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Apopka City Budget 2023: Department Heads propose three budgets and meet with employees this cycle

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Editor's Note: Rod Olsen is a former HOA President of Rock Springs Ridge and an Apopka resident who often contributes his opinions at the Apopka City Council meetings during the public comments section and in frequent op/eds with The Apopka Voice.

Last Friday, Olsen wrote an open letter to the Apopka City Council about the upcoming budget workshops.

Hello Mayor and Commissioners, 

Although I have never worked in city government, in 40+ years of business with a reputation for meeting and exceeding budgeted expectations, the following approach set the table for this success.

Strongly recommend that you require all City Department Heads to present 3 proposed budgets this budget cycle:

  1. Gotta' have!  As a minimum, what my Department must have to meet current and projected growth needs.  
  2. Liketa' have!  What my Department would like to have to manage current and projected growth needs more effectively.  
  3. Dreamta' have!  What my Department would need if money weren’t a concern. If we had everything, we would dream of managing current needs and projected growth needs more effectively.  

These proposed budget recommendations would begin with each Department Head meeting with each Employee to ask what they need to perform their job better.  

Each Department should meet with each Department they serve to determine what they can do to meet their needs better.  Examples:

  • Fleet Maintenance would reach out to every Department they serve.
  • Finance & Human Resources would reach out to each Department they serve.
  • Parks & Recreation would reach out to every group they currently serve and any new group that has requested facility usage in a similar fashion.

Given the fact that Apopka is the largest city in Orange County in square miles, response times and staffing levels for the Apopka Police and Fire Departments must be entered into the equation when looking at equipment and staffing needs.

As for the Fire Department, the Gannon Report should be the City’s guide.

Further, and especially given our growth and ongoing Taxpayer concerns, you should reach out to all Taxpayers and inquire: “What is one thing the City can do to meet my needs better”?

From experience, the best budgets usually fall between gotta and liketa have, with an occasional dreamta have entry. 

Thanks for your consideration.

If there is anything I can do to assist, please let me know.

Apopka, Apopka Budget, Rod Olsen, Ap[opka Police Department, Apopka Fire Department

Comments

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  • wheresthepopcorn

    All I know is that the budget for Legal is going to go up. They will never find an attorney and it will cost 3 times as much to get outside counsel.

    Why are y'all obsessed with Gannon? Aren't there others that provide the same service and maybe better at a better price. Just sayin.

    Let's not forget the costs to redo the charter, thank you Becker.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • MDuran

    Popcorn, we would like to have Gannon complete what was started. Having a different company come in kind of makes us take a few steps back. Gammons findings were hard on everyone involved. We are desperately trying to keep moving forward

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • wheresthepopcorn

    Mr Duran, has the mayor or anyone said why they don’t want to use Gannon? Sometimes we have to take a step back to make a gisnt leap forward. I know y’all don’t trust the mayor but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt here. The department can make some changes without there services. The fire chief should know.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • MDuran

    Popcorn, there is a reason. The city tried to get Gannon to change the report. They refused. That angered the mayor. The changes that AFD has made so far, dating back to our fight for a training and safety life chief and 18 firefighters was our push. NOT the mayor nor the chief, even though they BOTH take credit for it. Other changes made by the department are ALL changes based on what Gannon found of fault. All of them. Furthermore, the chief is still failing to answer the more critical areas that 100% lead to my son’s preventable incident and that is operational, foundational and cultural failures. I literally asked for a one on one meeting with the mayor almost 2 weeks ago. Asking, begging for him to work with me and gave him some ideas for the fire chief to work on. The mayor agreed and said he would meet back with me in a week. That was last week. He did not keep his word. You may want to give the mayor and/or the fire chief the ‘benefit of doubt’.. I already did. Austin already did, believing that senior staff would not send him to do something that could kill him. And you are 100% correct. The fire chief SHOULD know. He does not. He heads a department of 133 souls, yet needs a coach to learn how to communicate. I can not and will not sit on my hands and wait for another LODD due to no training, no safety and no supervision. Your mayor minimized my sons death by saying out of 8 possibilities, the department ONLY failed one. Training. That IS THE ONE that my son and the other firefighter DID NOT GET. And I am told that it’s ‘just something that fell between the cracks’

    That culture and foundational failure killed my son. Your mayor never once came to me to speak about Austin. The lie that Wylam visited Austin in the hospital blows me away. Only 6 members of my family was allowed in Austins room. We stayed with him 24/7. Honestly, we asked for NO ONE to go up to his room. We did not want other firefighters to witness the condition of his body.

    I don’t know who you are. But I know most all of the firefighters. 85% of them don’t trust the chief. The city attorney did the right thing. Charter or no Charter. He lost trust. The fire chief should know to do the right thing also.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • wheresthepopcorn

    Mr. Duran I would follow up with the mayor on the one on one.

    I did some investigation. Gannon can’t be hired to implement the findings of the report. Makes no sense but the law doesn’t always make sense.

