not be removed by this date, the City will have your vehicle towed by our towing contractor.  It will then be up to you, the owner, to pay for any and all expenses associated with the towing, storage and recovery of your vehicle.  In addition to the removal of your real property, all debris must be removed from your spot and surrounding area.  Any and all items left behind will be permanently removed and disposed of by the City.  We anticipate this project to be completed by 9:00 A.M. Saturday, March 8, 2014, at which time you can re-enter the storage compound.  There will be absolutely no public access to the storage compound during this work period.

The City has notified Code Enforcement of the project and the need for all vehicles to be stored elsewhere.  During the week of February 23 thru March 8, 2014, you will be allowed to store your recreational/commercial vehicle at your residence.  Please keep this letter as acknowledgement by the City of permission to park your recreational/commercial vehicle at your residence.  Should you have any questions please contact the Public Works Department at 954-434-2300.

Keeping you informed,

John

Commissioner John Sims

The Sky Won’t Fall In Cooper City If Amendment 4 Passes

Opponents of Florida Hometown Democracy’s Amendment 4, developers and land-speculators, have been successful in scaring many local governments with misinformation.

Unfortunately, many local governments aren’t even researching these bogus claims. They’re just accepting them and passing resolutions saying that the sky will fall if Amendment 4 is passed.

Overdevelopment helped crash Florida’s economy. We currently have over 400,000 vacant dwellings. Local governments helped create the building boom by charging artificially low impact fees to builders, and not requiring them to fund the needed infrastructure (roads, schools, water, sewer, safety). In spite of what politicians tell their constituents, development doesn’t pay for itself, as numerous studies have proven (Jacksonville, Sarasota, Hillsborough, etc.). It costs government more to provide infrastructure and services for new development than it receives in new tax revenue. [Note: Some in the form of impact fees, or even 'donations' of fire trucks]

Our State-mandated long-range growth plans are meant to place services and population in an organized and efficient manner so as to improve our quality of life, prevent sprawl, and keep taxes lower. But these well-thought-out plans are constantly being changed, every time a developer wants to build something that conflicts with existing plans. Instead of asking developers to conform to our plans, our politicians quickly cave-in and approve the plan changes.

This is occurring everywhere at an alarming rate because our politicians can’t seem to say no to developers. If you look at most politicians’ campaign-contribution records, they receive a sizable amount from development interests (sometimes more than 50%). Is it surprising that they approve most of the plan changes submitted by developers? As an example, the Hillsborough County Commission approves over 92 percent of submitted plan changes.

Most counties are in dire straits because of overdevelopment and inadequate infrastructure. Do the Legislature, local politicians, chambers of commerce offer a solution? No, their solution is more of the same. They say, “Don’t change anything … we like it this way … we need to make it easier for developers so they can quickly build still more homes … we’ll have to raise your taxes to add and widen roads and provide basic services, but it’s worked well for us politicians, and our developer partners love it, too.”

What will Hometown Democracy’s Amendment 4 do?

• It’ll provide a simple and balanced approach to planning for our communities.

• It adds only one step – your vote -- to the existing process for changing growth plans.

Citizens will have a say in the future of their communities. Shouldn’t we residents have meaningful input in deciding where the next 3,000-home subdivision will go, or the next airport, or the next supermall?

• It’ll help force business interests/developers to stick to a community’s plan.

• Local governments will be more cautious in approving developer-initiated changes because citizens will veto bad-growth decisions.

• As the number of privately-initiated changes is reduced, process costs will decrease, and governments will be able to do more long range planning.

• The approval of plan changes will still be in the hands of elected officials and their staffs as it is today. The only difference is that voters can agree or disagree with the officials when the item reaches the ballot, as the last step in the process.

The only changes that residents will vote on will be major land-use changes to their growth plans. Voters will not vote on zoning, rezoning, variances, building permits, etc. Depending on the size of the city or county, the estimated number of ballot items would be from one to five per election.

• Amendment 4 won’t stop anyone from building. Florida is “shovel ready” as we speak. It does not require a change in any growth plan to build a building. Current land-use designations already in place allow enough home-building to accommodate another 100+ million people, without ever making another change. More than 1.3 billion-square-feet of additional commercial floor area (13,000 Walmarts) is already approved on our growth plans. Pre-approved land is everywhere. When the market rebounds there’ll be nothing to stop business from building. Amendment 4 will simply assure that building occurs in these pre-approved, appropriate, rational places.

Look at your own community. The bad growth decisions that we have to live with are all too obvious. Amendment 4 is needed. We need a seat at the table on land-use decisions that can directly and irreversibly harm our pocketbooks and our quality of life.

George Niemann (813) 662-7100
Tampa-area Amendment 4 regional coordinator
Hillsborough County
George_n@verizon.net

Reprinted with permission

Cooper City FY '09 Budget Synopsis

While we all are a bit down on free markets this week, and as we hear local governments complain about tight budgets, the case for lower taxes and limits on new government programs still makes sense for all levels of government, particularly at the local level. Officials close parks because it's easier than fighting fraud, unable to say no to unsustainable pension plans for their employee/supporters or choosing to fire their overpaid friends, thinking it will provoke a backlash of folks screaming for higher taxes....yes, that is how out of touch our 'leaders' are these days.

It really is simple. The taxpayers must make them hold the line on spending as next year’s budget deficit will be much larger, and make no mistake about it, we will have to look at real cuts right here in Cooper City. The problem is exemplified when only 4 of our constituents showed up at the final budget hearing and only three objected to the excessive and unnecessary planned spending. Yikes!

Has any critical review determined that a park, teen egg hunt, mommy-son/daddy-daughter day or any of the other 'fun' programs, paid for by your hard earned tax dollars, constitutes a "valid municipal purpose," one that promotes the health, safety and welfare of the city? It’s not a question of how much it costs (it really is very minimal) or why Cooper City' s 'fun programs' exist, or why they may make Cooper City “Someplace Special” or why we intend to keep it that way. I believe it is a flawed opinion by a misguided commissioner and a department director that state that these types of services are for a 'valid municipal purpose'.

It truly makes me question the priorities of this Commission and staff, that our previous city manager strenuously reminded each of us about. And, it is most definitely a question of priorities. Is there is any doubt that these programs do not promote the health and welfare of the city, are not directly related to a valid municipal purpose and that there is no doubt the provisions of those programs are not in any way related to a municipal purpose? Are they rationally related to the health, morals, protection and the financial welfare of this municipality?

Maybe a certain commissioner along with some employees should stick to other ways of justifying the haphazard utilization of very hard earned tax dollars, not utilizing flawed arguments and ad hominem attacks to justify their fundamental lack of knowledge of the ‘how and why' government exists.

I was also somewhat dismayed at the waste of valuable time and taxpayer’s money at the budget hearings, particularly the excessive time spent to entice a department director to facilitate an opinion and to join in a fallacious attack on me (subsequently along with a prominent resident) which had nothing to do with the logical merits of my arguments or assertions that directly related to our next budget. Yet, that director can't seem to get a handle on sub-par performance by a contractor.

I suppose he was too busy supporting the attack and justifying a flawed position rather than finding out how to correct poor performance or how to terminate the 'contract' for nonfeasance. Any future contract with the city should have a cancellation provision or two for non-performance and/or poor performance of contracted work. Yet, it should be clear to all that the purpose of the characterization offered was to discredit my offering of logical arguments, and specifically, to invite others to gang up and discount my arguments regarding the prioritization of how we must begin to implement new ways in which we spend the taxpayers' dollars.

