Lake Helen . . . a ship of fools.

Fire Don Findell, the most overpaid individual Lake Helen has ever employed. Gee, wanna make back that 10,000 the city is gonna lose? Maybe the commission could figure out how to rent out an equestrian center that sits there virtually useless. Oh yea, but you can thank your former commissions for that error. With all their arena building experience lol, ignored the advice from an expert arena builder and deferred to a road paving company to build a horse arena. DUH. And gee, Lake Helen isn't all that big, not one person in city hall can figure out a rental agreement (which was provided many years ago to them) and get that facility used? You get what you pay for. Or what about the screw ups with the comprehensive land plan? Talk about a nightmare. And let's not even get into zoning. I will say this with the exception of 2 commissioners on board, the politics of the city of Lake Helen are disgusting and elementary. Furthermore, with the exception of a few people on here who really know what has been going on behind the scenes and it is very scary, that from the rest of the comments from people who have posted, it is obvious they are truly living with blinders on in la la land. You people truly have no idea how screwed up this City really is. The tax issue is but a sliver of the issues Lake Helen and it's governing body need to address and resolve. If these people cannot get out of the box with their old way of thinking and start making Lake Helen pay for itself, improve itself, support it's community and run it's own facilities as they should be, Lake Helen will be nothing more than a deadzone between Sanford and Deland.

Personnel files are available on the 3rd floor of the Admin. building in Deland.

Public record.

I would like to say to our City's employees, I am SORRY! I am sorry that you have had to endure being treated the way that you have by Commissioner Robbins, who was once in your shoes and was making more than all but one of you. I am sorry that you have been lied about, ridiculed, and disrespected. I am sorry that I have not taken the time to come and defend you. I am sorry that I have not acknowledged all that you have done for Lake Helen and my friends and my family. I want all of you to know there are many of us out here that do care and that do respect all of you.

This is the way I see it. In good times my wife and I did not want to work for government because there were hire wages to be had and far less aggravations to deal with in the private sector. We enjoyed the good times and all of the extras that came with it while our counterparts worked just as hard for much less for us back home in Lake Helen. My wife and I both enjoyed some very sizable bonuses. We invested our extra money in real estate and when everything took a dive we lost it all. We now only have about 1/5 of our previous income. With that said, we know that Lake Helen's employees had nothing to do with the failing economy. They choose their path to serve us and we choose ours to chase the golden egg. There is no way that I could support taking from these people who have already sacrificed to serve us and they have done a good job. I am not the type of person who will pick on the under dogs. I refuse to kick others around and I do not have any respect for those who do. These people had nothing to loose because we were not paying them enough to invest with in the first place. Ill pay the thirty exta dollars a year. Leave these people alone.

I worked for the City of Deland and left to go work for the County so I could make more money and so I did not have to put up with as much. I know what most of the guys working for Lake Helen make. They make a lot less and don't think they do not have to work as hard if not harder. I know what it is like to work for the County and what it is like to work for a City. We have newer better equipment to use and far fewer headaches. We mostly keep to our one assigned job working for the County where when I was working for Deland we had to do a lot of different jobs. I am sure that is the case if not worse out there in Lake Helen. Those guys work for what they make and they should not have their pay cut. I do not understand why people treat city workers the way they do. If you think city workers are lazy you need to open your eyes. Ricky and the guys that work with him are good people. If they have not even had a raise in a few years you shouldn't be trying to cut them now. I am not a name dropper but I know someone on here that was fired from the County. If you get fired from the County or you are asked to leave you have big issues. It takes a lot to get fired from the County.

Ahhhh, I see the inbred has returned !

People like you want to redistribute the wealth.

I'm keeping my money.....you pay my tax if you want a city government.

It helps to know people in high places....my tax bill proves that doesn't it ?? LMAO !

Case in point I would say. Now tell me he is not a parasite. I too will not vote for his friend Ann Robbins. Rick Basso and Lewis Long will have my vote this time around. FAIR TAX should mean that everyone has to pay an equal amount, that would be fair.

