Written by Jemzee Barrett Editor Lehigh Acres Gazette
Interim Fire Chief Robert DiLallo wants to build a legacy for himself on the taxpayer’s dime.
DiLallo tried to pull a fast one the commissioners a tried to add an agenda item during the meeting for $799,000 for land across from Veterans park for a new fire station complex to include fire station, administration offices, maintenance department and a fire training tower, over the next few years.
DiLallo wanted money for feasibility study and 5% down to hold property. But with a 4-1 vote to add the agenda to allow to these item Commissioner Anderson stop that item cold.
Anderson used their own commissioner handbook against the other commissioners.
It states in the handbook page 14 the vote to add an item to the agenda;” solely upon a unanimous vote of the Board members.” Commissioner Kruse and Carter badgered Commissioner Anderson for more than ten minutes trying to get him to change his mind. “You’re not going to get me to change my mind”, said Anderson
Anderson told the other commissioners they need to be more transparent and growth should pay for growth. Anderson went on to say, “The department has a debt of over 2.5 million dollars for station 104 and 105 that the taxpayers have already paid for. But you want to use fire assessment fee money for future growth, that’s wrong. Future growth needs to be paid be impact fee dollars not fire assessment fee dollars.”
Anderson also asked that the district finance report be considered separately, and Kruse even stopped the meeting for a clarification from the Boards Attorney Richard Pringle, in which required that Pringle explain to the board why Anderson had the right to separate the issue.
“I guess I’ll be speaking more than normal this evening,” Pringle said.
“Yeah,” responded Anderson. “You will.”
Anderson went on to say in the interview, “the other commissioners went to put the burden not on the future growth, they a going to put it directly on the shoulders of the poor and middle class in Lehigh Acres today.”
The Lehigh Acres Gazette learned through their sources that Commissioner Kruse called News-Press and NBC-2 to tried to embarrass and harass Commissioner Anderson during and after the meeting.
Anderson told us he won his seat fair and square and his not going anywhere and he looks forward in serving the community.
The Fire Commissioners also voted 4-1 to cancel Decembers fire board meeting. Anderson rejected the idea of canceling the meeting — He stated it’s the people’s board and we should have the meeting. Anderson went on to say the board had a meeting on Halloween evening, so having a meeting on a holiday is not an issue and Carter jokingly said how about Christmas Day, Anderson said ok, how about 9 am?
We at the Lehigh Acres Gazette do not understand why the other fire commissioners cannot understand normal thinking, it’s the people’s money, the people’s fire board but they continue to spend, spend and spend. But in the meantime, Chief DiLallo has not come up with an idea to resolve the critical crisis at Station 102 on Homestead Rd. With the Homestead Road, widening project to start Spring of 2017 the fire department will not be able to use to front doors of station 102 safely or even drive down Homestead Road in one piece.
Anderson stated he has a simply agenda, “And now the board has refused to have meeting until Jan 17, 2017 is this the people’s board or is this a union controlled spend all money board”, said Anderson.
Following is Anderson’s plan to engage the community of Lehigh Acres:
1. 100% transparency – The elected board of fire commissioners will review of “ALL” contracts with the Fire Department.
2. No more check register in the Commissioner’s Monthly Packet, it needs to be 100% transparent to the commissioners, they should know and have the WHO, WHAT, and WHY the check was cut and processed and who authorized it.
3. Setup a Citizens Advisory Panel…. 10 voters / resident or business owners in the fire district – two chosen by each commissioner and one commissioner to listen – Charter them with reviewing the Fire Fee Assessment Fee and handling future recommendations and the panel reports back to all five commissioners.
4. Set Commissioner Responsibilities …. Maintenance & Buildings, Finance, Employees, Administration and Public Relations. Each commissioner will rotate every quarter and report back monthly.
5. Setup a Citizens Budget Advisory Panel …. 5 voters / resident or business owners one chosen by each commissioner and one commissioner to listen plus the Fire Districts Finance personnel – Charter them with reviewing the budget and audit and handling future recommendations, the panel reports back to all five commissioners.
It’s time to heal the wounds and work together to make Lehigh Acres Fire Department a department we all in Lehigh Acres can be proud of.
Dear editor,
Thank you – thank you – thank you! for your fire department board interest and articles. As out-of-state owners of a residence in L. A., we are being assessed a high cost for that ownership. My taxes and assessments increased by 16% this year, which put us above $2,000. It appears that we may have to reap what the residents have sown – they gave the fire department the right to set its own assessments instead of justifying requirements to the Supervisors. Whoever didn’t know what that would lead to had to be dense – or, at least. – had no common sense. What the voters did was to create a small kingdom, which will only grow, as all governmental entities do, similar to a growing cancer. The larger it becomes, the more influence, power and authority it wields – all of which leads to higher-paid prestigious positions for the citizen to pay for.
I am 85 and have experienced government agency growth from the inside, and I can tell you it is concerned with perpetuation, growth and number of employees, which supports higher-paid positions. While I may be too critical of this growing entity, residents should keep a close eye on the fire department board and the chief to require them to operate as close to the vest as the residents have to do. And, separate but similarly, they should watch the new water organization/conglomeration they had the legislature create for them. It’s exactly the same type of mushrooming governmental entity as the fire department. Were there any savings supposed to be gained by these “improvements”? We used to have a saying – “…let the government do it. They can improve it worse than ever.”