I believe that it is irresponsible fiscal management to pursue such 'fun' things and new programs until we can assess our financial state in more comprehensive terms. There may be a questionable degree of integrity here, and I believe there still may be a hidden agenda. This is why I believe that my motion to order a forensic audit (at a very miniscule cost) should have been supported in order that we would all know exactly where we stand at this point. No second was even offered yet the rumor was that others on the dais wanted the same opportunity.

This is the first time that this city commission has faced a deficit and has chosen to tap into reserve funds in a very, very long time. The current commission and manager didn’t create the problem but were compelled to address it. I am not yet convinced or quite sure that increased tax dollars spent on landscaping, new park equipment, grand parties for founder’s day, increased mowing and tree trimming and all of the ‘fun’ stuff, along with new programs, are the answer to our future financial stability and success.

My priorities for this budget year were the big ticket items; abolition of the 'records building' at the cost of a quarter-million dollars, a three-hundred thousand plus dollar water conservation program, at least four automatic contract renewals to the tune of multi-millions of dollars and a 'code re-write' at the potential cost of up to one-half million dollars, among others.

A preliminary search & review of the minutes of the P&Z since January 2007 reveal the following: Since Jan of 2007 P&Z has only had to address 10 variances. How many came before the Commission are unknown because that information is for some reason not readily available. Most of the variances that came before the P&Z are minor in terms of the magnitude of the requested change. The amounts of variances have been trivial except for the Chevron station.

It sounds as though $350k + (more like $500K before it’s all over and done with as stated previously) to rewrite the many ordinances involving zoning or other minor issues, including any barber pole colors or design, seems totally unjustified. What I would like to know is, why didn’t staff do an analysis and a complete justification on this matter before recently asking us to approve this matter and place it on the budget agenda? How many of the ten items for a variance were brought before the Commission?

I would also like to know why P&Z cannot handle this issue, particularly when it consists of land use attorneys, litigation attorneys, ex-commissioners and others, including seasoned staff, who are fully capable of addressing this particular issue on an as needed basis, along with one of the biggest law firms in the county, if not the state, Weiss-Serota now working for us! They even state that they have 'decades of collective experience' in the constantly evolving area of land use and zoning law.

They further espouse that 'As counsel to local government entities, [their] attorneys possess knowledge of the local government planning and zoning process. Their work includes the drafting and preparation of state mandated comprehensive land use plans and land development regulations, as well as the representation of boards and commissions considering development decisions within a wide variety of local government environments.'

If P&Z cannot handle this germane and seemingly trivial and non-invasive issue as far as workload goes, this commission needs to immediately and seriously look at re-appointing members of the P&Z board who can indeed handle the issues. I would like to have kept the money in reserves and direct the Manager to do his homework and come back to us with full and complete justification for spending upwards of up to a half million dollars if not more. Now I tend to really wonder why they were hired, being touted as the best available and how much research was (claimed to have been) done, and here we are not taking full advantage of a fully capable in-house counsellor/contractor on this subject matter. Again, priorities are not apparently a concern, and there are definitely personal agendas involved here.

One question posed by me was 'Is the proposed budget consistent with the Commission's recent goals and objectives?' I think not...yet I am happy that the manager chose to support my contention that all contracts should be send out for bid under an RFP process. Not only are we more likely to get the best mix of quality and price, but the residents can have more faith that the commission and administration are conducting city business and spending our money efficiently and honestly. The process will also better enable Cooper City residents and businesses a full opportunity to bid.

I also believe that we have businesses in Cooper City that can provide these services. If they are competitive, I would feel much better about our own residents and business owners getting the work that is paid for by Cooper City taxes. There has been a lot of rhetoric at commission meetings about supporting Cooper City businesses, entrepreneurs and working folks. It is time to put our money where our mouth is. There is no guarantee, of course, that businesses in town would win the bids on price and/or quality evaluations. However, providing a 120 day bid period would provide for sufficient notice and time for local people to compete.

Cooper City, its commission, employees and residents need to be ahead of the curve regarding the current economic situation and how it directly affects our great city. We should be way ahead of the situation, not lagging behind and spending every dime we have, and then some. There should exist very clear objectives and checkpoints, every 90 days or so, in order to be apprised of the real time costs, and we must take action where and if appropriate.

Governments should seek ways to cross-train employees, or seek other efficiencies to compensate for the loss of revenues instead of raising fees and taxes. In any event, local governments have few other options, and they should be doing everything possible to cut expenses.

In closing, I fully agree with a comment at the 8-14-08 P&Z meeting which stated, "Everybody is feeling the crunch and you [the current commission] are spending our money like it is yours and not ours, it’s ours." My feeling is that it's too bad that this person didn't attend the budget hearings, or contact me in order to voice his concerns...

Cooper City Strategic Issues and Project Goals for 2008-09

Cooper City Strategic Issues and Project Goals for FY 2008-2009

The Cooper City Commission met on July 24th in a 'goal setting workshop' to discuss strategic issues in regards to the future of the city and its Strategic Plan. These are long term issues for which either a discussion opportunity for the Commission will be scheduled or which staff will prepare a recommendation for Commission consideration or possible future action.

The full Commission, senior staff and directors participated in the workshop and agreed on the following priority issues for Commission discussion:

1. Community safety
2. Ensuring that the distinctive features of the City are retained

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following issues approved for Commission discussion:

1. A strategy for Monterra
2. Support and expansion of the business community
3. Promotion and support of the community schools
4. Balancing efficiency and effectiveness to ensure quality services are provided at reasonable cost.
5. Management and measurement systems such as Management by Objectives, Workload Measures, etc?

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following issues to be assigned to staff for initial planning:

1. Community and public engagement
2. Measures to assess our progress and impact
3. Redevelopment
4. Common transportation (public or privately operated)
5. Maintaining and developing infrastructure
6. Naming rights for public facilities
7. Bike paths/greenways
8. Internal communications
9. Employee outsourcing

The Commission, senior staff and directors participated in the workshop and agreed on the following priority goals:

1. Establish Cooper City Marketing Committee
2. Establish cameras as red light

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following endorsed goals:

1. Update Hurricane preparedness plan
2. Review needs for city equipment
3. Improve web-cast capacity
4. Report to community on status of school facility plans
5. Hold meetings with HOA directors
6. Review car take-home policy
7. Examine increase in user fees for recreation
8. Revise citizen survey

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following discussions to be scheduled at a city public presentation, workshop or meeting:

1. Senior Advisory Group
2. Utility Advisory Council
3. Outsourcing options for internal services

If there are any ideas and comments that you may have in regards to these issues, feel free to contact me and convey them so that I, along with the rest of the Commission, can formulate a successful plan to implement these goals and objectives.

When a Tax is not called a Tax in Cooper City...

When a tax is not called a tax in Cooper City...

Municipal budgets are shrinking rapidly and money is getting really tight at all levels of government. While it's no secret to savvy residents and smart Commissioners, some wonder how the city can keep up its spending habits on non-health, safety and welfare issues without eventually becoming bankrupt. In response to this immediate and legitimate challenge, municipalities like Cooper City are going to be soon looking for new, imaginative ways to finance municipal services, including that of extra feel good programs along with necessities such as police protection. One of the options that were addressed by one commissioner is the imposition of a ‘special assessment’ relating to police and ‘crime’ services.

Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi (Dist.2) has asked about the possibility of imposing a law enforcement assessment. The Commissioner is on the Broward League of Cities Sustainability Transportation sub-committee that meets later this month and would apparently like this to become a legislative agenda issue, apparently statewide. Specifically, she asked for a definition of what would constitute a property crime. Apparently, the purpose would be to determine the proportionate amount that those crimes are of the total crimes to be the basis for the development of a law enforcement special assessment. The interim City Manager has asked the City Attorney and the BSO Commander to develop that information. The attorney stated that any property that is impacted by the crime would be improved real property and the crimes would likely be burglary, criminal mischief, etc.

