the great "wincey property purchase" scheme !
the city manager's latest scheme to continue revealing the ACTUAL "Slush Fund" operations, that have been financed with this "unapproved" tax, has him saying --
"I still don't understand what the Commission wants --- " ?
try the word A-N-S-W-E-R --- Mr. City Manager ! this has only been going on for over seven years. Should have been enough time to concoct an answer by now -- per the mayor's request. The commission doesn't want to know --- they haven't asked !
after seven years ---
nobody on dais has asked about the "slush Fund" !
were ALL the commissioners part of the city manager's "hidden tax" revenues, but then raised your taxes without even accounting for the money in the "Slush Fund" ?
this commission doesn't represent the people !
they represent the city manager and his "spending Frenzies" !
what the City Manager says -- doesn't coincide with the actual figures !
The Mayor nor Commissioners has asked the City Manager for the TRUE accountability of his "BFI Slush Fund" figures ! Even the "Wyman Fields Foundation" scam has escape media attention.
The true reasoning behind McLemore's tax dollar robbery won't be revealed !
City Officials know about this very deceitful revenue collecting scam, and they ALL participated in the City Manager's "BFI Slush Fund" financial scheme to skim the public !
*** below is additional "new" information the public never knew ! ***
this is misuse of tax funds under false & deceitful pretenses !
At the time when the bond issue --- "The Parker Property/Central Winds Expansion" --- was voted on, PFGG warned the voting public that this bond issue consisted of a lot more than what appeared on the ballot. Citizens did not pay attention to this warning, and voted for the $3.4 million dollar bond issue. As the for the current taxpayers of the City of Winter Springs, you will now be paying well over three times that measly $3.4 million dollars you, the voters, approved.
The costs of the expansion alone will be at least three times the amount approved. The greenery and forests on this virgin property are now being systematically destroyed, under the guise of expansion, and the planned building out of the fields and facilities will be enormous. Any statement to the contrary should be considered nothing more than lies by City management and Commission. It is a proven fact, should you wish to view the "REAL COSTS" surrounding this scam, that there was a hidden agenda behind not only the "Parker Purchase", but it has now spread into the "Wincey Purchase".
The overall picture surrounding the annexation and purchases of these properties is directly tied to the annexation of the Eastern/Oviedo properties. You, the taxpayers, are bearing the costs of those maneuvers, while the developers enjoy the profitability of selling homes. "Avery Park" was a fine example of the misuse of "public funds". When the developer on the East side of the Greenbelt gave the City $33,000 to avoid having to build recreational areas, the City gave the $33,000 to the developer of Avery Park, in lieu of properties that are swamp land and could NOT have been built on. That farce the City Manager called "preservation of the wetlands". What a JOKE !
However --- The City Commissioners Also Approved Of His Joke !
here's the joke the city manager played on the voting public !
On the right side of the yellow border in the topographical layout below is the "Parker Property", which the voters agreed to allow the City to purchase for $2.9 million dollars. Notice how heavily forested the land is, especially from the center to the south shore of Lake Jesup, which parallels the same forested wooded areas in the yellow outlined "Wincey Property".
That forested area is now being destroyed methodically to build MORE baseball fields, two Grizzly practice fields, and to allow the intrusion of a wide swath called a "Trailway" along the heavily protected shores of Lake Jesup in the name of desired growth to provide income for "Tiny Town". They will tell you it's for the expansion of parks and activities, which is true, but over 70% per cent of our parks' usage is by people other than those residing in Winter Springs.
The people of Winter Springs not only pay to have their children use the facilities, but have paid for the TOTAL EXPENSE of purchasing, the maintenance, and promotional expense to bring outside sources into the City to use the parks for which taxpayers have paid millions of dollars. Another example of the greed of the City government is the set-aside of a huge tract of land in the original park area, manicured to the hilt, with care not given to any other area of the park, and that is --
used twice a year ---- arts festival and the fourth of July !
