Loading...
2022-10-18 Newspaper Articles4 October 26, 2022 1 Lake Okeechobee News I SouthCentralMoridaLife.com GOVERNMENTto Send news and photographs www.facebook.com/ okeenews@iniusa.org © lakeokeechobeenews Twitter: @LakeONews TAXES Okeechobee City Council discusses fire service assessment options By Cathy Womble LMM010MMOMENMS OKEECHOBEE — During their Oct.18 meet- ing the Okeechobee City Council discussed options for a city fire assessment City Administrator Gary Ritter explained right now, the city is paying the coun- ty a little over $600,000 per year for fire protec- tion. "We can continue on with this option without any other assessments to the residents of the city' he explained. This amount is equal to the fire assess- ment based on the 2017 study the city paid for. A second option would be for the city to contin- ue to pay the county the $600,000+ but then look into doing its own fine as- sessment and levying non - ad valorem taxes. But he said this would increase taxes for the citizens and he mentioned they just vot- ed to set the millage rate at the roll back rate to less- en the tax burden for the people. In addition, he said qk theywould probably need to pay for a new study since that one was from 2017. He said a new study could cost upwards of $17,000. In addition, he said he thought it would have to go to referendum Option three would be to discuss with the county the possibility they handle costs for city fire services the same way they handle the county, by doing their own fire assessment. The city would no longer pay the $600,000+ as the coun- ty would be taxing city res- idents for fire services in- stead This would require a county -wide referendum. Councilman Bobby Keefe said he felt the third option would benefit the community because it would spread the burden out to everyone and not just a few. Mayor Dowling Watford agreed and said he has al- ways preferred the county do the fire assessment. Councilmember Moni- ca Clark said she had some concerns about doing a county wide fire assess- ment and said if one was done, it would be based on square footage and would leave businesses footing the biggest part of the bill. "4 really don't believe that's what we want to do to the businesses in this community" she said. She also said if the city com- pletely turned this over to the county, they would have no control at all over the services the city res- idents received She said when the interlocal was made, the county was to hire six additional firefight- ers and one additional in- spector, but as of now, they have not completed their end of this agreement Third, she said it would absolutely raise taxes, at least initially and as they saw with saving money with the fire department, they find other ways to use the funds for things the city needs "I'm not so sure we are going to reduce ad valorem taxes;' she said. ,But we are going to pay more for the fire assess- ment" She went on to say her own business would pay quite a bit more ifthey go that direction. Councilman Bob Jarriel Weed saying he thought they should send a letter to the county about OCFR not hiring the addition- al personnel as agreed. The cost of these new em- ployees was figured into the amount the county charged the city for fire services. In addition, the city gave the county all of their equipment, he added. Councilman Noel Chan- dler said it would be a slap in the face to city residents to do an assessment "If we let the county do the as- sessments, then nobody is going to be happy." The mayor said it ap- peared three members, Chandler, Jarriel and Clark preferred to leave the fire services as is. PARKING Is the county tryingto get out of parting agreement? By Cathy Womble LAnOEE =OHEENEw9 OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee City Coun- cil discussed parking sur- rounding the Okeechobee Judicial Center and the County Courthouse at its Oct 18 meeting The judicial center was built in 2002. When it was built, they were allotted 92 spaces explained City Administrator Gary Rit- ter, with 26 at the judicial center and the others pro- vided by the Methodist Church. The contract with the church is coming up for renewal in December, and the county does not want to renew They want the city to consider on - street parking instead Mayor Watford said the problem he has with this is that it would be setting a very dangerous prece- dent. He said he went to the courthouse in Palm Beach County and the only place he could find to park was a lot with a sign warn- ing there was no parking allowed "I had no choice though," he said "I had to be in the courthouse. I couldn't tell the judge I couldn't find a parking spot." He asked what would happen if one of the busi- nesses on the streets sur- rounding the judicial cen- ter sold their property. Wouldn't the new owners be entitled to parking on the street too? He also said he is a member of the Method- ist Church and when the judicial center was fist built, the county entered into an agreement with the church that the coun- ty would pay to build a parking lot on the church's property and after a cer- tain period of time, the church would own it Based on that agreement, there was no type of rent charged for the judicial center to use the parking lot at that time. Now that the contract is up for renewal, and the church owns the parking lot free and clear, the may- or said the church asked for what he felt was a very nominal amount of rent, but the county does not want to pay. He feels they are trying to get around that by asking for street parking instead Ritter compared the parking problems with those of the businesses on Park Street, but the may- or said those businesses had no choice. The county chose to build in that spot. ALLEGATIONS Eric Green speaks at the Oct.18 Hendry School Board meeting. [Photo courtesy Hendry County School Board] School board member denies allegations By C. M. Schmidlkofer CA1.003A BELLE ENDEPENDENT LABELLE — Eric Green addressed the Hend- ry County School Board during the public hearing section of its regular Oct.18 meeting, venting his frus- tration over alleged mis- treatment by Board Mem- ber Stephanie Busin. Busin denies the allegations. Green told the board Bush who is in a runoff with Joe Whitehead for her District 4 seat Nov 8, has reportedly been harass- ing him publicly. In one in- stance a week ago, he said while outdoors with his children and a friend, Busin gave him a vulgar hand sig- nal as she drove by with her own children in the car. He said that action was wit- nessed by others. In another recent inci- dent in a coffee shop, he claimed Busin asked oth- ers to call the police after he suggested she repeat the signal again in front of those present. "... You're free to tell me I'm lying" Green said to Busin at the meeting "You're lying" Busin said Green claimedthe two had an agreeable acquain- tance until Busin allegedly asked him to move to Har- lem so he could run against Rev Dwayne Brown for school board. Brown is cur- rently the school board vice chairman. Green said he re- fused as he respects Brown and has known him since childhood 'And ever since that mo- ment, this woman has come after me viciously in front of this school board,' he said. He claimed she at- tempted to prevent him from using the Clewiston Middle School gymnasium. "How long are you going to allow these personal at- tacks to continue?" Busin asked Chairwoman Aman- da Nelson. "It's absolutely disgusting» "There is no need to yell at me," Nelson said, al- lowing Green to complete his comments beyond the three minute limit placed on comments from the public. Busin resumed the topic during board member comments at the end of the meeting accusing Green of making allegations against district employees, com- ments about her children, insinuations about how she obtained her profes- sional endorsement that were "sexist and disgust• ing" pointing to his suspen- sion from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) all of which she said created a poor reflec- tion on the school athletic department and the entire school district. "He is not speaking the truth," Busin concluded "And he's here to sow dis- cord and division and Pm sorry to the taxpayers of Hendry County and to this board that you had to listen to another issue of slander. I've been begging for a poly- graph; I've been begging to be deposed. I'm ready. Let's do it."