It sounds like the Commissioner is talking to the wrong people; other politicians in government, and not her constituents. My immediate response was that "We already have an assessment in place. It's called TAXES!" This is nothing but a ploy by some municipalities, and now a Cooper City Commissioner, to double tax and to that end we must not follow. It is improper by any means. Any special assessment tax would also require enabling legislation to authorize it by the Florida legislature that finds that such services would yield a special benefit to real property.

A special assessment is a term used in to designate a unique charge that the government can assess against real property parcels for certain public projects. The most universally known special assessments are charges levied against lands when drinking water lines are installed; when sewer lines are installed; or when streets are paved. A special assessment may only be levied against parcels of real estate which have been identified as having received a direct and unique "benefit" from the project.

While this type of assessment holds some merit for certain municipal services, it should be equated with simply imposing an additional and somewhat unnecessary tax. In fact, a law enforcement special assessment has been deemed unlawful because those services provide no special benefit to real property. See this opinion by the State Attorney General.

The test for determining whether a special benefit is bestowed to real property is not whether the services confer a ‘unique benefit’ or are different from the benefit provided to the community as a whole. Rather, the test is whether there is a ‘logical relationship’ between the services provided and any direct benefit to real property. Only certain real property can be specially assessed. The "property" to be assessed must be real estate as opposed to "personalty". Personalty is a taxation term which means personal property.

Special assessment levies are not ad valorem property taxes even though they may be collected on a property tax bill. A special assessment is based strictly upon the concepts of "need" and "benefit." Special assessments must confer a specific and special benefit upon the real property affected by the assessment. A special assessment is like a tax in that it's an enforced payment from the real property owner and may possess other benefits similar to a general tax. However, it is entirely different and governed by entirely different principles. It is imposed under the theory that the portion of the community required to bear it receives some special or outstanding benefit in the enhancement of value to the property against which it is imposed as a result of the improvements made with the proceeds of the special assessment. This equates to the fact that if you do not pay the special 'tax', they can sell your house on the courthouse steps.

I think that if something waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's more than likely a duck. In simple, plain English, if it seems like a tax, it probably is a tax (of some sort, just by another name). However, there is an important distinction between special assessments and taxes. A legally imposed special assessment is not really a tax per se looking at it from a legal sense. While the payment of both taxes and special assessments is actually deemed mandatory like property taxes, there is not a requirement that general taxes provide specific benefits to the property. Instead, they are levied throughout the city for the general benefit of residents, business owners and real property.

The City of North Lauderdale attempted to impose a special assessment on owners of property for the purpose of providing an "integrated fire-rescue program." The city created an ordinance that would fund the cost of an integrated fire, rescue and emergency medical service program through a special assessment tax levied on all property owners in the city. A group of commercial property owners sued the city in opposition to the tax and the case of City of North Lauderdale v. SMM Properties, Inc., wound up in the Florida Supreme Court.

The property owners agreed that a portion of the special assessment that provided services imposed a special benefit on their properties and did not oppose it. However, they sued on a portion of the special assessment which was deemed as improper because their properties were not deriving any special benefit from the services. They argued that the assessment provided a service to all citizens in the city.

It appeared that the city had a good case regarding the commission’s support of the special assessment. Another Florida case, Lake County v. Water Oak Management Corp., 695 So. 2d 667 (Fla. 1997), delineated a two-pronged test to be used in reviewing the validity of any special assessments. The first prong was whether or not the services at issue provided a special benefit to the assessed property. The second prong was whether or not the assessment for the services was a properly apportioned tax. In the City of North Lauderdale case, there was not an issue as to the apportionment of the assessment. The only issue to be reviewed by the court was the determination of whether the services provided a ‘special benefit’ to the property.

In the Lake County case, the court upheld a special assessment imposed for fire protection services that was correctly opined by the 5th District Court of Appeal in Case No. 94-2729. The City of North Lauderdale said that Lake County's fire-rescue program was similar to its own as both programs were funding more than just fire protection and suppression services.

The property owners argued that Lake County's program was limited and did not confer a special benefit. The opponents further argued that the assessment was paying for a function provided by employees as part of their normal duties, the property owners in Lake County were really only paying for the normal services, and the special assessment in Lake County did not assess property owners for services outside the employee’s regular job duties. The court looked at the differences between the Lake County program and the North Lauderdale program. Having made a determination, the court then went on to ruling whether the assessment met the first prong of the test by providing a special benefit to the assessed property.

The city went on record to say that their services would enhance the use of property in the city. This, in turn, would enhance the value of the property, and this enhanced value could be anticipated to be reflected in the real estate tax charge for value of the property.

The court disagreed, finding that the service was not a special benefit to the property. The court noted that services benefit people, not property. The court ruled that the city's opinion that the assessment conferred a special benefit on property was frivolous and had the indication of a tax because it was proposed to support many of the general sovereign functions of a general tax.

The court said that the city made comments its ordinance that there was a 'special benefit' to the assessed properties but stated that there was nothing in the record to support these assumptions by the city. There was no evidence of any special benefits that would be provided to the property from the provisions of such services, no studies conducted by the city documenting any specific benefits, and no testimony or expert witnesses were offered to indicate how the portion of the assessment providing for special services would specifically benefit the real property.

The court ruled that the services portion of the special assessment by the City of North Lauderdale was a general tax because it failed to provide any unique or special benefit to real properties. There were no indicia how the services would directly enhance the value of the real properties of which the assessment was imposed upon.

Although some services, particularly those of police or fire services, may provide a sense of security to individuals, neither the service nor the sense of security is provided to the real property. Consequently, the court concluded that the services in question did not provide any special benefit to the property, and therefore that portion of the program could not be funded by a special assessment.

Of the utmost importance to any property owner who feels aggrieved by a special assessment levy is a legal concept known as the "presumption of validity". This means that the courts must regard the actions of local government with deference and presume that the government did everything correctly. At a minimum, any challenge to any special assessment must prove that the government did not act lawfully. That challenge is vey difficult, time consuming, costly and significant. For all of these reasons, it is critical for any person or property owner, particularly a business facing a special assessment, to fully participate in any and all public hearings and monitor the special assessment process from its earliest stages to completion.

Tighter budgets will require greater creativity in funding at all levels of government both county and local. However, when considering the use of special assessments as an additional revenue source under the guise of some alleged 'special benefit', particularly at the local level, keep the following in mind...it’s still just another tax.

I believe in the First Amendment...

I would like to thank most of the voters in Cooper City for their awareness and perceptiveness in not signing the recent unwarranted, frivolous and malicious attempt at a recall effort. By seeing it for what it really was, you have reaffirmed my faith in the voters of this city that when fallacious and shameless lies are perpetrated, the wisdom of the public see's though it and that the truth will always prevail.

Many issues were brought up by the recall perpetrators during the effort that were outright false statements with no actual basis in fact nor demonstrable proof to support them.

The facts are that the allegations in the recall petition were patently false, and the entire democratic process was deliberately abused by a few extremists with a hidden agenda in order to discredit me and those that I associate with and publicly support.

These perpetrators and signators are the same people who have never once contacted me either via e-mail nor telephoned me personally in order to express themselves or learn of my concerns and to come to know what I stand for. They have simply taken the lies, rumors and smear campaign tactics from the past incumbents and their supporters and assumed them to be truthful without any attempt at verifying their truthfulness.

I strongly believe in the First Amendment, however with that there comes a equal responsibility. Every person has the right to say how they feel about another person.

Unfounded accusations, such as a person is a wife beater or is guilty of something as despicable as Anti-Semitic remarks, which I personally abhor, without any verifiable facts or actually labeled as being Anti-Semitic when the person is not, is not acceptable under any circumstances.

