Animal Services behavior wasted judicial resources and thousands of tax dollars

http://www.leelostpets.com/

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/apr/11/dollar-dog-returned-owner-after-settlement-lee-ani/

After nearly two years away from his owner, a shocked Dollar the miniature pinscher licked Jennifer Meyers on Monday, just moments after he was returned by a Lee County Domestic Animal Services employee.

The reunion averted a Lee County court trial later this month, and it followed two lawsuits the 31-year-old Cape Coral woman filed in an attempt to get back the dog she’d had for 4½ years — until June 12, 2009, when he bolted under her legs and out her door.

Edison State College Administrative Compensation

http://www.edison.edu/district/board/index.php

http://www.edison.edu/district/board/budgets.php

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2011-03-17/Hefty-Pay-Leads-to-Big-Questions-at-Edison-State-College

Hefty pay, big questions.  That’s the reality these days at Edison State College, which has 4 campuses and about 24-thousand students in Southwest Florida.   WINK News has learned, the President, Dr. Kenneth Walker, makes more than the heads of many, much larger public universities.

Pension Defined Benefit or Definded Contribution

http://www.dms.myflorida.com/human_resource_support/retirement/municipal_police_and_fire

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/feb/28/pension-local-government-police-fire-Legislature/

“The place that’s on the hook to make sure (a government) is financially sound is the city,” said Bob Lee, executive director of the Center for Florida Local Government Excellence at Florida State University in Tallahassee. “It’s not the state. It’s not the employees. It’s the cities.”

Local government officials are beginning the process of reforming their pensions systems.

Lehigh Acres Firefighter Union Concessions

http://lehighacrescitizen.com/page/content.detail/id/513095/Unions-explain-concessions-to-new-commissioners.html?nav=5100

Editor’s Note: The following article was prepared by Terry Dettmar of the IAFF Local 1826 (A Shift) and John R. Wayne, IAFF Local 1826 (B Shift) of local firefighters and presented to members of the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District Board of Commissioners on Jan. 20.

Library Expansion FM-Beach

http://www.fmb.lib.fl.us/FAQ.htm

http://www.fortmyersbeachtalk.com/page/content.detail/id/509337/Library-sets-2010-11-budget–eyes-expansion.html?nav=5051

http://www.news-press.com/article/20101219/NEWS0109/101218041/Fort-Myers-Beach-group-plots-to-undo-library-project

Fort Myers Beach is preparing to build a $7.4 million addition, doubling its 16,000-square-foot library.

A growing patronage, mirroring circulation increases countywide, long ago surpassed the resources of the 15-year-old building, library officials say.

However, as the beach library’s governing board moves closer to breaking ground, a pocket of last-minute opposition is growing.

About a dozen Beach residents plan to get together this week to plot a strategy for undoing the project they say blindsided an unsuspecting public. Opponents claim, with countywide population dropping about 2 percent in the last two years and the economy in a downturn, now is not the time to spend. The current library, they say, is adequate.

County Solid Waste Calendars cost $69,000

http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=13680299

It takes a lot of work, to keep Graham Hunter’s place looking good. He knows when it’s time to put his trash and trimmings by the curb, but he’s getting a reminder anyway.

This year, Lee County’s Solid Waste department plans to mail 149,000 calendars to homeowners, at a cost of nearly $69,000. The calendar has drop off dates and recycling reminders inside.

Cape Coral looks for a way out of Lee 20/20 fund

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010101130053

Saying the city isn’t getting its money’s worth, Cape Coral City Council members may want to get out of a Lee County fund that pays for preserving environmentally sensitive land.At the suggestion of Councilman Bill Deile, council members have asked the city attorney to determine whether council can adopt an ordinance to withdraw from Conservation 20/20.

County 20-20 Land Conservation Fund

Dec-6 Meeting Agenda and Video  http://www.lee-county.com/gov/bocc/Pages/MPAgendas.aspx

Maintenance Log  http://www.news-press.com/assets/pdf/A41672411127.PDF

http://www.news-press.com/article/20101130/GREEN/101129060/1002/NEWS01/Exclusive–Time-for-20/20-revision?

Lee County has $34.4 million sitting in a fund largely untouched, dedicated to maintaining county-owned preservation land.County commissioners next month could decide that money’s fate.

Proponents say the county needs to protect that money to fight invasive plants, restore water flows and pay for controlled fires.

Some would rather see the cash used to buy more preservation land while market prices are depressed. Others want to see the fund raided to help plug a $50 million spending deficit that would help the county avoid cutting more jobs and programs.

The maintenance fund and the land conservation program as a whole are up for discussion Dec. 6 at the Lee County commission’s monthly management meeting.
Fourteen years after the county started taxing property to preserve environmentally sensitive land, Conservation 20/20 is rife with unanswered questions.

How long should the program continue? How much should taxpayers dole out for it? And how much goes into restoring and preserving the land once it’s purchased?

Fort Myers Housing Authority losing money

http://www.hacfm.org/web/page.asp?urh=Properties

http://www.news-press.com/article/20101127/NEWS0110/101126054/1075/Fort-Myers-apartment-complex-loses-tons-of-money

An apartment complex purchased 10 years ago by the Fort Myers housing authority is losing $20,000 to $30,000 every month.

The Horizons Apartments complex on Summerlin Road has already lost about $600,000 — and counting.

Fire Districts Need Fiscally Responsible Elected Commissioners

http://www.news-press.com/article/20101117/OPINION/101116052/Read-today-s-letters-to-the-editor

Bigger not better

by DAVID S. BROWER, Fort Myers Beach

As a fire commissioner-elect for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District, I read with interest your recent editorial on fire district consolidation.
You state the fire districts are an expensive anachronism.

The same could be said of cities. Why not abolish them and just have the county?

In fact, why not abolish the counties for the state? It is axiomatic the larger the government, the less responsive.