I'm a winner first cause I'm not from god forsaken N.J. !

And second, cause yankees are now paying MY taxes ! LMAO

Well if this Athey person supports Ann Robbins, I will be supporting the other guy. Athey sounds like a real winner. Live in Jersey and see what you pay in taxes people. People in Florida got it good.

Mr. Athey,

These people are jealous carpetbaggers who can't comprehend what is going on.

They don't understand that longtime Florida residents for a long period of time were footing most of the bill for new schools , roads and infrastructure because these carpetbaggers swarmed into Florida like locusts.

Save Our Homes was introduced for that reason. Why should people who have lived here for years have to foot the bill for people who can't stay home ?

As for the complaint about a 6,000 sq ft home vs. a smaller home. Isn't that what liberals are all about ? The "rich" should be taxed to the hilt while the "poor" should pay little or nothing .

Does the person who owns the 6,000 sq ft home have 12 children ? Why a house that large ? Are they showing off ?

Why be hypocritica and complain about property taxes but not income taxes ?

Mr. Athey they are just jealous.

The kind of upbringing that taught me how to pay little to no taxes....you idiots are footing the bill !

Mr. Athey no one wishes to go out to the playground and fight you, we are all adults. One can only wonder what kind of upbringing you had.

I agree Mrs. Logic the tax structure is not far. When you build a new home here you have to impact fees. After that you are burdened with higher taxes while others are paying very little.

LMAO !!!

After much thought....isn't it hilarious that I ONLY pay $32.10 to the city, plus my stormwater fee of $30.

I used to pay $0 until I put the addition on the back 9 years ago. That was the best...I didn't even pay for the trash pick-up ! !

What a COUNTRY ! ! ! LOL ONLY in AMERICA ! ! !

Everyone should be required to pay the same amout of taxes per single family home or unit. Most homes require the same amount of services regardless of size. A 400 square foot home on Lake Pearl requires the same amount of services, if not more, as the 6,000 square foot home that is located on McKenzie. The owners of the McKenzie home are paying $2,425 per year and the owner of the Lake Pearl home is only paying $32.10 per year, or should I say 9 cents per day. The owner of the home on Lake Pearl keeps saying he wants someone to buy his house, we have tried sell it but no one wants it. Perhaps if the owner was bit more community minded he would list it with one of the local professional realtors.

I worked with the yellow vet driving "BLANK". You only had to hear her in your meeting I had to hear her all day long. I am glad those days are behind me now and I am glad I don't live in the same town. Good Luck!

Master you are joking right ?

There are 52 weeks and 12 months in a year.

With your math there is 48 weeks in a year.

The person you are criticizing is correct and you are wrong. So who is clueless ? LMAO

I wish I were your boss so I could steal from you every pay period and you wouldn't even know. LOL

To Confused,

AMEN !!

TO PW and everyone else: As someone who is financially secure in spite of the economy let me tell you that it is because of what I sacrificed and scrimped and saved in my younger years. For many years I worked two jobs just to be able to save for "my" future. So please don't make remarks about Cindy or anyone else who has accumulated wealth by hard work!!! Just because I am not poor doesn't mean that I want to pay one extra dime in taxes and I will be paying "more" in taxes to Lake Helen. To me it doesn't matter if you're POOR or RICH it is still your money. I do not receive anything from the government - does that make me any better than someone who does?? Not in my opinion. And what does that really have to do with the issue at hand - we are paying more in Lake Helen for services than we really should be. Not much has changed in Lake Helen over the past few years except for the amount of salaries now being paid out. And I still believe for a town of a few thousand it is too much.

Let me get this straight.....if you pay low property taxes you are a parasite ? Does that make Cameron Lane a host to the parasite, since he rents and pays no property tax ?