Political commentary or satire doesn't constitute Anti-Semitism nor rise to the terms of 'Slander and Defamation of Character' nor merit any type of criminal hate crime or legal action, as no such Anti-Semitism or hate crime actually occurred concerning this contrived debacle. The fact that I was falsely accused of these things directly by Mayor Debby Eisinger, Ex-Commissioners Elliot Kleiman, Bart Roper, Lori Green, Greg Ross and many others greatly disturbs me, as it should you. This is the kind of unethical disparaging and frankly extremely dirty 'smear campaign' politics and violations of the law that has given Cooper City such a bad reputation over the past few years, which I have personally not participated in, and it should not be tolerated whatsoever by any of the good citizens of this community.

Based on what I perceive to be the expectations of the majority of Cooper City residents, I am fully committed to the following; a more effective, efficient and reduced budget, saving more money for the taxpayers, using what we are getting and what we have in a better manner as far as tax revenues, hiring the absolute best city manager we can afford, reducing the over taxation by utilizing any budget overages and excessive revenues in a more prudent manner, performing a forensic audit so that we all know exactly where we stand (I have been advocating this for the past 18 months) and assuring the new city manager of a clean slate, and opposing the purchase of property for $3.5+ million for new post office that Cooper City will never, ever see regardless of the opinion of a few.

Based on what has been communicated to me by the majority of Cooper City residents that I have spoken with, I am committed to making the Cooper City government run more like a business. To act as a problem solver in dealing with the challenges facing Cooper City over the next few years. My focus will continue to oppose runaway taxes, uncontrolled and unnecessary spending, inefficient and excessive regulations, and to always observe the limited, enumerated powers of our Constitution and our Oath of Office, and insist that the entire Commission abide by them and our City Charter, not ignore them.

Thank you, and I look forward to your continued input and support

Effort to Recall Cooper City Commissioner Falls Flat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Effort to Recall Cooper City Commissioner Falls Flat

Cooper City, Florida – The effort to recall a popular commissioner in Cooper City has been abandoned. The petition to recall Commissioner John Sims stemmed from a blog that Sims allegedly owned. At issue was a picture posted on the blog of the Mayor of Cooper City, Debby Eisinger, with a superimposed Hitler moustache on her upper lip. Sims denies any involvement or wrongdoing.

The Broward Sheriff’s office initiated a hate crime investigation into Sims involvement with the blog but suspended it when there wasn’t sufficient evidence to proceed. The recall effort was started by former Cooper City Commissioner Elliot Kleiman and the former campaign manager for Mayor Debby Eisinger, Lori Green. According to Kleiman’s website, the group obtained the necessary signatures to fulfill the first requirement but said the continued effort would be too costly and that “In these times of economic hardship it was felt that requiring Cooper City to spend approximately $110,000 at this time was not prudent and, therefore, it was decided not to pursue the petition drive beyond the current stage”.

However, inside sources to the recall effort said that the required number of signatures was never obtained. “I’m not sure why they started the petition in the first place other than to make a political statement. Had the governor chose to remove Commissioner Sims, we wouldn’t have a choice. We would have to pay for a special election anyway” said Renee Delotta, community activist and consultant on several local campaigns. Delotta said the die was cast right after Sims was swept into office just over a year and a half ago. “There is a group of people in this city that despise Commissioner Sims and would do almost anything to see him out of office”, Delotta continued.

When asked how he felt about the failed recall bid Sims responded, “It didn’t really bother me one way or the other. It was a politically motivated move by several sore losers who simply wanted me out of office and used spurious, misinformation to try to accomplish their purpose.” Long time Cooper City resident Victoria Bikos agrees. “Commissioner Sims is edgy, forthright and has strong convictions. Because of that he has challenged the status quo. He has endured orchestrated and relentless attacks but still keeps on going. He’s the only one on the Commission dais that regularly votes his conscious.”

Sims said he’s glad the matter has been put to rest. “Now we can get back to the business of our great city. It’s time to put all of this behind us and move on.” When asked if he would run for reelection at the conclusion of his first term he responded, “The verdict is still out. Let’s just say I am weighing my options.” Commissioner Sims can be contacted via phone at (954) 439-5612 or email at johnsims@bellsouth.net.

Cooper City Manager Replacement Proposal

The purpose of this communication is to provide the City Commission with my thoughts and a typical general overview of the correct process for selecting and hiring a new municipal City Manager along with standard options regarding the process of hiring the new City Manager, an estimated budget, minimal requirements, and a tentative time frame among others. Because the future success and growth of our community depends on having a great Manager, filling the shoes of our departing Manager can indeed be extremely stressful, not only for Staff but for the community at large. The following is a summary of my expectations followed by a somewhat detailed dissertation and analysis of the required process.

Due to the complexity of hiring a City Manager, many municipalities utilize the services of an Executive Search Firm (ESF) to assist Commissioners with this important process. Conversely, some municipalities have continued to utilize their in-house Human Resources staff. Utilizing in-house Human Resources staff is not recommended for Cooper City due to their relative inexperience and lack of short-range planning regarding this most important matter.

Staff should provide a short list of executive search firms who have extensive public sector experience for our reference and review. The purpose of engaging the services of a ‘Public Sector Executive Search Firm’ is to seek out and recruit experienced candidates and to assist the City in selecting only the highly qualified individuals who meet the profiles and needs of the City of Cooper City and who might not otherwise apply. Prior to the 1990s, cities, counties, and states governments approached their work with a more localized focus rather than regionally or even nationally.

Today, the climate and needs of our city, Broward County, and the State has changed to encompass a more collaborative approach with our neighboring communities and beyond. Public Sector Executive Search Firms can greatly assist the City of Cooper City in reaching the best qualified candidates for the position no matter their current location.

Public Sector Executive Search Firms specialize in searching, recruiting and placing the best qualified candidates for a specific position. The long-term and short-term needs of the city and its residents are considered as well as the culture and dynamics of the organization. Public Sector Executive Search Firms who work with clients in the public sector spend most of their time networking with city managers, assistant city managers and others who have vast expertise in the public sector and know who might be looking for a new position.

Indeed ,what Cooper City does next to replace Chris Farrell could be the second or third most important decision we have ever faced. This is no time for politics. It is a time for clear mindedness and a definite plan. Let's ensure that it happens as it needs to happen. Positive feedback is welcomed...

View the standard proposal HERE (Word.doc, 152Kb) or HERE (Adobe.pdf, 92Kb). (For the benefit of those falsely and maliciously accusing me of plagiarism, portions of this document were used with permission by the Colorado Municipal League, and its legal counsel, as it is deemed Public Domain, available for use by all and for any purpose)

The Commission Is Facing A Big Challenge

Ladies & gentlemen, thank you for this opportunity to allow me to address you. It is truly an honor to represent you and to voice your concerns to this administration. This new commission is facing a big challenge. Although one of those challenges is leading our city go from the top ten, to number one on that Family Circle list, our first challenge will be building a consensus within a commission often accused in recent years of being out of touch with regular citizens. I think each and every resident and member on this dais can make a difference, simply by bringing respect to the commission.

One of the first changes people will see is that there is going to be a new commission that stresses accountability, respect and open government.

Now that the election is over and we are in a transition mode to the new commission, a reprehensible mantra has appeared. This mantra seems to be emanating from a group that before and during election that viewed those who were seeking change as breeding hostility, animosity and in some cases much worse. This group appears to want to paint the advocates of change with the tarnished brush of divisiveness, and they have attempted to color their efforts with the dark and sinister palette of despicable anti-social behavior.

Please understand, and let it be clear, that the advocates of change are simply those who see what they perceive as those things requiring change and have sought, through peaceful and proper channels, the voicing of their concerns.

