Lighthouse Point, Florida has 5.2 square miles.
106.75 employees divided by 5.2 square miles equals 20.52 employees per square mile.

Marco Island, FL has 24 square miles.
197 employees divided by 24 square miles equals 8.2 employees per square mile.

Marco Island has many wonderful talented volunteer committees including a Beautification Committee. Marco Island also has more miles of streets, sidewalks, pipes, parks, beaches, crosswalks.

Marco Island was designed bigger with more of everything and still it runs very efficiently.

Marco was designed as a very well preplanned community. What is here today is a result of that preplanning meeting the needs and the designs of the people for the future.

Wayne Waldack - Marco

Mr. Waldack, what in the world does “employees per square mile” have to do with Ms. O’Connell’s request that the Marco Island City Council and staff stop their tax (or special assess or PILOT) and spend ways? Maybe you should ask Chairman Trotter to explain valid performance measures at the next city council meeting. After all, one of the agenda items is the second reading of the resolution for the 2008 Level of Service report. Pull out your copy of the report (you’ve read it, right?) and see if the metric of “employees per square mile” is listed anywhere.

Keep up the good fight, Ms. O’Connell!

wayne....how many dollars per square mile do the two cities spend? how many stop signs and traffic lights per square mile? how many churches per square mile? how many palm trees per square mile? and....wayne i really need to know how many grains of sand are on the beaches.....none of what you expounded here makes any sense or difference....we've been taxed and assessed to death////per square mile. get a grip on what matters to the citizens...(now i'm sure issler will have something inconsequential to say about all this after he checks in with john)

Mr. Waldack..........Instead of being so quick to justify increased spending and reasons to add more City staff, How about listening to the input of the Marco Island Residents that you are supposed to represent. I would like to see you respond to the better than 1,000 letters you received that request holding the line on spending, do not start any new charges, assessments or fees and do not add any employees. How about offering to respond to these letters at a public meeting. I do not believe you have the ' guts " to do it.

Councilman Waldack: Why don't you sponsor a townhall meeting to address this? Oh, don't forget to publish the time and date well in advance. We wouldn't want only your friends to show up or some might accuse you of running a dog and pony show. Please leave John Arceri at home. We want YOU to address this issue and only YOU to respond to our questions.

Now I know why Middle Class people don't get into politics. From what Ive seen, read,and heard Wayne is just a working stiff like me who wanted to do something good for this town.
I bet he would have thought twice if he had known all you high and mighty types were going to put him down every chance you get. I dont know Wayne other than I know people who know him and they say hes a great Guy.
Lets see some of you name caller millionaires have the guts to run for anything other than the computer to type poison pens behind false names.

OLDMARCOMAN....i work for a living...construction...not a millionaire, not a hundredaire....near as i can tell wayne doesn't work...at least not that i know about. i don't post a false name...you do however.
it makes no difference whether you're a millionaire or an hourly worker...taxes are taxes! and this council is a runaway train...it's too easy to pass another assessment or tax as opposed to doing the Hard work and cutting the budget/trimming down/holding on....
i would like to offer that we all try to come together to stop this craziness called tax at all costs.....and by the way....i doubt there are "high and mighty types" that waste their time posting on this sorry site.

van, you are correct, near as anyone can tell, he was a failure in banking when he tried that many years ago, he was a failure in real estate and went bankrupt when he tried that, he was once an unexceptional appliance salesman. His lack of work experience is obvious from the way he is governing. Seems he likes to think up ideas and shove them off on others to take care of. I understand, his favorite past time is to sit in a sports bar and eavesdrop. "Working class"? "Working stiff"? As there is no evidence of that, I think not. OldMarcoMan, as I understand it, one of Waldack's former political opponents was a successful businessman. Unfortunately, John Arceri sold the majority of our citizens a Euro-bum part-time bar tender and Waldack as our representatives. We have only ourselves to blame. Why don't you run?

Gentlemen, Gentlmen, Gentlemen: How quickly you manage to get off point on these factual issues. While I do not agree with Wayne's analysis by square mile (although a per capita analysis yields the same conclusion and is more valid), the point is that Marco island has many Departments and required services that Lighthouse Point does not. And while the author's points and goals are noble and valid, the most important point has not been brought up.

