So, while the Lake County Commissioners party in Bella Collina, Lake County "burns" through more layoffs and unemployment goes up to 12.7% (which doesn't include all the people who have given up or who don't ask for unemployment compensation). Besides the jump in the jobless rate described in an article below, earlier this week, several of the County Commissioners (except Elaine Renick, who publicly stated it was not a good idea) went to a party hosted by the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) in a fancy country club in Bella Collina (remember those $7-million homes they had in that big open house 2 years ago?). They did it to give awards to people who worked on Lake County economic development. However, no one I know thinks that any economic development success has taken place in Lake County. Do you? (See Lauren Ritchie's commenatary about the party below)
Of course, you might get as angry as I am if you read several of Lauren Ritchie's columns (Orlando Sentinel) this last month about the EDC, and how they use inaccurate data and job counts to report results, or if you knew that the Board approved a FOUR year contract to pay the EDC $300,000 per year with hardly ANY measurable "deliverables" (like 100 jobs actually started - not faked) AND no required status reports (quarterly or monthly). I was at the meeting last month where the contract was discussed and approved by the entire Board. My work experience includes auditing contracts up to $600-million in size, and that contract was one of the most worthless contracts I have ever seen - there are no businesslike accountability provisions, and none of the County staff, the attorney or the Board should be proud of approving that contract. (more like a sole source giveaway).
AND, County Board Chairman Welton Cadwell is eliminating public input at meetings. He would not allow public input during the Board discussion on the EDC contract approval until after it was approved. Unlike the School Board, which allows public input on any issue on the agenda, AND they allow it before the Board votes, Welton rarely allows public input for Lake County taxpayers. At the meeting earlier this week, he eliminated the normal public input period at the end of the agenda, and only allowed public input for non-controversial 2-3 agenda items.
You would think the Lake County Board of County Commissioners would skip such EDC parties and instead hold weekly workshops on the problem of no jobs or the poor County Economy. But they don't even discuss such an issue or initiatives. Instead, this last Tuesday, they approved a $230,000 expenditure for a special assault vehicle for the Sheriff. No, the vehicle was not budgeted. Instead, the Sheriff got a grant to pay for 7 or more police cars that WERE budgeted, then instead of returning the funds to the Treasury, the Board approved changing the budget item to allow the Assault vehicle purchase (to carry Swat team members to drug busts, barricaded homes, etc). There was no discussion of why he didn't return some of the funds to the general fund, or search for a used vehicle, and he only proposed a single sole source vehicle, and they didn't discuss the issue of sending the entire $230,000 outside the county rather than finding ways to spend it within the County.
Heck, for a lower amount of $210,000, I could have bought a welding machine and constructed an assault vehicle with wings, and do it right here in Lake County.
They didn't even mention if a search was done on eBay. A friend from the local antique boat club just bought a fully functional 1943 Dodge Power Wagon used by the Army from eBay, and maybe there is a deal on last year's Lenco assault vehicle.
This was one week after the Board had a special meeting and heard that the next budget year would have a shortfall of 10 or $15-million.
Now, I am in favor of Sheriff Deputy safety, and giving jobs to Bella Collina Country Club staff, but not in the current economic environment. The Board has to get real, and maybe assign some of those extra managers in Employee Services to developing job programs.
As a consequence, I will be announcing a couple of my own programs in a few days, since the Board hasn't yet figured out there is a problem in the economy.
vj
Below is the article about the unemployment rate, followed by the Nov 5 article about the $300,000 EDC contract.
Lake unemployment soars in November
10:22 a.m. EST, December 18, 2009
Lake County employment rates rose significantly in November as rates also climbed throughout the region.
The county's jobless rate jumped to 12.7 percent in November, up from
12. 1 percent in October, according to a preliminary report released
from Workforce Central Florida Friday morning.
The figure for Lake is a considerable change from this time last year,
when the rate in November 2008 was 8 percent. In November 2007, the
amount of jobless was only 4.4 percent.
The rest of Central Florida also did not fare well as all counties saw a rise in unemployment.
Orange County jumped to 11.7 percent from 11.3 percent in October; Seminole County
moved up to 10.9 percent last month, compared to October's 10.6 percent
rate; Osceola County jumped from October's 13 percent to 13.3 percent
for November; Volusia County is up to 12.3 percent in November from 11.8 percent in October.
Flagler, Marion and Brevard also saw significant increases. Flagler
County is now up to 16.8 percent in November, which is up from 16.2
percent in October. In Marion County, rates rose from 13.4 percent in
October to 13.9 percent in November. Brevard County jumped to 11.9 percent in November, up from 11.4 percent in October.