There needs to be a level of respect whether you agree or disagree with your colleagues, residents or this administration. Also let it be very clear, that this commission will no longer tolerate the antics that were allowed and displayed here in the past. The rule addressing this indeed will indeed be fully and swiftly enforced.

One could suggest that it is those who have shouted the loudest and attacked the most, and sought to disparage and demean others, were in fact those who oppose any person that has the courage to stand before this commission and voice their opinions and valid concerns.

In fact, it has been brought to my attention that there has been more than one instance of individuals, who without regard for anything but themselves, have made up lies in order to win at all costs and to further embarrass this city. Campaign related conduct has been appalling in the past 3 or 4 elections in this city and it must cease and desist now.

It's sad to hear people say some of the things that I have heard in the past few elections; false accusations, lies, innuendos, rumors, speculation, conjecture and outright bias, prejudice and hatred. Believe me when I say that I can understand the frustration as I have constantly been on the receiving end.

I have attempted, through much effort, to bring to light several things that have been of value to me and others in setting forth the view I have of issues that need to be addressed by this commission, to only be met with distasteful malicious attacks. Using your influence to allow ad hominem arguments or to enlist the help of uninformed residents to do it for you, especially here, is nothing short of disgraceful. This kind of distasteful political strategy must be seen for what it is...nothing more than the inability to debate and discuss the issues that truly face our families and community.

Rather than castigate, depreciate and denigrate those who choose to stand up and be counted when they felt that the circumstances warranted it, we should be open, fair, and also thankful that our system of government allows us to have that opportunity and we should be appreciative that there are those who are interested, concerned and courageous, yes, courageous enough to be willing to subject themselves to the microscopic scrutiny of their fellow citizens. We seldom have a chance to truly act in way that fulfills the promise of that which we all have made, yet we have some candidates who have been elected who have promised to do just that, and for that I am very thankful.

I feel optimistic and excited about working with the new commission. Socrates pointed out that dissent, like the housefly, was easy to swat, but the cost to society of silencing individuals who were irritating is very high. He said, "If you kill a man like that, you will injure yourselves more than you will injure him," because his role was that of a housefly, "to irritate people and whip them into a fury, all in the name of truth." I fully understand Socrates, as I was myself labeled an ‘anti-government dissident’ by a member on this dais. We need truth and honesty in this city and in this government, nothing more, nothing less.

We also need to curtail the influence of the city's most powerful movers and shakers, such as lobbyists, developers and outside business groups. We will continue to work with the development community, but we are going to be doing it a lot smarter and giving residents more say on what projects should be done and how they should proceed.

We have a much greater chance to build a consensus with this new commission. The keys to doing this effectively will be based in honesty, consistency, fairness, listening skills and trust. Under the new leadership, this group can indeed find common ground and be more flexible in making decisions that will meet everyone’s requirements.

I was thrilled to hear this past election season, from all three elected candidates, the discussions and direct support on issues that I have previously addressed. Issues that I have championed such as more police & fire, better essential services, top down reviews of the way we do things, restoring financial integrity, increasing public trust, instilling balanced economic smart growth, demanding enhanced and more schools, governing with integrity, implementing local ethics initiatives and instilling positive change. Both newcomers will an opportunity to become part of this cohesive group that can appropriately disagree, discuss the issues and ultimately guide this city to arrive at a better place. This is good for the citizens and for Cooper City.

If there's one constant gripe, regardless of your age, race, nationality or political persuasion, it's about the fundamental lack of PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. My goal is to be a small step towards regaining some of that needed accountability, whether it's through public scrutiny, or requiring a degree of investigation and follow-up, public exposure of incompetency, cronyism or negligence. In other words, a catalyst for positive change.

It is now up to all of the residents of Cooper City to keep us accountable in this administration and make sure that we all follow up on our campaign promises. We won't be able to keep them all. But at least do what you can to support us and work with not just those you support from a political standpoint, but with each and every one of us to bring respect and dignity back to this city. In turn, all of us here on this dais must always be open, accountable, fair, honest, unbiased and consistent. If not, we will not become the leadership team that the residents of our great city deserve and expect.

Government has not been very good at being creative and thinking outside the box, but now we will have to do just that in light of tax issues that we are obligated to enact. This commission must unify this community while raising the standards for public office. We must also ensure the health, safety and welfare of our residents at all costs and increase the confidence of the residents of our city, by not only utilizing the existing programs now in place, but by implementing future programs to ensure the success of our city and of our citizens.

Those enhanced services will have a direct, and an indirect and long lasting positive effect on the people of our city. We must also partner with the many local communities that we neighbor with in order to secure, improve and promote public safety initiatives in our many and diverse communities.

We must bring integrity and stability back to the city, and enhance our public service capabilities beyond its traditional roles, all for the people of Cooper City, even with reduced revenues. We must strive continually to drastically improve and maintain the integrity of the City Commission.

As current local leaders, we must promise to commit ourselves to exclusively serve, to support, and to perform our duties with honor and respect for the benefit of all citizens regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or preference.

We must continually fight to do right, fight all wrongs, and to use our wisdom and that of the community to utilize common sense and maintain fairness in all that we do. We must take great courage to stand against racism, bias, anti-cultural values, and bigotry in all of its many facets.

Those issues are what are important, and yet those issues have been ignored because this commission has spent too much time going on the defensive. It’s time to go on the offensive and not be reactive. It’s time to take positive, decisive action to restore public trust and make our community someplace special once again. I intend to continue to do just that regardless of the opposition and challenges that we will certainly face.

Our goals are simple, yet they entail very complex issues. We must always be extremely honest and always work for the good of the people. Throughout the course of our lives, and our service as your Commission, with your support, we can and will make a real and lasting difference in all of our lives and in our vastly diverse communities.

It’s time for a new era of activism and direction in our city. The time for change, new leadership and new programs is now. I welcome the positive change that has occurred this past election, which I am sure, will continue in this administration. Together, if we focus on these issues, we will make a better future for our families and our community. Thank you.

The Future of Cooper City

I stated in the March ’07 edition of this magazine, “One cloud however remains and looks more ominous with each passing day. That is the cloud of public distrust...The responsibility for this distrust rests squarely on the shoulders of our administrators.”

Public distrust is still at an all time high, which was clearly conveyed in the recent Presidential primary and elections. The January 29th election is now history. While we all forecast a reformed city commission, things may not be so obvious. This past election was about positive change. Its now time to take positive action for the well being of our residents.

First off, let me congratulate the new commission. I can say for certain that we will all work very hard to serve the public and do our very best to be the cohesive leadership team that our residents and business owners rightfully expect. I can also assure you that the new commission will work to address the major outstanding issues in our city. Issues such as retirement buy-outs, more extreme water and sewer fee increases, ordinances that should not be on the books... maybe you get my point and maybe not.

There have been many problems over the past few years that seemingly have not been addressed effectively, timely or appropriately. I also foresee a one-and- a-half month ‘hustle’ to get controversial issues passed prior to the swearing in ceremony that may indeed affect our city for years to come.

As I see it, there are two steps that need to be taken. First, the newly elected commission along with all employees must, more than anyone else, play by the same rules at all times. It is imperative that public officials be independent, impartial and that public office not be used for personal or political gain with the new commission.

If we can’t trust our elected officials, who can we trust? Again, true leadership and trust in government demands integrity, honesty and humility. When a mistake is made, it demands tacit admission and swift rectification. This is why it is so important to implement my ethics committee proposal forthwith.

We, as a commission, still have major issues to resolve such as the police and fire personnel increases necessary to protect our residents and the new developments, water and sewer infrastructure issues including new sources, school overcrowding and lack of responsible support by the school board, increased taxes, the golf course, Monterra, commission communications and leadership issues along with many others such as resident participation, which is at an all time low.

