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North Escambia Would Be Treated Differently Than Most Under Consolidation Plan
January 12, 2010
Most of North Escambia, with perhaps the exception of Century residents, would be treated vastly different from most residents of the county under a consolidated government plan proposed by the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission head by former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ken Bell.
According to a draft proposal to be presented to the consolidation committee today, the whole of Escambia County would be divided into general and urban “services districts”.
An urban area would be defined as an area containing a population of at least 1,000 people per square mile and could include contiguous areas with a population of at least 500 people per square mile. Essentially, urban districts would be south of Kingsfield Road, according to population density maps from the Escambia County Planning and Zoning office. The only North Escambia exception, according to the consolidation plan, would be the current Town of Century which would be classified as urban.
Outside the urban districts, the consolidated government would provide basic services — “airport, seaport, agricultural agent, courts, general ire services, emergency medical services, health, library, general law enforcement ervices, recreation and parks, streets and highways, traffic engineering, and welfare services”.
In the urban district, the consolidated government would provide “enhanced fire services, enhanced law enforcement services, street lighting, street cleaning, and other municipal services”.
Persons in the standard services district would, in exchange for receiving reduced services, pay a lower tax rate than those in the urban districts. There is no provision in the consolidated plan that defines how districts are to be drawn, with the exception that three districts must be primarily minority.
An elected council would govern the new entity “The Consolidated Government of Pensacola, Century, and Escambia County”. The council would consist of members from nine district. Nothing in the plan specifically provides that North Escambia would have more than one district; nothing in plan that we can find would prohibit North Escambia from being combined with other more urban districts.
Within 10 days of the consolidated plan becoming effective the Escambia County Commission and the Pensacola City Council would take over the new government, forming a “Joint Commission” to prepare for the transition. The Town of Century would have no input into the new government. Any Century town employees would become employees of the new consolidated government, but the town’s mayor and council would no longer have any authority.
The consolidated government would actually not consolidate several agencies. The following agencies would continue to operate:
- Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board
- City of Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency
- Escambia County Area Housing Commission
- Community Redevelopment Agency of Escambia County
- Escambia County Housing Finance Authority
- Escambia County Law Library
- Escambia County Health Facilities Authority
- Escambia Soil and Water Conservation District
- Santa Rosa Island Authority
- Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission
- Pensacola-Escambia Promotion and Development Commission
A single utilities authority, the Consolidated Utilities Authority, would govern utilities for the entire consolidated government, replacing the current Emerald Coast Utilities Authority and Energy Services of Pensacola.
To become reality and combine the governments of Pensacola, Century and Escambia County into one, the plan must first be approved by the Florida legislature and by voters. The Town of Century has withdrawn all support for the idea, and the Escambia County Commission has asked the legislature to delay any possible vote on the plan until 2012.
In the event voters in Century did not approve the consolidation plan, Century would remain an independent town. The same holds true for Pensacola; if Century voters approved the plan and Pensacola voters did not, the Town of Century and Escambia County would combine into a consolidated government.
To download the complete draft consolidation proposal as of January 12, 2010, click here(pdf).
Pictured bottom insert: Escambia Consolidation Study Commission Chairman Kenneth Bell addresses the Pensacola City Council Monday afternoon.
Comments
39 Responses to “North Escambia Would Be Treated Differently Than Most Under Consolidation Plan”
Quotes from the document that should make everyone cringe and here’s the money grab for city pension plan:
“C. As soon as practicable, the Council shall determine the pension plan or
plans to which new employees shall be members.”
and…
“The new city resulting from the consolidation of the City of Pensacola and the
Town of Century and Escambia County shall be a “municipality” for the purposes
of revenue sharing…”
Revenue sharing? Here is the catch-all phrase that is going to allow the downtown crowd to tap into our tax dollars! VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATION! It is obvious that the only benefactor for this is Pensacola.
Anyone have any ideas on how to convince SouthEnders that consolidation isn’t in THEIR best interests?
Let the public relations campaign begin!
“Blinded” is truly BLIND! No, I’m not Dave Murzin – not even close. But you can keep trying (wink for you – William). I live in the real North Escambia and from here; it’s some 20 miles down to Cantonment. I stand by my observations of Greg Evers and he is nothing more than a used car salesman who has sold his constituents out in the name of consolidation.
If anyone would like to discuss consolidation efforts, trains or any other issue with me, I encourage you to contact me directly. I do not post to blogs under any other name but my own. I invite you to contact me directly at davemurzin@yahoo.com or call my cell at 380-8249. Thanks, Dave
A lot of good points have been made on this matter.
