9th Annual State of City Speech

Mayor Richard J. Kaplan will be televising the State of the City Speech on Comcast Channel 12 and/or 78 during December. Typically it is broadcasted on the second and last Monday of the Month at 6:30 PM, but that is not confirmed. It is expected that the speech will be repeated during the month of December at other unscheduled times. If you miss the speech, a copy of it will be posted on eLauderhill News, with a link to the city's web site: www.lauderhill-fl.gov.com

Top Gun Tennis Event

On Saturday, December 2, from 9 AM to 2 PM, the 1st Annual Top Gun Tennis Event will be taking place at West Wind Park. Singles & Doubles, Men & Women, and at all skill levels from ages 35 to over 70.

The event is free for present City of Lauderhill Tennis Members, and $15/person singles, $7.50/person doubles. A new can of tennis balls will be provided for each match. First and Second Place Trophies will be awarded.

To sign up, get a list of doubles partners, and for other information, contact Coach Donny at 954-245-2320.

Notes of Commission Meeting of November 13

The City of Lauderhill Commission met on November 13 and the following items of interest were discussed:

FIRST READING:

1) Approved the use of Green Roofs, which is part of creating Green Buildings


SECOND READING:

1) Approved an update relating to "Vicious Dogs," to come into compliance with state law, and providing additional protections to residents.

A Thanksgiving Poem

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, But I just couldn't sleep. I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned - The dark meat and white. But I fought the temptation. With all of my might.

Tossing and turning. With anticipation. The thought of a snack. Became infatuation.

So, I raced to the kitchen, Flung open the door, And gazed at the fridge, Full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey. And buttered potatoes, Pickles and carrots, Beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling, So plump and so round,' Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, Floating into the sky. With a mouthful of pudding, And a handful of pie.

But, I managed to yell, As I soared past the trees....Happy eating to all - Pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey be plump. May your potatoes 'n gravy Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize, May your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off of your thighs.

May your Thanksgiving be blessed!!

Author Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving and Special Stuffing Recipe

Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday of the year. It is one of the few holidays that anyone in America can celebrate. It is both nondenominational and nondiscriminatory. It is a joyous holiday to celebrate giving Thanks to what we have, and the promise of what we hope for. For those who are less fortunate, it is a time for helping and sharing.

Surrounding the Thanks itself are some of the most enjoyable traditions of any holiday. Turkey, with stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes/yams, pumpkin pie, special parades, a few extra days off and football, just to name a few. Bringing this all together with family and friends. What could possibly make anyone more happy?

So when you sit down this year to your Thanksgiving Feast, stop a moment and think of what is truly important, and enjoy the moment knowing that what you have IS what is truly important.

On behalf of the City of Lauderhill, my family and myself, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving, and go Lions. And since I now live in Florida, not Detroit any more, go Dolphins too.


DAD’S SPECIAL TURKEY STUFFING

½ LOAF WHEAT BREAD
½ LOAF CHALLAH
½ LOAF WHITE BREAD
2-3 OUNCES OF WHITE WINE
CAN OF MUSHROOMS (STEMS AND PIECES ARE FINE)
½ to 3/4 ONION
2 tbs. OLIVE OIL OR BUTTER
SEVERAL GARLIC CLOVES
2-3 STALKS OF CELERY
1 CARROT
HAND FULL OF PINE HUTS
HAND FULL OF DRIED CHERRIES
HAND FULL OF DRIED CRANBERRIES
CAN OF CLEAR CHICKEN BROTH/SOUP
CAN OF CRANBERRY SAUCE (WHOLE BERRY)
SPICES: SAGE, PARSLEY, THYME, MARJORAM, SALT, PEPPER, BASIL OREGANO


Grind bread in food processor, into coarse bread crumbs, then lightly toast on cookie sheet to dry out bread crumbs.

Drain can of mushroom, and while squeezing liquid out with lid, re-fill can of mushroom with white wine to marinate for at least 15 minutes. Chop carrots with half of the celery in food processor. Add rest of hand sliced celery to carrots with hand chopped onions and garlic. Mix. Begin to saute this mixture in olive oil or butter. Gradually add mushrooms with the wine, followed slowly by pine nuts, dried cherries and dried cranberries and spices. Let simmer.