As a new commission, we must foster balanced ‘smart growth’, implement Management by Objective, improve and maintain the city’s common areas, address unfunded mandates and liabilities, address ten year budget projections, reduce our current budget, implement more diverse programs, increase employee morale, improve efficiency and customer service, return our city to the residents and most importantly, restore fiscal responsibility and accountability to public office.

My main point is this...our city’s leadership team, the new commission, must do the right thing based upon the will of the people even though they individually may no longer have a vested interest in their political office after the election. We should diligently serve as elected public officials and do exactly that until the last second of our current term in office.

The new commission needs to make our municipal government more like a business; a problem solver, not a problem creator. Our focus should be combating runaway taxes, skyrocketing and uncontrolled spending along with inefficient, excessive regulation. Working together with the residents and business owners of Cooper City, the new commission must pledge to bring back integrity, trust, responsibility, communication, commitment and accountability to all areas. Together, we will all help and continue to make Cooper City truly “Someplace Special.”

New Water Restrictions in Effect for Cooper City

New water restrictions are in effect since January 15th. I am in favor of water restrictions and we all must do our part to conserve water. I do everything I can to save and/or recycle water. Today while going to breakfast, I noticed that that there are too many residents that just don't care. I saw three houses that had sprinklers on today and they were city and/or county employees.

We have only one day to water our lawns. I don't think the city, county, and water management districts are making it clear that there are new restrictions. I saw it on the news, but have not heard a thing on the radio nor received a mailing about the new restrictions. Let's get serious. We do not have water to waste. Do people think that when the water runs out at our tap, we can still buy bottled water?

The water shortage is all over the country and getting worse. We ALL have to do our part to conserve our precious resource.

Click HERE for the new water use restrictions (Adobe PDF, 175kb)

The Future of Cooper City

Getting elected was an opportunity which I had hoped would enable me to share your goals and visions for this city, along with addressing and dealing with the many serious issues that affect all of us. Until now, those visions along with your concerns and mine, have been thwarted by those in power and their allies. When I ran for office, I envisioned a better place to live, to work and to enjoy daily life. I envisioned the opportunity to be really effective in government, to make positive change and to make things happen for the good of our great community. Little did I know that our small town politicians, along with some residents and supporters, could be so discourteous, disrespectful, ruthless, unethical, biased and ineffective toward not only their own administration, but toward their fellow neighbors and citizens and the goals that we all share. We, as an administration, must hold ourselves accountable, along with our residents at city business meetings. It is almost to the point of where we may require a professional parliamentarian to run our commission meetings in order for the administration to be to be fair, honest and consistent toward our residents and business owners.

The current administration does not seem to be concerned about the majority of the resident’s wishes and concerns. They seem to only care about their personal agenda in order to maintain their false sense of power in office. I say that they are ‘in it’ for the wrong reason if that is the case. The proof lies in the lack of valid and caring response at our city business meetings to our residents concerns and suggestions. Currently, there is absolutely no unity in this current administration, nor is there any real or effective communication, which is required in order to resolve the serious issues that face all of us in the near future. Also, there is no consistent, effective, unbiased and positive leadership. This community is divided because the current administration is divided. Why are we divided? Because those who do not want to envision positive change and only want to continue to be self-serving, continually resorting to ad hominem attacks, want to use their perceived status or position in order to detract from the real issues, the hard facts and the ultimate truth. There must be some other agenda or something to hide as this is the only thing I can resolve in my mind.

I hope that The People will soon choose to effectively change the lack of effective and positive leadership at city hall within the next 45 days. Drastic change is going to be necessary to bring our community together and to wholly eliminate the very serious problems that have given us such a black eye with the past administration. It is time that we as residents, and the future administration, effectively implement positive change and outstanding leadership qualities in order to be more serving to the people and their essential needs, not those of the administration.

From what I have seen in the eight months that I have been in office, the biggest issue is lack of leadership, next to lack of communication. We, as a management team, actually the Board of Directors of this city, cannot bring this city to be number one and better than it is unless we all, including political supporters, put aside our personal agendas, personality conflicts and really strive to work together for the good of the people, our shareholders. This cannot possibly happen at this time due to the current state of affairs that we all have witnessed on a monthly basis emanating from city hall. We have all witnessed orchestrated and choreographed episodes of blatant slander, libel and defamation at our city business meetings, while absolutely nothing is done to enforce the rules and the laws against such vicious hate crimes.

The past and current administration has also been very complacent. Where we should have a real business plan, none exists, either short term or long term, in order to address the serious issues that face all of Cooper City. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, simple as that. Such things as essential services have suffered greatly at the hands of the past administration while an increase in non-essential services has flourished, at all of our expense. We have yet to be provided with our year-end financial statements and the critical information they will provide in order for us to understand whether or not the city ran a surplus or a deficit, how big of a problem the city really has regarding our utilities infrastructure, and how retirement incentives can affect our employees and their future. These issues should have been fully addressed long before our October budget hearings, and effectively dealt with. Now we have serious issues and infrastructure problems surfacing just after the completion of our budget process, which would have been very helpful to know about three or four months ago, before its approval. Looking back, I am glad I did not approve the budget. Something just didn’t smell right.

There is currently no effective plan in place to manage growth. Just look at Monterra, which has been termed by one candidate, the ‘800 pound Gorilla’. It certainly is! The administration has no information on this debacle, nor have they had any, and the Commission lacks the vital information that they require to develop a plan of action in the near future as to how the pending bankruptcy and failure of TOUSA (i.e., Monterra) will affect our city, our future, our cost of services, our infrastructure costs, our residents, our revenues and profit margin. It has become very clear that this administration cannot depend on city staff to put forth much effort in order to keep us informed on Monterra, but also the other big issues that face our city and its future.

We need to look at the ‘bad’ ordinances, policies and procedures which have been implemented in the past and address them. Ordinances such as those that are not implemented by the will of the People, and those that ignore the basic rights and constitutional protections of those electors. The past few years of commission meeting minutes also show a lack of follow-up along with a lack of implementation of most of the issues brought forth, discussed and voted upon, including major issues that have affected us all. Again, more promises that have not been kept by those in power. We need to re-address the real purpose of government, that of providing essential services, not mostly ‘fun stuff’ at the expense of all of us taxpayers. We simply need more accountability, not only between the administrative staff, but between the administration and our shareholders.

It is obvious that business as usual is not going to get our community the new schools that we so desperately require in Cooper City, nor is business as usual going to serve the future needs of our vastly diverse community. We need a better relationship with our school board in order to ensure our kid’s futures and to ensure steps to hold our school board responsible to us, not make excuses alluding to the myth that we as a city have no control over them. We need to force the school board to be effective in planning for our kid’s futures while setting policy in order to make that happen. We need to better influence the school board's bureaucracy in order to become successful in our children's difficult future. Cooper City needs to be in control of its destiny regarding our kids education, possibilities for success and be able to ensure the highest possible educational experiences for our children in order to reduce the current thirty percent failure rate.

How can all of this happen? We must absolutely review and look at every detail and aspect of how we do business as a city, and how we prevail and lead as elected officials. My message has not faltered one bit, and I intend to make good on my recent election promises to the people of more effective representation, not just with rhetoric and sound bites. The vision of positive change cannot possibly happen until the people again speak and take the necessary steps to create more positive change and to secure our city’s future, for adults and children alike, by their vote on January 29th.