In regard to the proposed project on the west side of the county, remember what happened with the “town” that Santa Rosa was going to build, the county had town hall meetings for “citizen input” and all sorts of show was put on, then once all the rezoning was done there was a sudden change of plan. No new town.
I think that a well organized collective voice of the rural citizens of the county should speak for themselves in Tallahassee, perhaps there is a local attorney that could help with drawing up a well crafted statement that expresses the will of rural citizens. The south end has never needed you before, so I’m wondering why they need you now. Maybe they’ve run out of places to “create jobs” by building strip malls. Just think how many driveways and strip malls they could put along 29. Getting organized and staying motivated for the next two years will be necessary because 2 years is long enough for folks to forget what’s been taking place, yet plenty of time for the south end to be better organized against the north end.
Take a look at this, see those two devilish little districts up our way?? How’d that come to be, such a small area with their own district??
http://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org/home.php
Thank YOU, BBTL cuz I can see clearly now, son… But, Oversight, your right-on. If The Murz had his way he would have sent the money and power a little farther south like Orlando. Remember his love of trains, $450 million big ones for his buds CSX (big Murz contributors). Truth is that a lot of our road moneys have went over the past few years to support this waste. Way to go, Murz. When you want to talk about sponsorships, that was quit a sponsor. You’d have us consolidated with South Florida. But now to the line….. If Greg was the only rep to vote for this he has a very powerful vote for sure. But it was unanimous. As chairman he did what was asked to do by the elected officials in the county. Remember then (unlike now) the County Commission supported the study, Century supported the study and Pensacola supported the study. So he put consolidation forward to be studied and worked out so as I have been told. Will he vote to bring this to the people for final say? I don’t know, But if Greg;s one vote passed this, The Murz can call in his choo choo buddiess from South Florida to kill this in the House. Remember the $450 million favors The Murz is owed by folks in Orlando, Miami, Broward & Palm Beach. (LOL), I would hope Greg will read this for himself and come to the conclusion it needs a lot of work. I say let’s put it off. 2012 works for me!!! Even better: 2020 or 2030. Maybe by then, we’ll have us a choo choo. Or better even yet…. a road.
Oversight a/k/a Dave Murzin, get off your blackberry. You don’t belong in North Escambia and we don’t need your “oversight” here. Evers voted – just like you did and the whole rest of the delegation did UNANIMOUSLY – to let a study group form to make some recommendations and come back for a real decision. He only did that after he made sure that North Escambians had a seat at the table to participate on that commission in making those recommendations. If I remember correctly – and I was there – you had some amendment that night that would have just let them have their election without any oversight or review.
The real test is what each of you do with those recommendations – you included. You especially. We’ll take the oversight on from there and we’ll make sure we hold each one of you accountable. You don’t need to campaign up here in North Escambia. Quit wasting your time. We make our own minds up and we know you. More importantly, we know Evers.
As chair and leader, Evers owed us the responsibility to lookout for our best interest; he did not! He could have sat on the motion and let it die or relieved himself as a conflict if he did not agree with the process of consolidation and let one of the other reps run with it. But he didn’t do that. He pressed on at the pleasure of those with consolidation stars in their eyes, so he could benefit from their financial support for his state senate run. Just recently there was an article that boasts how much money Evers has raised… Hmmm, where all that cash came from? Surely not from North Escambia folks!
This article states: Escambia County Commission has asked the legislature to delay any possible vote on the plan until 2012.
When is the legislature scheduled to decide if their will be a delay on the Consolidation vote?
Again, Oversight, you are sorely misinformed on this issue. I will try to spell it out for you since you are such an Evers hater and a lover of Murzin for some reason unknown. As the Delegation Chair, it is the responsibility of that person to carry the bill or the proposal that is before the delegation. As Chair, Evers did carry the proposal to deal with consolidation. It does not mean in any way that he supported it or was even pushing for it or at the least an advocate of consolidation. But it was his responsibility to carry the proposal and he has since received a lot of flack for it. Especially seen here on this website by people such as yourself. Evers is no longer the chair of the delegation. It is Clay Ford. So any hatred towards consolidation should be directed at the entire delegation for going forward with such a proposal. This includes Dave Murzin. The other thing that needs to be considered is that this is something that the delegation was allowing the people of Escambia County to vote on in the coming elections. It by no means put into place consolidation. And the bottom line is that the people of the area deserve to have a voice and say. And if they didn’t want it, then they could have simply voted not on it. But once again, you should not penalize someone for carrying a proposal when it was that person’s duty as the chair to carry it.