It doesn't "take a yardstick" to measure Shuttleworth, Long and Snowdon success. it's all coming to lite now with the city financial situation and the huge pay raises given out during their days in office. Oh yeah, forgot, they didn't trust the voters 0r the 700+ signatures to do something about Findel's pay.

I'm with you Smitty. Cindy Shaffer can't be hurting all that bad, she might want to park that nice yellow corvette and pretend that she's poor.

The notion that "they just don't get it" or "they are not listening" is absurd. Don't think that the members of the commission who voted to approve the budget did not agonize over their decision. I am sure that they put a great deal of thought into their decision. They too are citizens and most have other members of their families living here with us. At election time there are few of our fellow citizens beating down the doors to City Hall to run for office. We need to show our elected officails a bit more respect and one of our elected officails needs to be a little bit more respectful. Think of it this way, would you sit up on that stage every other week and for special meetings? Would you like to hear people complaining day in and day out? Would you like to have your phone number made public so people could call you day or night? Would you like to be instantly despised by some because you simply disagreed with them? Would you want people driving by looking at your property trying to find any violation they can so they can report you?

Lets do a little background research pertaining to this article. Cindy Shaffer, who is mentioned in the article as someone at the meeting who was complaining, is now paying $108.28 less a year to Lake Helen. Shaffer's annual Lake Helen tax bill on two homes and one operating piece of commercial property is only $771.72 and she says "they just don't get it". Nancy Cox, another person mentioned in the article, taxes went up $.09 cents per day. At the meeting Ann Robbins complained her taxes were going up 20%. Saying it that way makes it sound like a lot, however they only went up $20.00 (from $100.00 to $120.00 a year).

Let me point something out to all of you. The City's employees have not had a raise of any kind in a couple of years. They are doing more with less as it is. They did not ask for a raise this year, they understand what is going on in the world around them. The person who was pushing for the pay cuts, Ann Robbins, was a former City of Lake Helen Employee who is now retired and is receiving a nice retirement, that is not being reduced. Some say Ann's family is bringing in nearly one-hundred-thousand dollars a year from the government.

Sure is a different picture when you know the truth.

Lake Helen's government was far more respected when Mark Shuttleworth was mayor.

Another spineless twit....

Generations of all mouth and NO action.

I don't need ANY government. If your family has been here for generations, why do you not have any money ?

I guess you are unhappy that you missed getting the tax bill I get, as if I had anything to do with it.

Face me and call me a parasite you wimp !

Macey you are soooo right !

True friends will tell you to your face what anonymous people will only dare to say behind by your back.

Much happier place 10 years ago.

When you live in a community and you are only paying $32.10 in taxes to that community annually, you are living off the rest of the tax payers who are paying their fair share and subsidizing your share of the burden for you. That would make one a parasite. A smart person would know that if Lake Helen were taken over by the county you would be required to pay a MSD (Municipal Service District) tax to the county that you are not currently paying. We would probably be subsidizing that for you as well. The small amount of savings would not be worth sacrifice. I guess to you 13 years is a long time. My family has been in Lake Helen for generations. We are sorry that you are not happy here and I wish I could buy your home from you so you could leave, however I don't feel it would be a wise investment because of its size. Lake Helen was incorporated in 1888 and it has seen good times and bad. Lake Helen is not going to unincorporate to make a few fools happy. We have had others like you come and go. We will be glad when you are gone. PS: Take the Robbins family with you.

I remember when Lake Helen was a happeir place to live. We have always had people arguing but there was nothing like what is going on now. Friends are not made using lies and deception.

What a bunch of crybabies.....

Who in this City thinks that it has gone to **** in a hand- basket IN JUST 2 YEARS ?????

This has been in the making for 10 years and people just now see a problem ? How many people still volunteer to do anything ? I've done plenty to cover the 13 years I've been here, but no more.

Ann Robbins is the only elected person to question ANYTHING Findell spits out, like her personally or not. The majority of commissions, past & present, have followed Findell's every lead, good or bad, mostly bad.

