Lakeland to residents: "Just deal with it!"

The story noted below is from the COLA Facebook post.

As noted, while fees for trash pickup remains the same, the City reduced services as follows:

-No yard waste pickup (other than as part of normal pickup.)  According to the City web site, the yard waste is tossed "with the other trash", which means it is not recycled and goes to the landfill.  So much for recycling the large amount of yard waste generated by Lakeland residents.

-Trash pickup is now limited to the cart(s) plus "two bags", a reduction from the past "anything in a bag will be picked up".

-Recycling is now limited to once every two weeks, down from once weekly.

The city response to this:  "just deal with it, call a private hauler!"

(COLA Facebook post)

Clarification on yard waste/limbs in Lakeland

City Manager Chris Thomas wants residents to understand the policy about limb and yard waste pickup by Republic Services. You no longer have to separate the trash and yard waste. Also, please make sure the limbs in yard waste cart are cut to no more than 6’ or they will not be able to pick up.

“If you have anything more than the combination of two bags or two bundles per cart (so up to four of either, total) call a private company, “ said Chris. Sorry for the confusion."

Earlier this summer Chris said Lakeland would pickup extra limb piles or extra bags. However, that was during a period when the City was still trying to assess costs. It has been determined that monthly costs would have to increase to all home owners to pickup extra limbs or bags. "We are not doing that," We would also like to remind residents to place the cart with arrows pointing toward the street. said Chris.

Lakeland PTA-Did they REALLY check the budget before this was published?

Lakeland PTA

15 hrs · 

Be there tonight if you can, Monday, June 16 at 5:00 at City Hall. The Lakeland City Budget will be voted on at this meeting.
Lakeland Mayor, Wyatt Bunker, would like to see the budget support our schools and our children's education and hold off on creating new positions for parks, the senior center, etc. While these positions may seem ideal, now is not the time.
Wyatt would like to see as many parents as possible come out and let their voices be heard on Monday, June 16!

Like

(Published right before the BOC Budget meeting.  Is this authorized by a vote of the Lakeland PTA? Does the anonymous writer know anything about the city budget?  Why is the PTA acting as a roadie to the spoiled brat mayor and his tantrums?  

Another Charter Provision ignored by the City of Lakeland!

Lakeland City Charter:

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this charter, the compensation of all officers and employees of the city shall be fixed by the city manager within the limits of the appropriations ordinance and in accordance with a comprehensive pay plan adopted by the board of commissioners. [Acts 1921, ch. 173, art. 7, § 2; Shan. Supp., § 1997a158; Code 1932, § 3555; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 6-2102; Acts 1989, ch. 175, § 11.] 

Another provision of the Charter (the authorization from the residents to govern, and only can be changed by the Tennessee State Legislature) IGNORED by the current administration.

LAKELAND PTA OFFICIALLY OPPOSED PARKS?????

Lakeland PTA

19 hrs ·

In case you haven't heard the Board of Commissioners meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday, June 12 has been changed to Monday, June 16 at 5:00 at City Hall. The Lakeland City Budget will be voted on at this meeting. Lakeland Mayor, Wyatt Bunker, would like to see the budget support our schools and our children's education and hold off on creating new positions for parks, the senior center, etc. While these positions may seem ideal, now is not the time. Wyatt would like to see as many parents as possible come out and let their voices be heard on Monday, June 16!

NOTE:  THE ABOVE IS FROM A FACEBOOK POST BY THE PTA.  SINCE WHEN IS THE PTA INVOLVED IN POLITICS.

Obviously the Spoiled Brat Politician Mayor is playing politics with the Lakeland PTA.  Was this position voted on by the PTA?

Lakeland Charter Requirements concerning publication of Budget

6-22-130. Annual operating budget--Publication--Budgetary comparison.--

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, the governing body shall publish the annual operating budget and budgetary comparisons of the proposed budget with the prior year (actual) and the current year (estimated) which information shall include the following:

(1) Revenues and expenditures for the following governmental funds: general, streets/public works, general purpose school and debt service.