Interesting reader, you just said a mouth full; we don’t have the people in the north end of the county to make a difference??? Are we going to just let the have’s continue to take advantage of the have not’s?? We as a group should not let the people of south end of the county dictate to us how should be governed!! This is exactly what this consolidation is all about let those individuals in the south end of the county governing us (because they know more than we do, and we can’t think for ourselves). So why should the whole county vote? Why not have the north end vote for consolidation, and if that passed then so be it
Just remember the voice of the many out way the voice of the few. Let us stick together on this one, and not let the ball drop. Vote NO!!
NO ONE NORTH OF KINGSFIELD ROAD COULD POSSIBLY BELIEVE THIS CONSOLIDATION IS A GOOD THING. THAT SAID, WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO KILL IT SO, AS USUAL THE LOWER AREA OF THE COUNTY BENEFITS AND WE HERE IN THE NORTH END ARE LEFT TO HELP THEM PAY FOR THEIR SERVICES. LOOKS LIKE WE GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK AGAIN.
Perhaps you are in the process of creating a PAC (Political Action Committee) against consolidation. Someone should research how to do this There are both state and federal laws to be complied with I think.
To Concerned North End Resident:
Thanks for creating a group on Facebook, but I’m not a member (Facebook) and don’t want to be. So hopefully whatever I or anyone else can do to help will pop up on this site. I’m available to put signs up if we can get any. Thanks.
I agree. The south end has never cared about the people on the north end. But they sure want our money. They don’t care how far we have to drive to get our tags or anything else. There aren’t even any jobs for us on the north end. I pray that the favor of God comes for the people on the north end. I believe if everything was on the north end, the people on the south end would feel the same way. I know one thing, I wont vote again for anyone or anything ever again. County Commissioner waist their time and gas coming to the north end asking us to vote for them only to lie to us. They say they will help us. After their elected we see nothing they promised.
Read most of it, scanned some. Got a few things from it. This proposal has so many loop-holes in it, it’s unreal. Even if this proposal passes as is, in it they give themselves the power to change any part of it at any time. The people in the north end would have to keep an attorney on retainer to attend the meetings to keep up with what they’re doing. Or maybe we need to elect an attorney as our board member. Life ain’t gray if you don’t make it gray. The commissioners already keep our lives gray. Just think how dark and cloudy it’s going to get if this passes.
This consolidation proposal stinks worse than the sewage plant they are building in Cantonment that Cantonment residents won’t be permitted to use for their sewage.
If Pensacola proper wants to consolidate with someone so badly, why don’t they consolidate with their nearest neighbor, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), which was convenently left off the list above. Why? Because Pensacola knows that SRIA would fight being consolidated tooth and nail for the same reasons we need to fight this nonsense.
There is now a Facebook group titled “North Escambia Residents” for those interested in this cause.
Bill, you’re right about that- it was shameful how quick & quiet the ECUA trash scam went down— however, even though “our” elected officials continue to ignore the wishes of the voters on so many issues, we must not develop a “well, they’re gonna do whatever they want anyway” attitude.
That leads to apathy, and when you don’t fight against this sort of boondoggle & blatant power grab, you’re acquiescing to being a subject, instead of a citizen.
We can all give a huge thanks to our district one state representative, Greg Evers, for this fiasco. He sold us out for the almighty downtown crowd and their dollars when he sponsored and pushed the legislation last year that moved this process forward. Pandering to the downtown crowd when he is our rural representative was a shameful, selfish move on his part and he should be recalled. Vote NO on consolidation and vote for anyone other than Greg Evers (like Dave Murzin) for state senate!
North county give it up. For all the rhetoric and emotion nothing can or will be done.
Case in point: ECUA took over garbage collection from Allied Waste a Short while ago with someones permission. Whereas collection services was twice weekly (192 gallons) for about $16.00 per mo, it is now once a week (96 gallons) for about $16.00 per mo. Some reaction was , Well I don’t have that much garbage anyway so what.
We GAVE AWAY business that private enterprise was doing efficiently to a government entity giving less service and they didn’t even fire a shot
I will create a Facebook page and we can start there. Anyone against this plan can join and we can communicate through Facebook for now.
I agree with CONCERNED NORTH END RESIDENT. We need a collection of people to donate different services. Maybe a web site designer, sign maker, bumper stickers, flyers. How can we find these people?
Hmmm-or maybe NorthEscambia.com could devote a section or forum just for this? Just a hopeful thought.
A Century town hall meeting sounds like a great place to start and it appears that we don’t have much time to start preparing this fight either. Simular to how the Health care bill is being handled, this too seems like a matter the government wants done like yesterday.
Look how all the rates that involve driving was doubled and in some cases tripled for the local residents the beginning of 2010, without even as much as a consideration to us that we might have something to say about it and definately not support it. I thought the way that too was handled was very unfair and very inconsiderate to tax paying voters.
