- April 23, 2024
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+ No need for new city hall
Dear Editor:
Regarding the article in the July 6 edition titled, “Former dignitaries: Time for a new city hall”:
They just don’t get it, do they? The six former city council members who want the new city hall are no longer council members, probably because they were voted out of office after they pined for a new city hall that the residents of Palm Coast didn’t want and still don’t want.
What would be the cost to build a new city hall and furnish it? You know everything would have to be purchased new; we can’t have old furnishings in a new building. And where would they put it? Probably somewhere out of the way like the Town Center. That’s a joke! If you turn off of Belle Terre Parkway at the Town Center sign, where’s the town center? It certainly isn’t a business center and “if you build it, they will come” hasn’t worked here.
And as for the city not treating its employees the way a private company would treat their employees, as former councilperson Mary DiStefano says the city is doing, get real. I worked in manufacturing in Florida for more than 24 years in a noisy, dirty environment without air conditioning. Did I like it? No, but it was a job and it paid the bills. Most unemployed or underemployed workers in Flagler County would be happy to have a job at the present city hall.
The present city hall is adequate and serves its purpose. We don’t want or need another Taj Mahal.
Sincerely,
Sandra Strausser
Palm Coast
+ New city hall would not change workers' productivity
Dear Editor,
We need a $30,000,000 city hall because where we are is a catastrophe. Sometimes, the elevator doesn’t work; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is going to get us; the current city hall at City Marketplace is a disgrace! It’s totally unacceptable, according Mary Distefano, a former councilperson, is who must be upset or deranged.
It was too long that we, by an 82% vote, decided against building a city hall, but now the usual suspects are at it again. We need a Taj Mahal of a city hall or Donald Trump and his ilk aren’t moving to Palm Coast.
DiStefano said that poor conditions make for inefficient work. No, bad or lazy workers make for inefficient work. A good worker is a good worker in a mud hut and a shirker is a shirker even if he’s in the Oval Office.
Most of the people who want a city hall are the same people who turned a nice little village with one stop light into what is fast becoming a project! You gave building permits to anyone with a hammer and a few nails because more houses meant more property tax money, which meant more bike paths, parks and trees on Belle Terre Parkway.
Well, a lot of those houses are now Section 8 housing, which means more drug dealers, thieves, crime in general and parasites living off the government, largely thanks to my tax money.
Jim Canfield, we don't need or want you telling us what to do; you helped get us in this mess! People like make anarchy look better every day.
Douglas R. Glover
Palm Coast
+ Choose new leadership over new city hall
Dear Editor:
Here we go again: The Mayor Jon Netts and former mayor Jim Canfield cheerleaders are out in force to push the city hall down the throats of the Palm Coast tax payers.
Everyone believes that promises were made to the developer of Town Center that a city hall would be built there. They put it on a ballot and people said no, but they keep trying. Now they say that a city hall would bring in businesses. But the reason businesses have trouble coming to Palm Coast is because of poor leadership, too many regulations and high cost.
What Palm Coast needs is new leadership, not a new city hall. We need leaders who will listen to the people.
City hall’s current location can be purchased at half the cost of building a new one. It can be expanded, and the city would still have an income from its tenants already there. Or the city could purchase a building on Palm Coast Parkway near the fire house, which is vacant and becoming an eye sore.
These so-called leaders have been spending the tax money like there is no end. This administration seems to go against all the wishes of the people. We voted against a city hall, but still, they continue to try to sneak it in with the help of their special group of friends and people who would benefit the most.
We don't want cameras at traffic lights, but we have more than 30. We have a golf course that is losing money; we have tennis courts that are losing money. These things only benefit a few.
It is time for a change. We must put people in office who will do what the tax payers ask and spend our tax money wisely, because it is running out.
Strong leadership, wise spending and responsible regulations and cost will attract businesses and new residences to Palm Coast, not a new city hall, traffic cameras and out of control spending.
Wake up, people. This is your city and these are your tax dollars. We are the tax payers and voters, and we are city leaders’ bosses; they are not ours.
Ray Thomann
Palm Coast
+ Fire department merger should not cost Flagler Beach
Dear Editor:
Flagler County should realize and appreciate that the diamond in its crown is the city of Flagler Beach; after all, our city is used to promote the county in brochures nationwide to attract visitors.
When combined with our city commission continually enticing day trippers by offering them a never-ending flow of special events, it's easy to see why our small-town services are becoming overwhelmed. We must not forget that the increasing costs are placed on the backs of our taxpayers to accommodate this influx. Taxes are required for police protection, rescue services, trash collection, lifeguards, traffic and parking problems, etc.
What to do about an ever-growing fire department budget that’s just one budget item at about $640,000 annually? If the county is truly interested in merging our department with theirs, they should make us an offer we can't refuse by getting serious. Just recently they made a half-hearted overture that we could save our city a hundred thousand or so, by them taking over our fire station.
Our only counter should be this: That the county takes over the entire department with the exception of the land it sits on, and in return picks up all costs associated with it. It would be a major mistake to turn over the department while still leaving any money for upkeep in our budget. Be assured that five years down the road, we could well end up paying even more than we are now, and the county will have control of the department.
While not advocating the following, if the time does come when the city can no longer afford its own department, which may not be too far off, the city could simply close the doors at the station on any given morning. The county would then be mandated to provide adequate coverage to protect the heath, safety and properties of our barrier island city all on its dime.
Flagler County knows that the residents of Flagler Beach have been paying for two departments for decades now. Therefore, our residents should expect the county to move the entire cost of any merger into its own budget and include Flagler Beach with its other stations — now that's a real merger.
Arthur Woosley
Flagler Beach
+ Red light camera flashes are excessive
Dear Editor:
As I was reading the July 3 edition’s letters to the editor, I noticed all of the citizen's letters were concerned about the city red light cameras. I live near the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Easthampton Boulevard, and when I am waiting for the light to change there, I often witness the camera flashing; however, I have never noticed anyone doing anything wrong, in my opinion.
The next section of the paper that I read was called Red Eyes of Doom. It lists all of the red light camera flashes compared to actual citations issued. The intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Easthampton Boulevard had 60 camera flashes, but only two citations were issued. Unless the camera flashes are being used as a type of warning to motorists to slow down, they seem rather excessive to me.
Then, I noticed there were a total of 219 citations issued throughout the city for week of June 10 to June 16. Several of the letter writers have stated their red light camera tickets cost them $158.00.
I was curious just how much money the city was collecting from these cameras if each citation cost someone $158.00. Just in this one week alone, the city took in $34,602.00, and if you multiply that by 52 weeks in a year, the city is hauling in approximately $1,799,304.00 per year, or rounded up, almost $2 million! To date, I have never received a red light camera citation, and hope not to, but after totaling up the proceeds the city is taking in, I believe the citizens will have a difficult time convincing the city to remove these cameras.
I don't agree with having red light cameras because it feels like “big brother” is watching for us to make a mistake so they can zap our wallets. I agree with the letter writers who say that citizens should write to their representatives if they object to these red light cameras, and the issue should be put up for a vote by citizens.
If you are also concerned about the red light cameras, these representatives need your feedback before they can successfully get a bill heard, let alone passed.
Terry Andrews
Palm Coast
Editor’s note: Palm Coast receives $700 per red light camera, per month, from American Traffic Solutions, the vendor that operates the city’s cameras. Of each $158 fine, $75 is given to ATS and $83 goes to the state, where the money is split among various funds. Palm Coast has received $1.4 million in revenue from the cameras between June 2008, when the first cameras were installed, and Dec. 31, 2012, according to Chris Quinn, the city’s finance director.
