BFI Contract

You're NOW Paying $60.00 per Year For a Trash Bin -- Courtesy Of Your City Commission, Mayor, and City Manager ----- "The McLemore Garbage Bin" !

The weekend of February 17th celebrates the "10th" Anniversary of the Invitation by BFI Waste Management Corporation of inviting the DECISION MAKING POWERS of the City of Winter Springs to be their guests in their BOX SEATS at the Daytona "500" Festivities. A witness came forth with the recognition of at least two of those individuals. So, it cannot be denied, and I'm sure records will indicate further allegations --- much to the dis-pleasure of those involved.

It is defiantly known that at least two (identified members) of the City's dais attended this event with the BFI people -- one of which later (a BFI Representative) ran for a position on the Lake Mary Council -- to be their guests at this highly attended event. The handling of those "unknown" charges/funds was NOT appreciated by certain BFI Management people with the "false figures of services rendered " by the city manager. They were blocked out of the next bid -- as rigged by the city.

During the negotiations of that BFI contract all but ONE MEMBER of the commission declined his invitation to dine with the BFI management, but not to take part in outside activities that would result in the largest contract in the history of Winter Springs -- the NINE YEAR waste management contract!

That contract was misled in the financial arrangements by the "current " city manager (Ronnie McLemore) of Winter Springs, Florida. Even when the "current " mayor (John Bush) was asked to look into the usage of some of those funds --- he NEVER offered a truthful, or correct answer. They must be completely ignorant of the fact that the negotiations were recorded on tapes. The mayor just accepted the watered-down answer by the city manager, and made NO ATTEMPT to even take a look, or find out the TRUTH about those funds. The answers by the city manager were false! This writer knows --- the records were checked through the proper channels -- not as made up by the city manager.

The residents of Winter Springs had been deceived as per the below explanations!

Why are the Commissioners and City Manager continuing to avoid revealing the "financial" facts about the losses below. The "BFI BONUS INCENTIVE" scam should have been deposited in a separate interest bearing account of the city. It NEVER was --- and HAS NEVER been accounted for as to spending of this quarter-of-a-million dollars. Where did it go --- to some land scam ?

If those funds were spent elsewhere, why won't the City Manager reveal where the funds were used --- DOWN TO THE DOLLAR ! The only answer can be the citizens of Winter Springs paid an un-appropriated tax, and the Commission is covering up the use of those funds.

Publish the TRUTH on your web site City Manager --- so the public can check out how the City spent this disguised tax. What are you afraid of ---- the TRUTH ? If you do publish the TRUTH, how about telling the City's citizens how much was embezzled right within City Hall ?

This subject has not been brought up again in a Commission meeting by either the Mayor, or any Commissioner. Did they --- behind close doors --- learn the truth from the City Manager, and don't wish to make the figures PUBLIC ?

This project, headed by City Manager Ron McLemore, and touted by ex-Commissioner Gennell, and current Commissioner Miller was a total disaster never made public to the citizens of Winter Springs. City taxpayers' money was used extensively to finance the Wyman Foundation's projects in the City of Winter Springs.

A special Commission meeting, which the [ guarantee ] of the bank loans to the Wyman Foundation, was the third from last item on the agenda. We have always maintain the City Manager cleverly manipulates the agendas to conceal the REAL item to be discussed. This is an example of one of those items. Would you have known ?

The Wyman Fields Foundation loans were the topic of discussion, and it was under the "Office of the City Manager" bringing forth --- yes it's true ---

The public would have no way of knowing from the "nomenclature" of that agenda item that the citizens were about to be made responsible for the loans to this very shaky Foundation.

The City Manager even appointed a "STAFF" member to be on the board of directors !

Initially, the City, once again led by the City Manager, invested $900,000 into the two projects that the City hired the Wyman Fields Foundation to redevelop. This passed UNANIMOUSLY by the City Commission, with a total lack of background checks into this Foundation. There were TWO other projects already under investigation, but never revealed in public Commission meetings.

This writer contacted the Seminole County's Sheriff's Office, but was refused information, due to the fact that we were told it was an [ongoing investigation ] by the County. Yet the City of Winter Springs dove headfirst into using citizens' tax funds. Not only did the City invest the $900,000 dollars, but PAID subcontractors when Wyman Fields failed to meet construction payments.

That's when it got so bad that the City Manager took the action to use City funds to GUARANTEE the financing of the sales of the not only completed, but uncompleted housing units to the bank holding the mortgages on the Wyman Fields projects in the City. As the Orlando Sentinel article put it --- the lust for Federal and State funds blinded both governments. They failed to diligently check into the background of the Wyman Foundation.

Your Commissioners and Mayor must have known of this. However, they failed to halt the guarantees, or even institute an investigation. Seminole County was already deeply involved, and it is suspected that a project in Osceola County also went down the drain. PFGG could not give the citizens any information, because of the lack of information coming from the Sheriff's office, and your City government, and management said ----

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: All the time spent by the City in trying to stall their losses, PFGG was aware of trouble in the background with these projects. But, there was nothing to base our further investigation, because the City was totally mum on the pending action, and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office would not cooperate. We had NO FACTS with which to inform our readers. Even if the City knew of pending trouble they took no trouble in halting the onslaught with THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION !

