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Atlantic Palms Moochin’ off Margate Taxpayers
• Condominium Association in Margate now owes water ratepayers $31,000
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Tuesday,
June 8, 2010
Atlantic Palm residents now owe Margate taxpayers $31,000 for water, sewer services and trash pickup, which includes about $11,000 in fines and magistrate fees. They’ve been delinquent in paying the city for almost a year and have recently been given another 30 days by Margate City Commissioners to arrive at what one could only describe as a “Hail Mary” payment.
They handed a check to the city for $3,000 last week, but because they continue to use these services, their bill continues to accrue, making it nearly impossible for the association to catch up.
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How did all this happen?
There hasn’t been any finger pointing yet as to who in the city has allowed this association to go so long without paying for services, especially when water gets turned off daily at Margate households across the city for residences who are all but two months late in paying their bill.
The budget for water and wastewater operations and maintenance in Margate is about $19.5 million a year. Roughly 30 percent of that, or approximately $5.9 million, is funded by water and wastewater revenues from multi-family complexes such as Atlantic Palms.
To have every multi-family complex in Margate not pay their water bill for an entire year would be devastating to Margate’s water operations infrastructure.
Margate residents who attended Wednesday’s commission meeting were furious at city officials for letting the situation get so far out of hand.
Resident Le Peerman reiterated the fact that she’s having a problem paying her $98 water bill, to which she would like some help as well.
“You’ll shut my water off for $90,” Peerman said. “Nobody’s going to help me.”
A newcomer to commission meetings, 23-year-old John Gerundo, told city commissioners that he’s “actually appalled this is happening” adding that Atlantic Palms not paying their fair share for services is not fair to the city, and not fair to taxpaying residents.
“Their hoping some big giant sky daddy is going to come up with the money,” said Gerundo, “I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”
Another resident came forward to tell commissioners and Atlantic Palms representatives that he sympathizes with their problem, but that he hasn’t worked for eight months, and while struggling to pay his mortgage has had to pay a $40 fee to get his water turned back on.
“I don’t think Margate residents should bear the brunt of it,” said the resident about the Atlantic Palms debt.
Wednesday night’s commission meeting was the third hearing since May regarding the Atlantic Palms debt and city commissioners were at each other’s throats over the matter.
Commissioner David McLean announced that it’s “God’s water” and that right now, it’s “no money out of the pockets of the taxpayers,” McLean said, adding that if anyone has a problem paying their water bill to call him.
Commissioner Arthur Bross insisted that Atlantic Palms has not been dealing in good faith and the water should be turned off if the association cannot pay its water bill.
“We have to guarantee water and sewer but they can’t guarantee they’ll pay,” said Bross.”
Margate Vice Mayor, Frank Talerico, although voting to give Atlantic Palms another thirty days to get caught up, wanted assurances that Margate will be the first to get their money, if and when finances rebound at Atlantic Palms.
Mayor Joseph Varsallone shouted “you don’t shut water off on babies and you don’t shut water off on seniors” shortly before calling for a vote of commissioners as whether to grant Atlantic Palms another 30 days to pay their bill.
Commission Pam Donovan said the city just can’t do it anymore.
“I cannot ask the residents of Margate any longer to subsidize you guys,” Donovan told Delphine Harrison, the association’s president whose unit is in the lis pendens stage of foreclosure.
About 14 units in the Atlantic Palms 76-unit complex have not been foreclosed on. The apartment building was converted to condos in 2007 and since, most of the original buyers have either walked away from their units or have stopped paying their bills.
City officials have discussed on more than one occasion reducing or dismissing the $11,000 in fines and hearing fees owed by Atlantic Palms for burdening Margate taxpayers.
Mayor Varsallone announced to the public Wednesday that anyone having a problem paying their water bill should contact the city manager.
Donovan invited anyone having a problem paying their water bill to attend the June 16 City Commission meeting and speak to Commissioner McLean about putting their bills on hold.
Commissioners voted 3-2 to give Atlantic Palms another month to pay their $31,000 water bill. Commissioners Donovan and Bross were in dissent.
Reader survey on Atlantic Palms debt (results not scientific).
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