(2) Revenuesforeachfundshallbelistedseparatelybylocaltaxes, State of Tennessee, federal government and other sources.

(3) Expenditures for each fund shall be listed separately by salaries and other costs.

(4) Beginning and ending fund balances shall be shown for each
fund.

(5) The number of full-timeequivalentemployeepositionsshallbe
shown for each fund.

(b) The publication shall be in a newspaper of general circulation and shall be published not less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting where the governing body will consider final passage of the budget. [Acts 1991, ch. 484, § 9; Acts 1992, ch. 760, § 5.] 

NO PARKS, RECREATION, SENIOR CITIZEN FUNDING?

(NOTE RECEIVED FROM CONCERNED RESIDENT) 

All Residents, Seniors, or anyone who has Parents:
>
> I have just been informed that a large group of parents, who
> have children in our schools, are coming to Lakeland City
> Hall, Thursday, June 5th, at 5:30... Their mission is to
> STOP any funding of the Parks, Recreation, and the Senior
> Center, and only fund the school system. This makes me
> really sad, knowing how we have all supported the children,
> and voted to establish the best school system here in
> Lakeland...
>
> Our proposal to the BOC was for a part-time Director, and a
> small budget.... nothing compared to what the seniors
> contribute in tax dollars. I'm asking everyone to come
> support your Seniors, and finally open the door to our
> beautiful building, which was erected 2 years ago. 

(Maybe the City governing structure  should be turned over to the Lakeland Municipal School System and turn the City back to the County.  That is where it is going!)

City Hall Park Still Closed

One of the most used parks, City Hall Park in Lakeland, remains closed,while city crews and the city spend money and time tearing out good vegetation on the Canada Road Median and "beautification" while one of the most popular parks remains closed.

Appears the priories of the City of Lakeland are skewed, but, who is surprised?

The Canada Road medians were changed from a 'natural" landscape to something like you'd have in front of your house.  Difficult to maintain, and really weird.

Lakeland Board of Commissioner priorities: A Lakeland Senior Citizen, make them wait!

The following e-mail was sent by a Lakeland Senior Citizen after the Lakeland BOC meeting on Thursday, May 1.  While discussing "selling Lakeland" to developers, and other matters, they made 16 Senior Citizens wait.  

I felt embarrassed, insulted, disrespected, when they moved us to the bottom of the agenda, leaving 36 elderly seniors sitting in there listing to crap for almost 3 hours before they even heard us.  The room was full, and we had crippled, aging, a 86 yr. old woman from Bartlett... and the 2 professional speakers.  I think we have their attention, except for Wyatt.... He doesn't want a Senior Center, and wants to turn it into a community center by 2018, when the government stipulations are lifted.  Until then, he does not want to support an age group, as seniors... We should all be able to use all facilities.  He thinks we can come to the parks, and hit golf balls like him... He even said that... He's totally ignorant of our disabilities.  

      I guess that means we should all take up T-Ball.  

Open Meeting Law violation?

The Lakeland Board of Commissioners suspended the rules and voted tonight to fund the $3 million construction deposit for the I-40 interchange. Chris Thomas, city manager, explained that the money has to be sent to Nashville by Apr. 11 which is before the BOC meets for their regular session Apr. 15. The money is part of the City’s capital budget, but Mayor Wyatt Bunker said this is still a big deal for Lakeland. He said this project was started in 2008, bids will be let in May, construction will start in July and the process will continue for three years

Interesting to note that this action was taken at a "Work Session"  (with no voting) and without any posted notice.  How can the City of Lakeland Board of Commissioners "suspend the rules" of a Tennessee State Law as noted below?