I TOOK THE TIME TO RESEARCH LIGHTHOUSE POINT AND READ THE MINUTES OF THEIR LAST COMMISSION MEETING (AUGUST 2008). IT MAY INTEREST ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE AUTHOR, TO KNOW THAT LIGHTHOUSE POINT HAS JUST PASSED A FIRE ASSESSMENT DISTRICT FEE TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR BUDGET. They have joined the long list of Florida Cities that are doing this to survive.

In addition, their mileage rate is 3.4 something with no CAP in place. Anyway, please get back on topic and let's discuss how we cut spending and have revenue to run our Paradise.
Ed Issler

Geez, Issler, you’re not very good at research, are you? Or else you chose to lie by omission. Here’s a quote from “City of Lighthouse Point, Florida Resolution No. 2003-1300” at http://www.lighthousepoint.com/images...

“WHEREAS, since Fiscal Year 1998-1999, the City has levied and collected a non-ad valorem special assessment within the City to fund its fire protection services…”

So Lighthouse Point has had this assessment for 10 years. You make it sound like Lighthouse Point was trying to pull a Marco slam—raise the millage rate and add a new assessment.

By the way, what is the “mileage rate” you reference in your post? Anything to do with Waldack's "employees per square mile?"

Avenger:

Perhaps, Mr. Issler is not as far off (lighthouse) point as you assume:

FY 2008-2009 Tentative Budget. First Public Hearing and consideration of adopting the tentative annual budget of estimated receipts and expenses for all funds of the City of Lighthouse Point, Florida, for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2008 and ending September 30, 2009, and setting the date, time, and place for the second public hearing.

When: Friday, September 12, 2008 at 5:05 p.m.
Where: City Hall Complex, Fletcher Hall, 2200 NE 38 Street

Public Hearing. This is a public hearing at which time the City Commission will receive and consider any comments on the Fire Protection Assessments from the public and affected property owners regarding imposing Fire Protection Assessments for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2008, and collecting such assessments on the same bill as ad valorem taxes.

Lighthouse Point is a fine city confined to much smaller footprint. Some would understand that a more densely populated area is more economical in cost of employees. Not as much open area to maintain, fewer miles of underground utilities to maintain thus fewer employees needed to service different utilities, less fire, police, utility, etc. equipment and personnel required.

I understand Ms. O'Connell's concern but comparison of Apples and Oranges is difficult. Both are considered desirable and healthy fruits but yet very different.

Wayne Waldack

It appears to me that Issler, and now you, are both saying that Lighthouse Point, for the first time in its history, just recently established fire assessment fees, to begin 1 Oct 2008. (By the way, neither of you posted a link to backup what you say.)

I guess you think the words you posted above mean that Lighthouse Point just started such an assessment. I think that those three paragraphs you supposedly “quoted” are standard government boiler plate to announce public hearings each year on that topic. You know, like the Marco Island administration does every year for the upcoming fiscal year’s millage rates, for example.

Anyway, if you go to the link which I posted, you will see that Lighthouse Point has had a fire assessment in place for 10 years, since Fiscal Year 1998-1999. I make no judgment about whether that is good or bad. I do make the point that it is quite different from what you and most of your fellow councilors want to do—raise the ad valorem millage rate and add on a new non-ad valorem fire assessment.

More on Avenger's Request:

City of Lighthouse Point July 8, 2008
Regular City Commission Meeting Minutes Page 4
3. Preliminary Resolution establishing estimated non-ad valorem assessment rate for fire
protection services for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2008 and ending September
30, 2009. (continued)
The resolution as adopted carries the following title:
RESOLUTION NO. 2008-1636
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIGHTHOUSE
POINT, FLORIDA, RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION
SERVICES, FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF LIGHTHOUSE POINT,
FLORIDA; ESTABLISHING THE ESTIMATED ASSESSMENT RATE FOR FIRE
PROTECTION ASSESSMENTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1,
2008; DIRECTING THE PREPARATION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL; AUTHORIZING
A PUBLIC HEARING AND DIRECTING THE PROVISION OF NOTICE THEREOF;
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
4. Resolution amending the General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2007-2008.
A motion to read the resolution was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner
LaMarca, and CARRIED unanimously. City Attorney Cirullo read the title of the resolution.
A motion for adoption of the resolution amending the General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2007-2008
was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner LaMarca, and CARRIED 5:0 as
follows:
Yes: Commissioners Long, Gordon, Hasis, LaMarca, and Johnson
The resolution as adopted carries the following title:

Mr. Waldack, please pay attention. Tomorrow you will be voting on the resolution shown at this link:

http://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/Publ...

