This another very astonishing story of a negligent blunder by the City of Winter Springs.    Not only that, but McLemore now wants to hire an consultant to bail the city out of a past well documented history.   Reference to documents in the below article ARE available through an requested email to PFGG.    These documents contain many pages, unlike what is blatantly now lacking from the City of Winter Springs website.   It is quite obvious why those documents are now hidden.   All are in PDF format for your information.

Dateline: January 13, 2008

 Winter Springs Citizens' Financial Future Going Down the Drain?

    Citizens may wonder why the Winter Springs Public Works Department wants to hire a consultant to develop a master plan for something called TMDLs.    Why the need for yet another paid consultant firm?    Doesn't the City employ two licensed Professional Engineers already?    Once again, city professional staffers barely have the knowledge of or their heads above water on a very important issue, which is a shame, especially when it comes to the issue of TMDLs. 
    So what are TMDLs?  Total Maximum Daily Loads.   TMDLs are measurements for a federally mandated water quality program that will require key stakeholders to reduce pollutant contaminant loads flowing into impaired bodies of water.   The goal of the program is to return impaired waters to their original uses (for example, fishing, swimming, drinking, etc.).
    What impaired water is located in Winter Springs that makes it a key stakeholder?   In two words: Lake Jesup.  Most people are aware that this lake is severely impaired - quite sick in layman terms.   Longtime residents of Seminole County have painfully watched this beautiful watershed deteriorate year after year.   Contaminated stormwater runoff has been the culprit.
    Unfortunately, Winter Springs, as a key stakeholder government, is going to be mandated to take action thus the pockets of Winter Springs utility customers' could be hit pretty heavily.    It will make the proposed fire service tax, now being offered by the City Commission in a Trojan horse, look like penny candy.
    So how much will this TMDL program cost the average utility customer?   A clear indication that it is not going to be cheap is the fact that a consultant firm is being hired to come up with a master plan.   The consultant fee is close to $58,000.    Secondly, there has been little assistance, if any, from the federal or state government to offset future costs and the funds may never flow in.
    So what will Winter Springs potentially have to charge its customers?   Well, not surprisingly, the City Manager is trying very hard to hide the answer to that question.    The ballpark answer used to be on the City's website under the agenda items for 03-28-2005 commission meeting (Consent/Information Item 208) until somehow the agenda item was intentionally tampered with.    The infamous "Page 2" detailing potential costs mysteriously disappeared.  Hmmm?  Why?    No doubt, after PFGG posts this article and its pointed accusation of a city official tampering with public documents, "Page 2" may somehow reappear.
    However for those in doubt, PFGG has the original PDF document of this agenda item in its possession and the tampered one as well.  Here is a picture of "Page 2".    Focus on the paragraph midway down titled Funding.   We'll let the document speak for itself.
    Utility customers won't be paying high stormwater fees just once, but every month.   The projection back in 2005 was $24 to $71 per month that equals $288 to $782 per year!    To put it into perspective the current stormwater fee on residential utility bills is just over $5 per month.   So you can see what the monthly increase will be if federal and/or state assistance doesn't arrive in a timely fashion.
    When did the City become aware of this TMDL mandate and what has it done to prepare funding to curb its stake in the costs?   The TMDL stakeholder issue came to light in year 2000.    So the City has known of the potential impact for quite awhile even though there was a time the City Manager did not send any representative to the regional meetings.    It was not until 2004/2005 when a staffer regularly attended these meetings.  
    In normal fashion, the City is underestimating funding .. starting with budgeting for the consultant it wants to hire.    The yearly budget for the Stormwater Engineering line item is $25,000, which is about $33,000 short of what the consultant has proposed.    Put take heart, the City can dip into its "big" Stormwater Fund for the extra $33,000.   That fund has a whopping 2008 projection of just over $587,000.   PFGG asks:   How will a $587,000 annual budget begin to ever pay for both annually restoring sewers and stormwater outlets in the city let alone the TMDL costs?
    Help may be on the way during the BMAP phase of the TMDL program.   The Basin Management Action Plan is where sources of funding are allocated at every phase of the load reduction program.   This is when our city leaders must play nice to other elected officials to get money to help offset the costs.    It will be apparent how successful the City Manager and his commission do grubbing for money when it is revealed how much utility customers will have to fork over.

What can citizens do to help alleviate the future costs?

    First is prevention.   Reducing contaminants going into Lake Jesup starts with all of us.   Don't allow hazardous liquids, pesticides, fertilizers, or household/auto care products to run into stormwater drains or seep into the ground.   All stormwater and groundwater in Winter Springs leads to Lake Jesup.   So maybe now is a good time to put in that Florida native drought-tolerant landscaping that doesn't require watering, fertilizer and pesticide.
    Second, count on yourself to be part of the solution.   Teach your family and neighbors about not dumping these hazardous materials in storm drains or on the ground.    You can bring your household hazardous waste to the Seminole County Transfer Station on SR419 as long as the container is clearly marked.
    Finally, start writing your state and federal representatives and senators to request needed funding.   Influence from voters can have a positive effect on allocation of dollars, especially during the 2008 campaign season!

Once again -- you can email us at -- PFGG !