Add chicken broth/soup when mixture wine is cooked down a bit. ("mixture")

Place mixture, after cooked, into bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Add cranberry sauce. Mix.
Stuff Turkey, or if placed into a separate dish add dripping of gravy while cooking.

Bates Wins Council Member Of The Year

November 17, the Florida League of Cities handed out its 3rd Annual City of Excellence Awards in Orlando. The City of Lauderhill submitted for 5 of the 9 categories, and 4 of our applicants were declared finalists. Rev. Herron for City Citizen of the Year, Kennie Hobbs, Jr. for Finance Director of the Year, The City of Lauderhill Unite-A-Fest Celebration for City Spirit Award, and Deputy Vice Mayor Margaret Bates for Council Member of the Year.

While we had hoped that all of them would be named the winner of their respective category, because we believe them to be extraordinary, Commissioner Bates did in fact win, for which we are all very proud of her. Her accomplishments are noteworthy, and she is an example of what is best in an elected position for cities. She now joins Mayor Kaplan as the city's other winner of the award (he won for Mayor of the Year in 2004).

Mayor Kaplan Receives National Award

The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization (AMPO) conducted its 2006 Annual Conference, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. There are about 480 MPO organizations that exist throughout the United States by federal law, representing urbanized areas, to address short and long term transportation planning.

At this year's Awards Presentation for Leadership in Transportation Planning, Mayor Richard J. Kaplan received the award for Elected Officials. Noted was his work as Chair of the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization http://www.broward.org/mpo/, Chair of the Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Committee (FL MPOAC) http://www.mpoac.org/, as a member of the Board of Directors of AMPO (2001-2006) including serving as its President 2003-2004, and one of the creators/founding members and first chair of the Southeast Florida Transportation Council (SEFTC).

More information, including other award winners are available at: http://www.ampo.org/awards/index.php

Lauderhill Police Department Open House

On Saturday December 2nd, from 10 AM to 2 PM, at the Lauderhill Police Department, 6279 W. Oakland Park Blvd., an Open House/Crime Prevention Event will be held. Please bring a neighbor or a friend. Refreshments will be available.

Lauderhill Holiday Concert Presented By Commerce Bank

On Saturday, December 2, a free Holiday Concert will be held at Lieberman Park, on Inverrary Blvd., next to the Inverrary Hotel, and across from City Hall. Featured at the concert will be the Gold Coast Jazz Society, Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Lauderhill Youth African Dance Troupe. Following the concert a Christmas Tree Lighting and Menorah Lighting will be conducted. The concert starts at 6 PM. Parking will be at City Hall.

This event is presented by Commerce Bank, and is also sponsored by All Service Refuse, Florida Medical Center, Staples and the Sunrise/Lauderhill Jaycees. For more information: http://www.lauderhill-fl.gov/Brochure%202nd%20type.pdf

Florida Cities of Excellence Awards

It has been announced that Lauderhill has 4 finalists in the 2006 Florida League of Cities, Cities of Excellence Awards. They are:

City Spirit Award - Lauderhill: Unite-A-Fest
Council Member/Commission of the Year - M. Margaret Bates
City Finance Official of the Year - Kennie Hobbs, Jr.
City Citizen of the Year - Rev. Dr. Melville B. Herron

Winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet November 17 in Orlando. Past Finalist of the City include: Commissioner Lee Mirsky, Police Chief Ken Pachnek, and Berryl Collins. Our Past Winner is Mayor Richard J. Kaplan - Mayor of the Year 2004.

Your New Elected Representatives

On November 7, 2006, you elected new representatives to represent Lauderhill in several offices. The following is a list of those elected/re-elected which serve Lauderhill:

US Senate
Bill Nelson

US Governor
Charlie Crist

State Senate
Jeremy Ring

State House
Matt Meadows
Ari Porte
Perry Thurston

Congress
Alcee Hastings
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

School Board
Phyllis Hope

Congratulations to all the winners.

