Washington Park Neighborhood Preservation and Enhancement Dist.

Washington Park Enhancement and Preservation Council Meeting

May 03, 2005

WASHINGTON PARK ENHANCEMENT AND PRESERVATION
COUNCIL MEETING
P O Box 1233
Fort Lauderdale, F. 33311

April 7, 2005

Our meeting started at 7:00pm. Yvonne made a motion that the March 3, 2005 minutes be accepted. Sandy seconded the motion. We voted and the minutes were accepted.

Eugene said if we stop by the businesses on Sunrise Boulevard between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Northwest 27th Avenue South to Northwest 6th Street we need to wear our Council Badge and identify ourselves. We need to let them know we are trying to look at the issues they have such as parking and work out a solution.

We discussed the parking and landscaping issues from the Washington Park Civic Association Meeting. Lt. Fleming said he would address the roundabouts for our Neighborhood with Linda Laskin and get back with the Association President and Vice President. Raini Moran wasn?’t at the meeting due to their office move. Eugene said he had tried to call her and couldn?’t reach her with the old telephone numbers. Julia Porter stated she would email Raini Moran to attend our next meeting.

Annexation may not happen in September because the Legislation has not signed for it to happen. If it does happen it will leave four Neighborhoods in Central County. Our real estate values have increased. It will affect our taxes. If we check with some of the Neighborhoods who have annexed to a City, they are not pleased with the City. The City hasn?’t comeback to evaluate their Neighborhood for what they need. Yvonne feels we need t try to block the passage of Lauderhill annexing Saint George and West Ken Lark. One of the recent Cities that formed had less of a tax base than we do. We pay Ad Valorem and have a special tax base, that would be enough for us to form our own City. The Nova study said we could form a City. It didn?’t say how successful we would be. Orange Blossom Trail used Ad Valorem and Commercial taxes to form their City. They also asked for additional help from the State. We already have our roads and infrastructure done. Our proposed Commercial area would help us to form a City in Central County. The Swap Shop revenue is not as much as it should be, because it is Agriculture for tax revenue. Northwest 7th Court, 8th Street, and 6th Court pay over a million dollars in revenue taxes. The Swap Shop pays about $350,000.00 in revenue taxes. The Swap Shop doesn?’t have a lot of expenses since most of them are contracted.
The businesses out there are self-owned. We need to try to meet with the other Associations to try to form our own City. We need to gather the information to provide for a meeting. We need to also meet with our Congress Representatives to get their support. We know that people were paid to solicite votes to annex into Lauderhill. Chris Smith is our State Representative and Mandy Dawson is our Senator. We need to draft a letter to them. Alcee Hastings is our Congressman. Things change when you have a City. Eugene had done a lot of research on having our own City. The County didn?’t provide as much support as we needed in Central County. Lauderhill didn?’t show any interest in annexing a Neighborhood until close to the election. Lauderdale Lakes tried to annex everyone.

Yvonne went to a meeting with Lori Parish from the Property Appraisers Office. When you are married both names should be on the property. If one spouse passes away the name would just be removed and the taxes wouldn?’t increase. Widows can receive an additional discount.

The store on Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest 9th added a room with a bathroom and wants a Variance. They want the Council to recommend the Variance to the County. Eugene called Jeff Day to explain why we are not in agreement with a Variance because they didn?’t get a permit. Eugene read the letter stating we will be on the County Commission agenda for the CRA for the 27th Avenue Redevelopment for May. No decisions had been made on the violations for the sheds. We are on the Broward County schedule to have the drains cleaned every 90 days.

Sandy made the motion to close the meeting at 8:10pm. Motion seconded by Yvonne.