    Let’s just get someone to implement the findings.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • MDuran

    We will try to get someone in place. And I won’t follow up with this mayor anymore. He doesn’t seem interested in reforming the AFD.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • Richard

    Mr Popcorn, Nelson doesn’t give two craps about the fire department and protecting the community. If he did he and Bass would not have fought so hard on putting the third firefighter on every truck. They came up with all kinds of delays and excuses. And the Chief stood there with his finger up his rear not saying anything. Mr. Duran is absolutely correct. The pressure from the community and three smart Commissioners made it happen. Only then did Smith and Nelson follow. I can’t wait to see if the Fire Chief actually request additional funding to put the fourth firefighter on the trucks to meet national safety standards and bring the department in line with the rest of the professional departments in the area. The scrutiny and push from the citizens is not over.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • Richard

    Oh I forgot. Great article Rod Olson. And Corn head, I’m all about spending more money and getting a real professional Attorney. Someone like the woman who represented Southwick Commons group. She’s the real deal.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • wheresthepopcorn

    A City Attorney for Apopka needs prior government experience. The attorney for Southwick is not qualified. She would never take the job. You guys are all for the increased spending until your taxes go up. The Gannon report should be the guide as per the article but they can not implement by law. Being an HOA president is not a good comparison to an entire city.

    Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this

  • MamaMia

    How about this one? What good is a low millage rate if we have a 25 percent sales tax? This from Dennis New, the recall guy on video, him and the mole talking. Or his advice, just cut your water off, and let your yard go brown, and let God take care of it.....and all the talk about Tiger Bay Club, and suspiciousness of the members, and what they are up to? TBC has been around long as I can remember. What is the difference in the mayor hiring the daughter of one of TBC club members to do some of his campaign work, and the difference in former Mayor K, Velazquez, Becker, and former commissioner Ruth, hiring Christine Moore, to run their campaigns, as their campaign managers? Their paid for hire campaign manager ....so what if the mayor paid the TBC man's daughter big bucks to hire her......Christine Moore was getting rich off running these political campaigns, while she was on the school board, but is now a Orange County Commissioner. She was paid big bucks too! Big bucks, yes! A little pack of the anti Nelson cronies, with Mayor K out, as well as Ruth, who has been quiet since he lost the election, but I see K posting some. Bigger anti Nelson cronies behind the scenes operating also, but none that you have seen or heard out of, but they are powerful, and I know who they are!

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • MamaMia

    Is the city council having pre- council meetings, before the regular city council meetings? How can this be, if they are? What about the sunshine laws, and out in open government? Is the public allowed in on these meetings? I don't know if they are, but I heard something mentioned about it. This apparently was Commissioner Nick Nesta's idea. He is the one that wanted these pre meetings. I have to ask, why? Also, I do NOT BELIEVE Nesta's drummed up figure of $945,000 per year of lost bank interest. No, I don't believe those figures! Just conjure up anything, and someone will believe it.

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • MamaMia

    Reply to Richard:. Richard are you serious? You want to hire the lady attorney who represents Southwick Commons group to be the COA attorney? Why would the city hire an attorney that has been in opposition to the city in court, over these apartment issues? That makes zero sense... Hey, let's just hire Rudy Giuliani, as the city attorney, makes about as much sense as your suggestion. I read he is much experienced in screaming matches, that would be a great qualification for the job vacancy here, has done a singing rendition on the Masked Singer of "Bad to the Bone", dressed as a rooster, and has dripping hair dye when he sweats. What more could Apopka want, or need, as a professional attorney? He also has experience as being a Mayor!

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • wheresthepopcorn

    Mama

    No one understands what the attorneys job actually is. Even if Rodriguez explained it, they would disregard it. Pre Council meetings, lol! Of course! I am sure they text and call but the mole wants the mayor's cell.

    From what I recall reading in these comments somewhere, the commissioners are to have 1 on 1 meetings with the attorney before each meeting. From what I hear, there is one that never shows up.....I guess that individual totally disregards his opinion.

    You do not want an attorney who is the Jack of all Trades and the Master of none.... This is why outside counsel is used. It is like hiring a specialist. I don't want to go to my primary for oncology.

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • MamaMia

    So they do have pre-council meetings? So one is a no show...hmmm. I don't think it is Nesta, as he was the one wanting the pre-meetings. Why, I don't know? Velazquez is retired, Smith is retired, don't think the mayor would be a no show.....is Becker the no show? I don't get it. Now we don't have a city attorney to advise the council, and city, and I am angry about it! Thanks, where's thepopcorn......

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • Richard

    Mama & Corn Head, once again you only read what you want. I never said hire the Southwick Attorney. I said hire someone as good as her. As far as having government experience, we’ll she sure schooled our big time government experience lawyer. Lol. We as taxpayers will be paying for his bad advice for awhile.

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this

  • wheresthepopcorn

    Richard

    Wow, you are just going word for word from Eddie. Neither of you know what you are talking about. What is with you people? You just believe what he says.

    Y'all just don't understand all those big words the attorney uses and say that he is demeaning and makes you feel stupid.

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Report this