Everyone involved should be held PERSONALLY responsible for the loss of the taxpayers' money by their gambling with your funds.

Wyman Fields Foundation dissolved early in 2003. County Officials can't account for where most of the money went. For those citizens in the City of Winter Springs, who are not familiar with this Foundation, your City taxes were used to support this program.

Under City Manager McLemore's guidance, the City Commission of Winter Springs guaranteed the loans of this Foundation to the banks involved in the Wyman Fields projects in Winter Springs. "Nearly a third of the recipients --- 32 per cent -- ended in foreclosure" as was stated in the news article. The article then went on to say -- "The high foreclosure rate --- possibly ten times higher than the average --- did not occur solely because loans were made to low-income buyers".

Were the taxpayers of Winter Springs ever made aware of the financial backing of this project, using your tax funds, by City management? The answer is --- NO --- unless you happen to be present during one of the City's late night sparsely attended Commission meetings. That's when the City Manager revealed the financial guarantee by using your tax dollars. Did the Commission approve this transaction prior to the guaranteeing of the Foundation's bank loan?

City Manager, would you please advise the citizens of the meeting when this guarantee was approved by the people's "representatives" -- the City Commission ? Or, did you ever publish the TRUE facts in your $100,000 City newsletter to the people, or even issue notification of this action on the Citizens million dollar web site ?

When Will The Citizens Of Winter Springs Get a Financially Responsible City Commission and City Management ?

The $2.03 that the City has been collecting on your utility bill every month since 1997 is still unaccounted for, and remains a mystery on how the City spent this money ---

The money was supposed to be used as a performance bond to BFI, based upon a percentage of complaints versus the total number of customers. The City Manager can't, or doesn't want to account for the use of this money. Was it illegal usage that has prompted his silence ? After all, it wasn't a tax, so should he have been able to use the money as a taxable expenditure?

It's about time that the State of Florida Banking and Financial agencies look in to what happened to this money. Has the City Manager ever included it as an asset/income, deposited it (should have been in a separate account, since it was not a tax), or even shown the usage of those funds in his past seven years of budget? Where does it show up, McLemore ? Give us the line item numbers in your budgets.

Another item along the same line. It has been ONE YEAR now since the embezzlement took place in City Hall right under your nose, City Manager. Once again you have failed to reveal those figures.

Note; PFGG first published this issue in June of 2000 !

As the good "sheeple" we are, we'll bet that no one has remembered that back in early 1997, the City (promoted by the City Manager) added $2.03 to each household and business water bill. This amount was to be put in a separate account for fund accounting purposes.

Let's revisit the issue. The City, at that time, without going out for competitive bids, contracted an agreement with BFI Industries for garbage and refuse collection. The contract was for 9 years, and the City was to receive a monthly rate which was $2.03 cheaper per unit than existing charges they were billing.

( It must be revealed that at the time, during the negotiations, each and every Commissioner met individually with a BFI representative for lunch or dinner, with the exception of one Commissioner, in which the new contract was to be discussed. Also, during this time a Commissioner, and the City Manager were also seen at the Pepsi 500 Race in Daytona Beach, as guests in the BFI box.)

BFI has been subsequently sold, with the City's blessing, and the terms of the original contract are still in force. The City Manager was supposed to take that "slush fund" extra money and put it into a separate fund for possible bonuses to the garbage company workers. That is how the City Manager sold the "slush fund" concept to the Commission.

That fund, by this time, seven years into it being founded, should have well over an estimated $2.3 million dollars in it, for there is no recorded award of any of these moneys to the garbage workers as contracted. Mayor Bush was told, during a recent Budget Workshop, that if they needed the money, it could be found in that "special" fund. When the Mayor questioned about this fund, he was informed by City Manager McLemore that there was about $850,000 dollars in the fund. Mayor Bush was not aware of this fund. He was not Mayor at the time the "special" fund was approved by the Commission.

Wait a minute --- isn't that $850,000 about $1.5 million dollars short from the amount that should be in the "special" account ? It is also known now, that at times City Manager McLemore instructed the Finance Director to transfer amounts of between $120,000 to $150,000 dollars into the General Fund. If those funds were transferred to the General Fund, would not that money become a tax ? Isn't that taxation illegal ? It was never intended to be a tax, nor publicized as a tax.

We're sure the City Manager should know this. Isn't it now time for a complete, separate audit of this "special" fund ? Should not the money be returned to those that paid into that "special" fund for over seven years ? Why don't you call City Manager McLemore, and ask him for the money YOU paid. Surely, he would want to be fair about this, and return OUR MONEY ! After all, there is a phrase known as ---

MISAPPROPRIATION OF TAX FUNDS !

Should these transactions be declared illegal, all expenses incurred at taxpayers expense in the audit and return of this money to the taxpayers should be paid by those responsible for the activity.