As the state moves toward an investigation by the Governor’s Chief Inspector General in response to county and state audits into the city’s finances and operation, an effort was made to approve a new city manager. The effort failed as Commissioners Resnick and Colangelo cited concerns about the process and qualification of the lone candidate under consideration.
Since the legislature referred the City of Winter Springs for oversight and investigation by the Governor’s Chief Inspector General, we have received a lot of questions about various issues and what we know. Here are a few pertinent things we have learned over the last week: Where does this leave…
An online petition being circulated calling for the resignation of Winter Springs’ Mayor Kevin McCann and Commissioners Matt Benton, Rob Elliot and Ted Johnson, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents. The petition cites nine causes related to recent investigations and audits, and has sustained momentum as the city downplayed the auditors’ findings and moved to drastically increase utility rates (trash and water).
At last night’s Commission meeting, Winter Springs city leaders approved on first reading a plan to drastically increase our water without a workable plan to fix the systemic issues with our water system. Over the next five years, residents will be paying approximately twice as much for water as they…
Summary: City leadership will be voting for a 59% increase to your trash service bill over two years even though Waste Pro will only receive an increase up to 4% this year, creating a $1 million slush fund By Jesse Phillips, PresidentWinter Springs Community Association Winter Springs residents are no…
Summary: The recent audit of Winter Springs has unveiled significant irregularities in the City’s hiring of contractors, raising serious concerns about transparency, compliance with city laws, and the allocation of taxpayer funds. While these findings reflect a broader issue, there are two striking cases that demand closer scrutiny. Breaking the…
“Finding 4: Contrary to State law, the City did not estimate fees assessed to fulfill public records requests requiring extensive information technology resources or clerical or supervisory assistance based on actual costs. In addition, the City did not always promptly respond to public records requests.” SUMMARY: Finding 4 of the…
“Finding 3: The City’s use of consent agendas to revise the project list provided to the public in advance of the voter referendum approving the local government infrastructure sales surtax reduced transparency by depriving the opportunity for public information and discussion. In addition, the City did not provide for separate…
Finding 2: “The City should improve its water utility contract monitoring processes.“ For years, residents asked for Veolia, the Flint, Michigan water company, to be held accountable. A petition was signed with over 1,500 signatures demanding they be fired. The second finding of the recent audit established a direct link…
Audit Finding 1: “The City continues to incur fines and penalties for wastewater treatment violations.“ Summary: The first finding of the operational audit of the City of Winter Springs (click to read) paints a stark picture, one that resonates with residents who have been raising concerns since 2019. These concerns,…