Sumter County, with the lowest percentage of unemployed, still saw an
increase to 9.7 percent in November, which is up from 9.2 percent in
October.
The Metro Orlando region saw an overall bump to 11.8 percent last
month. October's rate was 11.5 percent. The state rate moved up
slightly to 11.5 percent, up from 11.3 percent in October.
Only the national rate did a bit better where overall unemployment
throughout the country dropped to 9.4 percent in November. October's
rate was 9.5 percent.
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel
===============================================
This is an article about the EDC $300,000 contract which had NO clear deliverables, so basically, there is no accountability for how the funds are spent (speaking as an auditor with 18 years experience). Would you sign a $300,000 contract with a contractor to build a house without any deadlines, specific tasks, specifications of windows, roof quality, etc. No? Well that is the kind of contract the Board signed with Metro Orlando EDC.
County renews contract with Metro Orlando EDC
DAVID DONALD - from the Nov 5 Daily Commercial HERE
Staff Writer
TAVARES -- Despite a down economy, Lake County commissioners agreed to continue marketing the county to the international and national business community.
Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to renew their contract with the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, or EDC, sending what they said was a business-friendly message.
"When times are bad you don't draw back on your marketing to people," commission Chairman Welton Cadwell said.
The EDC represents Lake, Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in efforts to attract companies with high-wage jobs. In return the county pays the EDC $300,000 a year.
Some people have questioned whether the county has received the best bang for its buck from the EDC.
Commissioner Elaine Renick pondered whether it was time for the county to cut ties and try to attract companies on its own.
Renick said instead of paying the EDC, the money might be better spent on the businesses that are already in Lake.
"We should be focusing on the little guy," she said.
Commissioner Jennifer Hill disagreed.
"I think they play a huge role in how we compete in the region and the whole country," Hill said. "The EDC gives us a hand-up."
Raymond Gilley, president of the EDC, defended the organization, saying it looks at a "full range of economic possibilities" from attracting international companies to helping grow companies that already call Lake home.
If Lake went out on its own, Gilley said, the county would be at a disadvantage. Not only would Lake be competing against the EDC and the counties it represents, it would cost the county more to duplicate the services and resources the EDC has to court companies, he said.
"Instead of partnering, we're competing," he said. "That's not the way prospects see Metro Orlando."
Commissioner Jimmy Conner agreed with Gilley, saying the EDC has the international and national contacts.
"We don't have those kind of contacts," he said. "There are some people out there who are smarter than us."
Not renewing the contract with the EDC could create "ill will" in the business community, further sullying Lake's reputation as anti-business.
Lake's economic development strategic plan, a document focusing on the county's economic weaknesses and strengths and how to create industry and jobs, suggests the county needs to improve its image of appearing anti-business.
"We can't move forward with our economic development plan without the EDC," said Commissioner Linda Stewart. "We can't isolate ourselves regionally."
-----------------------------------------------
The fancy party in Bella Collina - the Board talked about this event at last Tuesday's meeting, and then Lauren Ritchie wrote this commentary on the party after it happened
The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission just doesn’t get it
Posted: 17 Dec 2009 06:44 AM PST
Last night, the Metro Orlando
Economic Development Commission threw a party at the clubhouse at Bella
Collina, the subdivision that is the Lake County poster child for property
flipping and mortgage foreclosure.
In addition, the party was to honor
volunteers who served on the Economic Development Advisory Council, a group
that has drawn criticism for private meetings and is to be the subject of a
commission discussion in January over whether it should meet in the sunshine.
Just another swift move by the
agency that gets nearly $300,000 a year in taxpayer dollars to bring jobs to
the county. Well, and to party a little, too.
Only one Lake County commissioner
seems to have a glimmer of why this is so very wrong. It’s like everyone on
that elected body is snorting the eggnog.
Elaine Renick got the invitation and
sent back this message: “I don’t mean to be ugly, but I believe that this is
really inappropriate.”
She went on to remind EDC officials
that economic times aren’t so good in Lake.
“It is my opinion that at a time
when so many other companies are scaling back their parties or donating the
money budgeted for these things to food banks, this decision was
misguided. This does not mean that I do not appreciate the work of
the Economic Development Advisory Council. I do.”
EDC officials tried to ease Renick’s
concerns by telling her that private sponsors allowed the EDC to “defray
associated costs” of the event at the swanky clubhouse. Officials said
this morning that the cost to the EDC is estimated at up to
$1,500. The agency had a bigger turnout than expected. Its vice
president for marketing and communications, Maureen Brockman, called the party
“a most worthy investment.”
Oh, my. What a clueless bunch.
