Making friends with OPM (other people's money)

Is that the game? LWM received some employee feedback this morning concerning the article directly below.

The cost of corruption ...add $50,000

The WASTE CLOCK is a convenient summary of what is causing Lake Worth to lapse into bankruptcy and dysfunctionality. That central problem remains uncorrected and its called… corruption. And its right at the top levels of Lake Worth government.

Leaving it intact has just cost taxpayers another $50,000 added to a previous $347,000 (not on the clock) in a series of willful and deliberate flourishes of wasting taxpayer money as commissioners knowingly allow the wasting to continue. [Mr Mayor… where is the forensic audit of the utility you promised? Haven’t heard a word about it.]

Taxpayers pay another $347,312 to cover gross incompetence

Looks like another $347,312 of hard earned taxpayer money is scheduled for the commode, with yet another transformer blown up by city employees at the power plant. LWM first reported on this months ago when it happened.

The total cost to taxpayers for this act of gross incompetence is $647,312. The incompetent behavior centers on the fact that no one checked for shorts/faults after repairing transformer TPGT 1. Basic electricity 101 means you TEST BEFORE ENERGIZING but Dave Mulvay (plant manager) ordered the transformer energized anyway. According to records, Mike Timmons should have done the basic tests.

From an email to FPL customers:

FPL customers: Good news, you're getting a rebate!

Our customers will start the new year with a one-time fuel rebate recently approved by the Florida Public Service Commission. "Customers are seeing the benefit not only of lower fuel prices but also our investments in modern, more fuel-efficient power plants," said FPL President and CEO Armando Olivera. Current customers during the January 2010 billing cycle (meter readings Jan. 1 through Feb. 2) are eligible to receive the refund. The exact amount is based on your energy usage. For instance, a customer who used 1,000 kilowatt-hours in their January bill would receive a rebate of approximately $44. FPL does not make a profit on the fuel purchased to produce electricity. [editor's note: whereas LWU does!]

Editor's comment: FPL’s typical residential bill is the lowest of all 54 electric utilities in Florida, and including the proposed BASE RATE increase, customer bills will actually decrease about 8% on Jan. 4, 2010 due to lower fuel prices.

Commission fails due diligence on RO project

It was evident from the final vote and figures presented at Wednesday afternoon’s meeting which by the way, failed the required 24 hour notice period… that city leadership failed to exercise due diligence to insure the best deal for rate payers.

Instead of encouraging public participation and scrutiny, the city manager, after admitting a credibility gap existed between residents and city management… lost her cool saying “this is insane, this is insane… accusing us of malfeasance.” But this off the wall and out of context protest of innocence only added fuel to the rising public awareness that this city manager is not well connected and not what she presented herself to be in the beginning.

They're fired!

Click here for WPBF Channel 25 report

Director of Engineering Andres Reyes and Device Technician Howard Jordan who were put on administrative leave a few weeks ago pending an investigation into the security breach at LWU were fired last Friday.

Another act of incompetence at the power plant costs taxpayers dearly

May 2008, LWM broke the story about our steam generator S3 which had blown up again because of poor maintenance. Plant manager Dave Mulvay wanted to just patch up the hole and put it back into operation.

What happened to the investigation… where’s the Sheriff?

If city management is going to minimize the damage, they have to keep the Sheriff out… it’s only a theory but here it is:

Former IT director insight on security breach

Former LW fake engineer... fired at Vero

You may remember it was Robert Srednicki who falsified his employment application with Lake Worth claiming he was an engineer when in fact, he wasn’t. Before Paul Boyer was forced to fire him, Srednicki wasted millions on a less reliable more expensive non standard electric upgrade option to 26 kV. Under the leadership of commissioner Jennings money was allocated to proceed.