Notes of Commission Meeting of October 30, 2006

The following is a summation of action by the City Commission which may of interest to residents:

PRESENTATIONS:

1) Congratulations Awards to the members of the Lauderhill Angels Netball Team
2) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award to the City of Lauderhill for the 16th consecutive year. (Note: Kennie Hobbs, the Finance Director has been named a finalist by the Florida League of Cities City of Excellence Award for Financial Officers)
3) Follow up on presentation by Vice Mayor Dale Holness on the Sister City relationship created with Falmouth, Trelawny, Jamaica

FIRST READINGS:

1) Ordinance amending regulations to create new requirements relating to "Dangerous Dogs," replacing the term "Vicious Dogs," to have the city code come into compliance with state law. Co-Sponsored by Mayor Richard J. Kaplan (also, substantially re-written by him from his original law written by him in the early 1990's) and Commissioner Howard Berger who requested it.

2) Approved Firefighter Union Contract for 3 years.

RESOLUTIONS:

1) Approve a Letter of Agreement with Broward Community College and Lauderhill to provide non-credit continuing education classes for a fee, and free refugee classes through the Renew Program, to residents in city facilities.

2) Approved Memorandum of Understanding between Broward County Head Start Program and the City.

3) Declared the property known as the old City Hall at 2000 City Hall Drive as surplus property, making it available for sale or lease.

4) Declared the 1 acre parcel owned by the city adjacent to the Police Station on Oakland Park Blvd., as surplus, making it available for sale or lease.

5) Approved a resolution regarding the proposed widening of Pine Island Road to require action to take any and all actions necessary to protect and preserve the quality of life and value of housing impacted by the widening, and upon the failure of the county to address these needs, authorization to request the MPO to take action in preventing the widenining of the street.

6) Appointed members to the Charter Review Board. Vacancies still exist.

7) Approved First Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with Broward County and Lauderhill CRA, for the funding in the amount up to $4,369,016, $3,000,000 to apply to acquisition an demolotion/clearing and up to $1,369,016 to be applied to roadway improvements.

8) Approved Interlocal Agreement between Broward County and Lauderhill CRA, for the funding in the amount up to $3,882,520 for the Central CRA, which consists up to $1,114,130 applied to the Linear Park ("Renaissance Park"), up to $2,768,390 toward roadway improvements on NW 56th Ave.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Set the Annual Retreat for January 12, 2007 at the Lauderhill Golf Center.

Changes in Water Utility Bill

A resident recently contacted the city to inquire about the changes in the water utility bill. I thought the response by the city's Finance Director, Kennie Hobbs, needed to be shared. His responds was as follows (deleting the resident's name):


Hello Mr. XXXXXXX. My name is Kennie Hobbs and I am the Finance Director for the City of Lauderhill and I will attempt to address your issue relating to your recent utility bill. You are correct; your new monthly bill reflects a slight increase from your previous bi-monthly utility bill. On September 11th and 25th 2006, the City held public hearings to discuss the restructuring of our utility billing system. At the conclusion of the meetings, it was determined that we would adopt a new billing structure that would adjust both fixed and variable costs. Below, I have included a table reflecting the net changes to your utility bill reflecting both a monthly bill and the new fee structure.


Fees------------ 2006 Rates---- 2007 Rates---- Dollar Increase
Garbage Fee---- $ 19.37 -------- $ 20.41 --------- $ 1.04
Availability Fee- $ 0.00 -------- $ 15.00 --------- $ 5.00
Availability Tax- $ 1.00 -------- $ 1.50 ----------- $ 0.50
Stormwater Fee-$ 8.00 -------- $ 10.00 --------- $ 2.00
Consumption----$ 36.00 --------$ 31.50 ---------$(4.50)
Consumption Tax$ 3.60 -------- $ 3.15 ---------- $(0.45)
Total Change----$ 77.97 -------- $ 81.56 --------- $ 3.59
Based on a one month bill using your actual consumption


In summary, your overall increase is $3.59 or 4.6 percent. Of the overall increase, $1.04 is a pass through from the garbage provider which the City has no control over. Therefore, your overall increase as a result of the new fee structure is $2.55. As you will notice even thought we increased our fixed charges, you benefited from the reduction in our consumption charges and utility tax.