Tennessee’s Open Meetings Law is codified at Tennessee Code Annotated, § 8- 44-101 et seq. Tennessee Code Annotated, § 8-44-102 requires that “All meetings of any governing body are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times, except as provided by the Constitution of Tennessee. It also requires that “Any such governmental body which holds a meeting previously scheduled by statute, ordinance, or resolution, or for which notice is not already provided by law, shall give adequate public notice of such meeting. Tennessee Code Annotated, § 8-44-13 also requires: 

(a) NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETINGS. Any such governmental body which holds a meeting previously scheduled by statute, ordinance, or resolution shall give adequate public notice of such meeting. 
(b ) NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETINGS. Any such governmental body which holds a meeting not previously scheduled by statute, ordinance, or resolution, or for which notice is not already provided by law, shall give adequate public notice of such meetings. 

The "lost" post

A mild criticism of the City of Lakeland's recent action on the City Facebook page CityofLakelandTN was apparently deleted shortly after the comment was made. The following comment was made on Facebook, as a comment to an entry on future city meetings:

Nick wrote: "Interesting to see that the parks board and natural resources boards are combined again. I guess out of nessecity since the entire parks department and natural resources departments were either fired or made miserable enough to quit."

The comment concerned the recent consolidation of the Park and Recreation Board and  the Natural Resources Board and the possible reasons for consolidation.  No obscene words etc. were used.

As a general rule, if comments are allowed an organization using public funds to operate a web page, Facebook page etc. must allow critical comments as well as positive comments.

The comment was observed on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 and deleted (along with the original post by the City of Lakeland) by Wednesday, March 26, 2014.

We will monitor the Facebook page to see if future comments of any type are deleted and advise!

New Lakeland Welcome signs

New Lakeland "Welcome" signs.  (I wonder if this complies with the Lakeland Sign Ordinance.)

The signs had a baby!  (Actually babies, not shown are signs on the other side and elsewhere in the area.)  Talk about litter!

"No Service City" hits home

(Facebook entry):

When will the little playground behind city hall be reopened? I have a seriously sad toddler on my hands now that it's getting warm and the playground that we can walk to is unusable. We can't even go for walks there because the bathrooms have been locked.

Comments:

This is the playground that was the subject (among others) of an independent Report.  The City Hall Part proposal was presented  at a Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting and it was noted safety and other improvements were needed.  Instead of approving the $70,000 needed to continue to provide one of the most popular parks in Lakeland, it was described (by the mayor) as "underutilized" and it was decided not to spend the money to make it safe, but to tear down part of it with city workers.  It was difficult to determine exactly what was decided on this, but obviously there was a decision not to make the needed improvements to maintain this popular park.

 Read the report on City parks here and see other safety and other improvements recommended by the independent report.

Other "no service city" decisions including turning down a $1.2 million dollar grant to provide bike and pedestrian trails down Davies Plantation (from Highway 64 to the I-40 Bridge) which would have service several thousand Lakeland residents directly and eliminate a major safety hazard for bikers and walkers in Lakeland.  

Recently, the "Lakeland Outdoors" was canceled, and Arbor Day and the non-renewal of Tree City were not even mentioned.

New Lakeland Street Art

New Lakeland Street Art.  This "art" has been here since December, 2013.  Quite a sculpture!

"Open Records" -"Frivolous Requests"?

· The BOC placed on the consent agenda for first reading of an ordinance addressing how Lakeland will comply with requirements of the state’s Open Records law. The ordinance will match the practice already proscribed by BOC resolution. City Attorney Chris Patterson said the measure is cautionary based on issues that have arisen in other Tennessee cities. He said the ordinance is necessary to protect the City against frivolous records requests that can be a time drain on City staff members. The City must acknowledge public records requests within seven days and must make requested records available within 30 days, but can charge a fee for copying and staff research.

It seems that the objective would be to emphasize how residents may review "their" records rather than put up "protections" about "frivolous record requests". (Who decides what is "frivolous"?)

There are very strict Tennessee Laws that protects residents rights to government Open Records.  Hopefully the new Ordinance will expedite this rather than emphasize "protection" against so called "frivolous record requests".  

A good link to the Open Meeting Act is here.

New "Lakeland Spring Flower"

A new "Lakeland Spring Flower" was spotted (actually there were three of them, called the "Ashley Furniture Store going out of business sale"

Thought for the Day

"Political Operatives, intoxicated with victory, think they can get away with anything"