North Bay Village residents and in particular North Bay Village registered voters, are you aware of the referendum to bury the FPL cables and other utilities that will appear on the November 8, 2016 ballot?
Estimated cost is 9.1 million financed over 30 years interest roughly at 2.4 % ( typically adding about $ 90 per year tax to a house with a tax value of $ 200,000.) sounds great on the surface!
These estimates are based on a 25 % discount if all residents participate on the approval and hook up. The catch is that It is highly doubtful that 100 % will participate. RE tax increase is not the only cost to be incurred. If that was the case where do I sign up for it?
Most residents at the Town Hall Meeting held on Wednesday 9/14/2016 sponsored by Mayor Connie Leon Kreps agreed that most likely the estimate will fall short when all is said and done. It's fair to mention that none of the other commissioners attended this informative meeting. Any amount over the 9.1 million would have to be from monies yet to be determined. No discussion as to how or from where the money would come from took place.
It was discussed that hooking up from your electrical service box and the underground FPL upgrade will be paid by each individual home owner or condo owner. The guesstimate was between $ 3000 and $ 5000. This guesstimate did not include restoring and updating the electrical boxes from each customer hooking up. Given that many services are old, some dating back into the 1950's and not up to 2016 code, many customers would have to shell out $ 5000 to $ 10000 for updating their own electrical boxes and wiring to the underground service. It's fair to point out that the transformers are in a utility box above ground. If you are in luck
(sarcastically speaking of course) it will sit on your property close to the sidewalk.
According to the FPL representatives, most of the benefits of burying the cables were aesthetic. ( FPL representatives suggested that we should go on the Long Boat Key web site to read the comments from those residents) FPL informed us that they were in the process of hardening their current status but held it back until the decision was made to bury or not to bury the FPL cables. It is important to define " hardening the present system ". Simply put this means replacing the current poles and wiring to the current, more wind resistant system of poles and wires. This upgrade brings no immediate and direct cost to the residents. It is FPL's responsibility to service and upgrade the system when necessary.
The commission voted and decided to place this referendum on the ballot because it would not be fair to bury the cables based on a vote from (I believe ) 2008. Legally , on that vote it can proceed. The problem I see is that based on the way the referendum is written, residents will be voting on burying or not to bury the FPL cables without really being informed on how costly it can be to bury the FPL cables.
When you read the ballot, it is like voting on an unaffordable, wishful dream blindfolded. It's like " hey, how would you like to turn your 3/2 house into a mansion?" (I am being sarcastic) Who would not say but of course go right ahead! Who would not want the FPL cables buried? Probably most if not all? Who would want the FPL cables buried if they knew the cost? Probably not a single resident just based on taxes and personal costs for burning the FPL cables and other utilities.
You will be voting in roughly less than two months on an item that most of us have absolutely no idea on the total cost in increased taxes, added village expense and at least $ 3,000 to $ 10,000 personal cost. I am voting NO! You?
There were many other problems discussed at the town hall meeting such as when there are rising waters, no work can be performed on buried cables until the water recedes.
AT & T wants $ 200,000 up front from the village to do a study which will be applicable to the cost only if the upgrade is approved otherwise the money would be not refundable.
Mario Garcia