It seems like everyday you wake up now, someone in local or state government has figured out another way to take more money from the pockets of the “have nots” putting it into the pockets of the “have plenty” but apparently they don’t know how to manage it correctly and/or they are just plain greedy. Either way, as usual the “have nots” are the one’s who suffer the most!
Went back and read it again and my questions are mute. I would like to know who came up with this idea. And does less services than the rest mean the same ones we’re getting now or less.Ha. It seems that our state legislators are the ones we need to be talking to. Intend to download the proposal and read it all!
Janice
Am I getting this right? Is the commission requesting this consolidation be voted into law by our state legislation? If not, why are they involved? Would like an informed blog by William. Janice Parker
NO WAY…. U ALREADY TOOK THE HEATH DEP, AND TAG OFFICES FROM US. WE HAVE TO DRIVE 30 TO 45 MINS TO DO ANY OF THESE THING. WHAT NEXT MAKE OURS KIDS GET ON A BUS AT 4AM, TO GO TO SCHOOL IN PENSACOLA. . PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH END DONT GIVE A RIPE ABOUT US UP HERE IN THE NORHT END,
I believe we need to have a “town hall” style meeting to get all of us together that do not want this and come up with a “plan” to get the word out. Passing out flyers, putting up signs, someone mentioned bumper stickers. If we sit back and take no action then, we are doomed!
I’m glad to see that there are other folks ready to move against this VERY BAD IDEA.
Is there some place where we can get VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATION bumper stickers, etc.?
Ok, my friends it is time to put on your work clothes, lace up your work boots, and get to work stopping this nonsense. From what I read, most of the county (Kingfield North except Century) is going to be getting what we already have. I have a gut feeling someone is going to make a lot of money off this deal, and we the tax payers are going to be left holding the bag/paying the bills. As you can read, the consolidation does not include all the agencies in the county/city. This group of individuals is already cherry picking what they think needs to be consolidated and what don’t. We as citizens of Escambia County are going to have come together to defeat this consolidation movement or your lives are really going to change forever. I support change but not this type of change where (in my opinion) we lose control of our right to govern and let the others (the downtown crew) tell us what we can and can not do. I also feel the individuals (Kingfield north) “HAD” the opinion to just leave the south end of the county alone, and the north end of the county would survive. As you can see the south end of the county is not going to let this happen. They need our tax base to survive!! It is going to take a great effort on everyone part to defeat this movement, so get out and start spreading the word. VOTE NO!!!
“There is no provision in the consolidated plan that defines how districts are to be drawn, with the exception that three districts must be primarily minority.”
So it is o.k. to segregate based on the color of skin a citizen has. So non white’s can have special laws written in for them under affirmative action, hate crimes bills, and now our very own local consolidation plan. A long time ago when I was in elementary school I was taught that everyone in this country was created equal. Men and women, whites, blacks, Italian, Irish, or Indian. Around my mid teens years I figured out what this story points out, that is just a myth we tell our children. If you are Caucasian, hard working, and educated, apparently you are an enemy of the state these days and they have to plan around you. Sad really.
I think most of North Escambia will not vote for this, but because we don’t have the number of voters to push it out, we need to convince our Pensacola neighbors to vote against it. I’ve always thought 5 commissioners have too much “power” and say about our district, but this new plan would put 1 representative for our district against 9! No way.
The city districts already have “enhanced” services. I think we’ll ALL end up paying more for the very same thing, but with 10 separate districts, the good old boy politics will just become more concentrated and stronger in the higher density areas.
This really isn’t for our benefit and they know it. They also know we don’t have the voting numbers to rock the boat.
The DIB and CRA alone are presently the operative thieves of county monies being spent for City of PNS residents. THAT is all they are….thieves (oh, and liars on how your money will be spent for themselves). They are the first two listed to remain in tact. No ! No ! NO !
change (?) you can believe in
Strange that 48 hours after the supporters of consolidation pulled back on their push & delayed the vote, the PNJ does a frontpage story on a “Sector Plan” whereby a group of developers have obtained approval (first step) to build their own 16,000 acre community (or city) in rural west Escambia county. Whastup?
They’re telling us how it’s gonna be; surely people are not going to fall for this power grab.
No on consolidation! No! No! No! Enough of government garbage.
From the info you’ve given here, I, for one, would have to say that the proposed consolidation would not produce any great benefit for those of us in the North End, while concentrating [policy-making & taxation power] decision-making with the decidedly unscrupulous “South End Bunch”.
Wow, all I can say is …absolutely no way! I hope the citizens of the northend of our county and the citizens of Century read this carefully. There is less representation than we have right now , if this were to pass. READ people, READ..make an informed decision.