RESOLUTION NO. 08-______
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF MARCO ISLAND, FLORIDA, APPROVING THE FISCAL YEAR 2008-09 NON-AD VALOREM ASSESSMENT ROLLS FOR THE TIGERTAIL, SOUTH BARFIELD, NORTH BARFIELD, WEST WINTERBERRY, NORTH MARCO, OLD MARCO AND PORT MARCO ASSESSMENT AREAS; APPROVING THE ASSESSMENT ROLL PERTAINING TO CERTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS WHO VOLUNTARILY ENTERED INTO DEFERRED PAYMENT AGREEMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 2.04(B)(2) OF CITY RESOLUTION NO. 06-46; DIRECTING CERTIFICATION OF THE ASSESSMENT ROLLS TO THE COLLIER COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Reads a lot like the Lighthouse Point resolution, doesn’t it? Following your logic, (and Issler’s), this resolution must mean that this will be the first time that all those listed areas had to pay non-ad valorem assessments. But wait! Go to this link, which shows a very similar resolution from September 4, 2007:

http://www.cityofmarcoisland.com/Publ...

RESOLUTION NO. 07-046
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF MARCO ISLAND, FLORIDA, RELATING TO THE APPROVAL AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-AD VALOREM ASSESSMENT ROLLS; APPROVING AN ASSESSMENT ROLL FOR OWNERS OF CERTAIN PROPERTY WHO HAVE ENTERED INTO DEFERRED PAYMENT AGREEMENTS PROVIDING FOR IMPOSITION OF A CONSENSUAL SPECIAL ASSESSMENT UPON SUCH PROPERTY; CONFIRMING THE ASSESSMENT ROLLS FOR THE TIGERTAIL AND SOUTH BARFIELD ASSESSMENT AREAS; DIRECTING CERTIFICATION OF THE ASSESSMENT ROLLS TO THE COLLIER COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR; PROVIDING FOR NOTICE OF ASSESSMENTS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

As you can see, the Tigertail and South Barfield assessment areas had to pay those non-ad valorem fees in 2007.

So you can cut and paste from 2008 Lighthouse Point resolutions all you want. It will not change the fact that Lighthouse Point has had a fire assessment in place for 10 years.

I recommend you devote more time to reading City of Marco Island resolutions. Or, better yet, concentrate on all the material you have for the upcoming September 2, 2008 City Council meeting.

More on Avenger:

Reply to your comment, "So you can cut and paste from 2008 Lighthouse Point resolutions all you want".

Fact: My extraction from the 2008 Lighthouse Point resolutions was a direct excerpt without being edited. It was not intended to discredit your point that Lighthouse Point has had a fire assessment in place for 10 years.

The following extraction "3. Preliminary Resolution establishing estimated non-ad valorem assessment rate for fire
protection services for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2008 and ending September
30, 2009. (continued)
The resolution as adopted carries the following title:
RESOLUTION NO. 2008-1636
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIGHTHOUSE
POINT, FLORIDA, RELATING TO THE PROVISION OF FIRE PROTECTION
SERVICES, FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF LIGHTHOUSE POINT,
FLORIDA; ESTABLISHING THE ESTIMATED ASSESSMENT RATE FOR FIRE
PROTECTION ASSESSMENTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1,
2008; DIRECTING THE PREPARATION OF AN ASSESSMENT ROLL; AUTHORIZING
A PUBLIC HEARING AND DIRECTING THE PROVISION OF NOTICE THEREOF;
AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE" could and probably did lead someone to believe that October 1, 2008 was a beginning date.

I guess the tangent issue is that Lighthouse Point, FL does have a Fire Assessment Fee.

Well, Mr. Waldack, it’s clear you don’t understand what I’ve been saying, and I shall waste no more of my time. By the way, you should learn how to post the URL of the site with the info you’re citing. That’s really the only way to assure readers that you haven’t made up or edited the data.

Speaking of data, you never did answer the questions I asked after your “makes cents to me” LTR.