Cooper City Partisanship

Cooper City has become a disgraceful battleground of partisanship and has disregarded the needs of everyday Americans and our residents. Administrative and incumbent approval ratings are hovering around 20%. Our town has become the laughing stock of south Florida and the political issues are the biggest soap opera in existence. Our town upcoming election is going to be like a car crash; supporters want to see who survive it. I promise you that as your commissioner, I will continue work in a true bipartisan manner to put forth an agenda that is created by and beneficial to all residents and not sell out to special interests or residents who think they are better than others for political or monetary gain. It is not what’s best for Democrats or what’s best for Republicans that matters; it’s what’s best for Cooper City residents regardless of party, race or religion. We, as the leadership body for this city, must be unified in the continual quest for excellence. It's time to force our staff to get their priorities straight in regards to our shareholders and their needs. It's time to get back to basics in our service to the people. It’s time to stop the partisan, personality based bickering that has stalemated our local government from doing the job that the commission was elected by the people to do.

Cooper City: Opposition to candidates resort to possible criminal behavior

The Sun-Sentinel posted the following commentary on their forum; Mr. VT said "It is bad enough when the words fly with gossip, half truths, and possible slander, but it is just disgusting when tires are slashed and cars are intentional damaged. It is particularly abhorrent when those who hide in the shadows seek out women who are just doing their best to serve the community in the best possible way as wanting to serve on the local commission. Just ask Diane Sori or Renee DeLotta what their participation will cost them. I guess if you can't articulate your message and are just plain dumb you have only one message and that is to damage your opponent by resorting to delinquent pranks. Let's hope that this can be stopped now before it gets out of hand."

Well Mr. VT, bravo! Finally, there IS someone else with the impertinence to tell it like it is. I have 'bitten my tongue' in regards to the ultimate nasty politics and lies emanating from the this election and in last March's election. Enough is enough! The gloves may have to come off soon...Mr. VT conveniently forgot to mention the theft of campaign signs from the oppositions supporters on private property. I guess the one(s) who perpetrated the crimes against Diane Sori and Renee DeLotta forgot what was taught at the 'Bullying' seminar recently given at the High School.

Read the entire Sun-Sentinel story HERE.

Why I Oppose The Proposed Budget

I felt it was necessary to publish this statement on why I have decided not to vote in favor of the currently proposed Budget.

I specifically campaigned on restoring Cooper City’s financial integrity and emergency reserves. I also requested that we make a valid attempt to reduce our ten year budget projections by 20 to 25%. I even went so far as to request 10, 15 and 20% proposed reductions of our current budget without any response whatsoever by the administration. I asked to create more financial support for seniors, and to support them with our many existing youth programs to no avail.

Yes, I also campaigned on improving our existing recreational programs. That doesn’t mean that I want to eliminate them, but we need to carefully choose which programs are successful, and which are not successful, not just those in Parks and Recreation Department, which are currently costing this city’s taxpayers lot’s money. It is not logical to think that no changes need to be made to the proposed budget. Compromise is necessary and the only time to make a consensus is now since we have failed to plan our budget approval process accordingly.

Some members would like most the time spent focusing on such small items and not on the more important ones. It’s not that I don’t agree with the ‘fun stuff’ in our budget, but we need to look at our return on the investment regarding some of our programs. To the contrary, regarding my thoughts on non-essential services and programs, its called duty and fiscal responsibility, which I am committed to.

Over the last year, there has been an uproar over local property taxes. Over the past few years, there has been a windfall in property tax revenues. The legislature has reacted by imposing mandatory roll backs, placing on the ballot a constitutional amendment to cause property taxes to be cut even more severely. The first phase is costing this city millions. The constitutional amendment will cause an additional and speculative few million. Several Legislators, voting in favor of the January 29 referendum, are publicly stating they are asking the public to vote against it. That is not the issue at this point in time, nor is the issue of which is the right exemption the issue here tonight.

The problem is not only with the appropriateness of spending in the City of Cooper City, but also in the broken, unfair, inequitable tax structure that has been created in the State of Florida. It is just wrong. Granted, the people who have remained in their homes for many years pay low taxes, but in return, are trapped in their homes. Those not covered by the homestead exemption and also new residents are forced to pay an unequal excess of taxes to make up this difference, but they can freely move around.

Compound this with State Legislature’s unfunded mandates, unfunded city liabilities, the lack of supporting material, the lack of openness, the unanswered questions, the invalid explanations, the unjustified numbers, along with the uncontrollably spiraling cost of city government waste and unnecessary non-essential services, and you can begin to see the situation. It isn’t the few thousands of dollars most people comment on or are concerned about. It’s the millions of dollars in forced and unknown expenses and liabilities that are the source of our long term stability problem. It isn’t the city that entirely created this problem, but it is the city, this Commission and ultimately the residents and businesses that will suffer for it. But I can say this, it certainly is the city’s job to fix the budget problems, no matter how small. It is this Commission’s duty to be responsible and ethical regarding our budget, not defend the status quo.

In response, the City of Cooper City has put forward the proposed budget you now see. I must compliment the Staff and another Commissioner for addressing many of the concerns of the city; given the extraordinary restrictions that have been presented. Many crucial and essential services will indeed suffer at the hands of this Commission. The budget seemingly attempts to meet those concerns while avoiding as much pain as possible, though there are several key critical areas that I disagree with and that I am very concerned about. Many will be hurt by this budget, but not nearly as many that ultimately will be hurt in the future if this present budget process continues forward.

Spending in our city is spiraling out of control. It’s time that our city officials become more fiscally accountable and responsible. We need to implement and abide by a Zero based budget. That simply means that means that every line item and every program be justified from the ground up each fiscal year. The budget needs to be tighter, so that our 6 month review won’t be as painful. The gist of debate has been shifted from the big impact items to the little ones these past few months.

My vote against the budget is a vote of protest. I protest the inequitable process and the specific inequities of the proposed budget, the unnecessary and non-essential services funded by the city by your tax dollars, and a broken system created by the Legislature that has hampered our ability to serve the people. This is also a protest of things to come. If no one stands up to voice these valid concerns that affect each and every one of us, no one will ever take the necessary steps to fix them.

At such time in the future that someone starts to address the underlying, inherent problems in our budget and in our tax structure, and forcefully holds the city to adequately address its budget, critical and essential needs in a responsible way, only then we will be able to properly see to the needs of our residents, businesses, and other shareholders, which I can then support.

Cooper City - BSO Public Safety Budget Concerns

Based on my blog entry yesterday, some of you may have misinterpreted my comments regarding BSO and the budget. I feel I need to clarify the BSO 'takeover' comment for anyone that didn’t attend the budget meeting so that you are fully informed about what I requested, my thoughts and my statements regarding BSO, so they can in no way be misconstrued.

I referred to the fact that Cooper City has actually lost public safety personnel due to the ‘takeover’, as what Cooper City residents are terming the change from the Cooper City Police Department to BSO. It was sad to learn that many residents objected to the BSO contract, which may be somewhat inadequate, and have informed me that it was an apparent 'done deal' without much concern for public input.

At the budget workshop last Tuesday, I requested that the Commission consider additional funding (from $1.3M to $2M) and we should put the money in the upcoming budget for more police and more firefighters (headcount of 8 to 10, and 4 to 5 respectively) so that our number one priority department, public safety, can be fully staffed. There are budget surpluses anywhere from 2 to 20 million dollars depending on who you talk to...We certainly need to discuss it further!

I have always been a great supporter of Chief Hale, Commander Stoner, Chief Campbell and the entire Cooper City BSO District 16 team. Chief Hale is a top notch individual and you can read some of his comments and concerns here. I am 100% behind BSO and in no way have I ever ‘bashed’ them, although I have questioned some individuals' judgment.

We need to seriously look at why the Monterra Fire Department won't be built now. We can't afford to wait and also we can't afford to delay police department staffing increases.