This tiny town needs a commission, police dept. & public works like Osteen, Samsula, Enterprise & DeLeon Springs needs one. Not at all.

I would gladly pay 10 times the amount of taxes I pay to get them all to just GO AWAY ! I don't need a **** thing they have to offer. I sure didn't purchase my property BECAUSE it was in the city limits. It was cheap & I paid cash.

I'll say it again....anybody make a reasonable offer for my property ( including all rights to Lake Pearl ) and I'll be gone tomorrow,

Lake Helen has been scarred since Ann Robbins and Joan Duffy were voted in. Two years ago Ann and Joan were both out on the streets of Lake Helen knocking on our doors telling us just how bad things were with our local government. They both insisted we needed change and that they would give us change if we voted for them. If you listened to Ann you would have thought there was wide spread corruption and that she was the only one who could save us from the evil villains Shuttleworth and Long. Thinking maybe Ann was onto something, considering she had just retired from working for the city, we voted Shuttleworth and Long out and Ann and Joan in. It didn't take most of us long to realize the mistakes we had made. Even Joan had a change of heart after realizing she had made a mistakes. We have all since learned just how low some will go to get elected. We should have known when Ann only spoke negatively about others and about the city that there was a problem. I will not be repeating the mistakes I have made in the past this election season.

100K ???? The city empolyees have not had a raise in 3 years, how many cost of living raises has the Robbins household had in the last 3 years? Enough to buy a new truck, camper, antique cars. They can thank the taxpayers for there very confortable lifestyle. How many loads of road base has been dumped on her road since she has been comissioner? I sure bet it cost more than what they pay in city taxes !!!I live off a dirt road and there has not been one load of road base dumped here since she has been elected. Does it sound like she has been using her position for personal gain? Sure make me wonder. What constructive thing she done since she was elected? Sorry gotta run, she's driving around the corner, gotta hide my chicken wings!!!!!!

Hey "Clueless",

You might want to check that math....

Can you explain how your weekly doesn't add up to your monthly ????

Did someone make a month not 4 weeks anymore ??

What a testament.....glad you aren't doing the budget.

Ann Robbins 2010 Taxes for Lake Helen

Yearly $120.85

Monthly $10.07

Weekly $2.32

Daily $.33

Ann's annual earnings from the City of Lake Helen for the last two years of employment about $60,000 per year.

Total Robbins Family annual household income from the state retirement system and social security about $100,000

Look on Ann Robbins face when confronted with the truth PRICELESS!!!

Does this not appear to be a case of "I got mine and to h&*^ with the rest of you, I am a politician now".

We voted her in and we are going to vote her out. I believe in showing those who serve us a little more respect. Ann was once in their shoes and she was treated well.

Hope you are finding somewhere new to live !

Long will fail again and you and your sorry husband will be crying the blues for 2 more years, better to just pack up your dump and haul it off.

As usual, you Libs can't argue with any factual people.

Hope you read a dictionary while away.......

Thank you for the correction. It is apparent that we have opposing views pertaining to Mrs. Robbins. I can also see that you are a rude individual and that you and Mrs. Robbins have a lot in common. No need to unincorporate, pack your things up and move and take the Robbins family with you. I can tell that you are a combative and unhappy little man with a low self-esteem. Unlike you I have a business to run and real issues to deal with. Don't waste your time with a reply, Ill be out of town for a few days.

BTW MM,

I have never heard of a "physical" conservative, but I am certainly a fiscal conservative. LMAO

MM,

You make my point better than I can.....what did the other commissioners propose ?????? NOTHING !

They can't come up with anything other than what Findell tells them, like little lost lambs.

Long stuck with the "three amigos" ( Shuttleworth-less, Snowed-under & Long-winded ) rhetoric throughout his entire "service" to the public.

UNINCORPORATE ! ! ! !