There is a lot more to add on this subject, which shall be published shortly. The reason we are publishing this now is that it is now the subject of one of this City's most guarded secrets.
where was the "slush fund" spent ?
What is interesting, the City Manager has already suggested that the funds from this "Hidden Tax" be used to purchase the "Wincey Property". The purchase price of the property alone is $900,000.00 dollars. Now, that makes it a tax. A tax that the City has cleverly concealed, over the past seven years, by tacking the monthly charge of $2.03 on ALL the garbage bills.
So, your Commission, on one hand was telling you how low your millage rates were, but while they were collecting this monthly revenue, well disguised, on your monthly City Utility Bill Water Bill ---------
and each and every commissioner knew about this scam !
more news below ----
Now that you have seen the layout of the already purchased "Parker Property", on the right side of the yellow outline, we can give you more of what the public has never known, or in all probability have never been made aware of the following --
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The "Wincey Property" is to be purchased for a sum of $900,000 dollars. |
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The monies to be used for this purchase are, at the City Manager's suggestion, to come from the "BFI Slush Fund". He has already stated in a "Budget Workshop" that that "Slush Fund" has $850,000 dollars should the Commission need additional funds for the budget. |
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It must, however, have more money than what he stated in that workshop for the "Wincey Purchase" price is $900,000 dollars. So, there must be more money in the fund than the City Manager revealed to the Commission. Remember, that fund consist of $2.03 per month on EVERY monthly Water Utility Bill. |
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Also, don't forget that PFGG has previously reported a documented transfer of $1,151,719.00 dollars from "Special Revenue Funds" to the City's General Fund in the year ending September 30th, 1999. |
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Mayor Bush informed this writer that the City Manager was to give an complete accountability of this "Special Fund" at the August 25th Commission meeting. There was total silence. The Commission must already know of this fund. They sure know of the source, but are probably in the dark on the dollar amount. |
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The outline above shows the Wincey Property and both sides. It is the City Manager's goal to build a water pumping station on the portion of the property jutting out into Lake Jesup. To service that facility will require a service road for trucks and other traffic. |
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Here's the part that he is promoting --- the Wincey property is to provide an outlet for the traffic in Central Winds Park. Who's he kidding ---- the park already has a road system and the "Parker Purchase" could use current roadway accesses. It's a smoke screen for the "pumping station". |
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The water to come from Lake Jesup is to be for irrigation, plus the relocation and deepening of the Trotwood Park well must provide water for the excessive annexation up to the Oviedo City limits. OVERSIZED utility lines have been run to service that area at the CURRENT taxpayers expense. |
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Both the deepening of the Trotwood Park well, and the irrigation water needed from Lake Jesup is because of the concrete jungle the City Manager is and has created. He has OVEREXTENDED our current water resources, in the opinion of many. It is rumored that --- NO MORE WELLS CAN BE DRILLED in Winter Springs. |
Since the City Commission and the City Manager continue to remain silent on the "special fund" issue, we shall continue to monitor ALL events surrounding this "hidden tax", and bring you updates as they are received. Remember, this has been going on since April of 1997. Why it has become a "hidden tax issue" is utterly amazing. One would have thought that figures could have come from the Finance Department at the snap of a finger. Not so. City Manager McLemore, for some reason, seems reluctant to come forth with the figures. We will keep you informed.
PS: The engineering firm, hired by the City Manager, has indicated that pumping water from Lake Jesup could be a very expensive project, and even has doubts as to the feasibility of that venture. Oh well, the City Manager will probably hire another engineering firm until he gets what he wants for an answer. The Commission can't be totally ignorant on this issue ---- THEY APPROVE EVERYTHING !
*publisher's note
( Hey, McLemore -- Wanta' bet you won't be voted "# 1 City in which to live" by the MSN Home Shopping Network now ?
Winter Springs was NEVER voted that in the first place.
That was just a big lie anyway ! )
back to ---
[ no friend of Jesup ] ** [ lake Jesup -- drained ]