I have, and will continue to always commended BSO personnel for the job they perform, and I simply want to make their job easier and safer with more feet on the street. We won't tolerate crime and loss of life, or property in Cooper City! Our police force is stretched thin as it is and residents demand more protection. If you have any questions, you can contact me as always or view my website.

Cooper City Budget Workshop Synopsis

Last night’s budget workshop was somewhat of a disappointment. Not only because we have had 3 months to address budget issues and haven’t done so yet, but also due to the fact that the meeting was not advertised properly in my opinion. Also disparaging is the fact that the budget is not posted on the city’s website for all to see.

It is apparent that certain city leaders don’t want you to see the current proposed budget without having to take time out of your busy life and go to city hall to check it out. The city is really behind the eight ball and the numbers were attempted to be justified solely by the GPI and private surveys.

I feel that our local government must change their ‘Spend it or lose it’ attitude and they must immediately tighten their belt like all of us have had to do in the recent past. The question that all of us should be asking is “What does this proposed budget specifically do?” We just don’t know. There is a severe lack of backup material and an apparent lack of fiscal responsibility in the air.

The current proposed vs. requested budget is approximately a 20% difference. The City Manager needs to respond to our needs, as he has been left pretty much unchecked in the past. Regardless, the Commission’s ultimate power is in approval or disapproval of the budget, and I have a feeling it will be a 3-2 approval.

In light of my valid concerns, our Contingency/Emergency fund has suffered a decrease of 45%, the Commission Pay raises slated for Stirling Road improvement is not addressed, the Utilities Master Plan and related issues were cut -88.5% in the capital improvements portion of the budget. Very scary!

The Commission received an already ‘cut’ budget, a budget completed by the City Manager which received no input by the Commission or residents before its submission. One Commissioner even gave away the fact that this was a set budget, not a proposed budget. Not one Commission member ever asked any real pertinent or pressing questions except for myself and Commissioner Mallozzi. The incumbents really did nothing but comment and continually defend the Manager and Staff, attempting to fully justify their actions and decisions.

Other grave concerns are unfunded liabilities, possibly to the tune of millions of dollars, not budgeted for nor were they fully discussed. Discretionary Bonuses should also be eliminated from this budget since department head salaries have increased by 30% since 2000. My proposal was a 10% across the board pay cut (for upper management). The top salaries can certainly support it. The blue collar workers need the rasies more than ever.

We have approximately $7M to $8M in reserves per the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Since we all know our police services have perceptively suffered somewhat since the BSO ‘takeover’, we should use some of it for police & fire services headcount and repairs and upgrades to our utilities infrastructure and its capital improvements.

Some city leaders bragged about decreased Millage rates yet the city has had a windfall in Ad Valorem tax revenues. We have no additional business foundation or valid long term sources of revenues (i.e., SMART Growth, Additional Revenues, etc.).

One item that was not planned for is the proposed ‘Super Exemption’ and its direct effects on our city revenues and services rendered. If the exemption passes, we could be in real trouble as we have nothing to offset the possible future losses in Ad Valorem revenues.

Regarding the Monterra P&L statements, I disagree that we are helpless as to the information and projections from the developer. We, at this point in time, simply don’t know about the impact of the development, the capital impact or the percentage of any possible losses or recovery. One additional source of questionable revenue discussed was City Park and sports complex ‘sponsorship’ advertising. I can see it now, a Victoria Secret advertisement in the sports complex!

Regarding the Attorney’s office budget, he stated that he knows nothing. The labor issues, costs of lobbying and associated issues, costs of litigation, etc, are handled by other contracts and departments, and when asked about the costs and responsibilities, the city attorney stated he knows nothing. Oh well…

As conveyed by one resident, the safety of the kids at sports complex should be a top priority. We need to go ahead and spend what we have to on the health and safety of our kids and park users, regardless of the costs. The money is there, let’s fix it now before someone is seriously injured or killed. Hopefully, the upgrade to the lightening system is already mandated and in progress.

Many residents are appalled at the city’s level of customer service. We have cut essential services but have not cut the exorbitant salaries. We have decreased level of services, and the general perception is that the public’s needs are less than average.

Budgets should reflect the desires and relevant issues of the community, not that of those in power. As I stated in my public commentary, politics must be completely eliminated from the budget process. We need open, honest government in Cooper City. The question is, do we continue to support the status quo or do we vote in positive change come January? We require and demand a Commission that works together for the will of the people!

Unfortunately for the benefit of, and on behalf of our city and the residents, I was not able to convey all of the positive issues that I had hoped to succinctly convey during my budget concerns commentary. Also unfortunate, aside from the fact that the sharing of notes on issues discussed, faces were made and statements by one Commissioner were made that some questions were ‘a waste of time’, is the fact that this budget and supporting documentation is not readily available or out in the open for all to scrutinize. Certainly, questioning or scrutinizing the budget is certainly not a waste of time by any means.

Further frustrations ensued when the Chair got defensive, answered for the Manager, cut me off when I directly addressed the Manager when asking for a response, and made the budget workshop a personal political platform. I didn't seek the opinion of the Chair, I sought the facts from the Manager.

Not only did the Chair make a feeble attempt at controlling speech, it responded with personal and political views with attacks and insults, and did not allow opening statements by the Commission. Regardless of the Chair’s antics, I am grateful that I am not the resident expert in unethical campaign and political practices…

Please be sure to tune in to, or attend the next budget hearings on Monday, 9/17 & 9/24 at 7:30 PM, City Hall.

Commissioner Sims' Monthly Town Hall Meeting Schedule

Hello Everyone,

I’ve reserved the 2nd Monday of each month at 7 PM at City Hall for open forum town hall meetings. Monday, April 23rd is set as well. See my website for more details. Also, e-mail me with your concerns. I hope to see you there...

Please forward to all of your city friends and neighbors.


COMMISSIONER SIMS' TOWN HALL MONTHLY MEETING SCHEDULE AT CITY HALL:
DATES: The second Monday of each month, beginning in May at 7:00 PM.

I have the first town hall meeting in April on Monday the 23rd at 7:00 PM.
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Please reply by email or use the form here to advise me of your issues and concerns so I can have answers in advance, if possible.
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As I enter into my first term as your City Commissioner, I would like to sponsor monthly town hall meetings at city hall. I would like to know what issues I can directly address that are of concern to you, your family or your business, and what suggestions you might have for improving our city and our city government. I need your help, suggestions and ideas to work toward making Cooper City more than "Someplace Special".

Please reply by email or use the form here. If you would like to meet with me or talk on the phone at (954) 434-4300 Ext. 260, I would be happy to do so. I want to hear what issues in our city are of concern to you and your family such as Schools, Taxes, Parks, Public Safety, Traffic, Infrastructure, Public Works and Maintenance, Environment, Open Space, Ethics in government, Budget, Operations, City Hall, Customer Service, etc.

I also want to hear your views and ideas on how we can all better address these important issues and improve customer services for the residents, developers, investors and business owners in our great city, no matter how large or small. These town hall meetings are available and open to all, and I will address any and all subjects, concerns and issues. I appreciate your time to share your thoughts with me. Your concerns won't go unheeded. Thank you!

Best Regards,

John Sims, Cooper City Commissioner

http://www.johnbsims.com/

Dates: Monday

COMMISSIONER SIMS' TOWN HALL MONTHLY MEETING SCHEDULE AT CITY HALL:

DATES: The second Monday of each month

All Town Hall meetings will be located at
Cooper City Hall, 9090 SW 50th Place, Cooper City, FL 33328-4227

Time: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Schedule:

June 11th at 7:00 PM
July 9th at 7:00 PM
August 13th at 7:00 PM
September 10th at 7:00 PM
October 8th at 7:00 PM
November 12th at 7:00 PM
December 10th at 7:00 PM

Call me if you need a ride!