No Misuse Of City’s Fire Fee?

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8/4/2021    Mayor/City Commission Budget Work Session. Fire Assessment Fund.

This presentation was to be presented by Mr. Mark Parks, Chief Financial Officer for the City.

8/2/2021 (Mon.) Mr. Parks was removed from City Hall and placed on paid administrative leave.

8/4/2021 I attended the Mayor/City Commission Work Session and asked a City Commissioner why Mr. Parks was escorted from City Hall, and the answer was “I didn’t hear anything about it”

8/5/2021 Ms. Johnson sent a text to City Commissioner informing them of Mr. Parks being escorted from City Hall. When text are used by public officals how easy is it to tell residents requesting a PRR (public Records Report) it does not exist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MEETING for the Fire Assessment Fund
If you choose to open Ms. Johnson’s comments which was taken from the City Website.

“City Administrator Johnson: Fire Fees Support Valued Fire Services for the Public’s Safety”
At the end of the statement you will see:

“Click here to watch City Administrator Faye Johnson’s presentation at the August 4, 2021 Budget Work Session.” Ms. Johnson’s presentation runs for 1:17:34 and you will see the history of when the Fire Fee was established, previous City Commission meetings when Former City Administrator Jeff Green gave his presentation on why the City should double the fire fee from $50 to $100, and former City Commission Cory Neering request quarterly reports on the fire fund.

“Click here to download a copy of the PowerPoint from City Administrator Johnson’s presentation.” The Powerpoint consists of 35 slides and I have posted slide # 11.

” Slide 11 FY09 – FY18 Fire Assessment Fee
• The total Fire Assessment Fee collected for the period was $19,675,963 of which:
$11,434,115 (H) was allocated within the Fire Assessment Fund and $8,241,848 was allocated to the General Fund.”

Firefighters have always claimed the fire fee collected was not always used for the purpose of the collection, and the City has made their point.

“During the Budget Work Session, the City Administrator refuted the union’s deceptive and untrue claim of fire fee funds ‘misuse.’ Ms. Johnson affirmed the city’s proposed uses, as well as past uses, are indeed legal, compliant with city code, and appropriate”

“I want to start out by emphatically stating that there has been no misuse of the City’s fire fees. Secondly an objective is to clear up the descrepancy about the 2019 commitment on the use of the fire fee increase revenue. I want to have a discussion on the fallacies and what was represented to the board at that time, and then point out the missed opportunities to rectify the record. Also I want to clarify the transparency issue related to administration providing quarterly fire fee work sessions. So again three objectives confirm, clear up and clarify.”

City Commission meeting held 8/26/2019 requesting the Commissioners double the fire fee from $50 to $100.00. Former City Commissioner Cory Neering requested former city administrator, Jeff Greene have quarterly reports on the fire fee dollars, and Green agreed. At the time Johnson was the Assistant City Administrator.

From Aug. 2019 until Aug. 2021 Commissioners have not received one update. Commissioner Neering did not seek another term, Commissioners Fox and Warren were not yet elected. Why didn’t Lambert, Shoaf or Peduzzi follow up on Neering’s request?  Please do so going forward.

Ms.Johnson said she didn’t have all the information and wasn’t going to guess at the figures for a quarterly report.

Johnson and James were instrumental in negotations for a new firefighter contract for over 11/2 years, how could she not have the figures?

Ms Johnson mentioned former City Administrator Jeff Greene on the fallacities and promises he made to the fire dept. concerning 2 new fire truck’s and firefighters to man the truck’s. The fire dept. received one new fire truck and the City hired a crew to manage it.

Reason the other fire truck wasn’t purchased, or a crew hired. The money was not in the budget. How about the $8,241,848 collected and allocated to the General Fund?

Ms. Johnson further states in part, and this is when I thought she sounded defensive.

“There are consequences if I as the City Administrator knowingly take action to either mis-use, mis-appropriate or mis-apply public dollars thats not an action that I am going to put 35 years of a stellar career in jeopardy, and just think about that, why would I? What do I stand to gain by knowingly mis-using, mis-appropriating or mis-applying fire assessment fees or any other fee’s in the City’s coffers. It does not make logical sense”

Ms. Johnson works at the pleasure of Mayor James and possibly a salary of $261,450 + benefits would be an incentive.

City Administrator Faye Johnson’s  “Confirm use of fire fees complies with City Ordinance 4141-08. NO MISUSE OF FUNDS

2. Clear up discrepancy about 2019 commitment in use of Fire Fee Increase Revenue
• Fallacies in what was represented
• Missed opportunities to rectify record

3. Clarify transparency on quarterly Fire Assessment Fee Work Sessions

If you open “Click here to download a copy of the PowerPoint from City Administrator Johnson’s presentation.” you will view slides on the history of Fire Fee.
Ms. Johnson’s statement, presentation, and powerpoint can be seen below.

https://www.wpb.org/Home/Components/News/News/1945/16

 

This figure is what the City claims it received in 2020 for the Fire Fee fund

 

 

 

 

After placing a PRR (public records request) this is the figure sent from the tax office.

$89,398.76 difference.

 

 

 

The good news the City and Fire Dept. have reached an agreement on a new contract.

Update: In order to have the City’s Internal Audit Dept. do an audit of the Fire Fee collected it takes a vote of 3 of the 5 Commissioners to vote approval to audit the books. I respectfully ask the Commissioners to move forward with a City audit.

The end