Teacher you are missing the point. Out front Mrs. Robbins is a card carrying member of the republican party and she is a proud anti-taxer and physical conservative. Yet behind the scenes she and her family are the benefactors of many government programs, to the tune of about 100K annually. How can she be so against the hand that feeds her. It is oxymoronic for Mrs. Robbins to speak out against taxes. She has done nothing to better this community, if anything she has harmed it. Her plan to save the city money was a joke. A seventh grade student could have come up with something better. For me it is not about wanting Mr. Long in office it is more about wanting Mrs. Robbins out of office.

Hey MM,

Will you say the same thing about Snowden ?? He is retired from a county agency.VCSO

What about the Chester ?? He will also receive a government pension.

Will you say the same thing about Findell ?? When he retires, (hopefully real soon !) he will receive a government pension.

You are obviously peeved at the last election, you lost, since it's apparent you voted for Long.

Well, you'll get your chance again and hopefully you can sit with Long and clip newspaper articles all day.

Send them ALL packing...UNINCORPORATE ! ! !

So, Johnny...kind of like the current Commission. Except they don't tell us what we want to hear, they just do whatever it is they please. No one is more guilty of that than the Mayor. She was going to change everything, (at least that was what we were told). Also, please tell me what accomplishments the current Commissioners have made? And I don't mean proclamations.

MM....so one is to be ridiculed for holding a government job? I guess you are a bit jealous that you were not as lucky.

Pearl...I suggest you go crawl under a rock!!!

You are nothing but "toxic" to this city.

Don't be so hard on Mrs. Robbins she is only being a good politician. She is telling you what she thinks you want to hear and she flipflops as needed. With her poor record and her nonexistent list of accomplishments she should be running for State or Federal office.

Ann was grand standing for the public, after all it is election time. Ann claims to be advocate of the taxpayer and she regularly speaks about "Tea Parties" and overtaxation when at the same time she and her husband are both receiving retirement checks from government jobs and she, her husband, and her daughter are all receiving social security checks and they all have medical coverage provided by the goverment. The Robbins household is receiving close to one-hundred-thousand dollars a year from the government. Ann talks out of both sides of her mouth and she puts up a fine front. Unfortunately for Ann there are far to many of us who know her true colors and who also remember the past. I have not forgotten, nor will I ever forget, the number of times I went to City Hall to obtain a permit or to handle other business and I was made to wait while Ann was on the phone chatting away about her weekend or talking to one of her co-workers about her vacation. Everytime I would return to my office my husband would ask me what took so long and I would reply "you know" and he would say "Ann". Ann was also allowed to babysit her daughter while on taxpayers time at City Hall. Ann had it good while working for Lake Helen and she has it good now with the benefits the taxpayers of Lake Helen paid for. Just how two faced can a person be?

Pearl,

I see you are using your favorite word again...despicable...

I'd love to meet your husband sometime, he must be a real wuss.

I am so glad that the reporter pointed out just how rude Cindy Shaffer can be. “They just don’t get it,” Cindy Shaffer muttered from her seat. “They just don’t get it at all.” This behaviour is common place for Shaffer and the rest of the small group of Robbins supporters. What is not mentioned here is that Shaffer and Robbins are close personal friends. My husband and I stopped going to the meetings for this reason. Some in this group have went as far as to threaten others with violence. Robbins and her pals do all they can to fill the meetings. They make phone calls and approach others on the streets. They spread venomous rumors and push their agendas using their deceitful and unethical practices. They are despicable people. I have lived here for many years now and nothing has disturbed me more. If Robbins told me the sky was clear, I would go outside to check for myself. It is election time again, at least this time we trully know what we are dealing with and we are ready for all of the propaganda that will come pouring out of the Robbins camp.

Vincent,

I believe "Dave" was being facetious.

Dave,

She was correct, it's "piece"! You obviously have the internet at your disposal. Please use it next time before you try making somebody other than yourself look ignorant!

"As the meeting drew to a close, each commissioner spoke his or her piece."

Shouldn't it be "peace"???

Let's see, an employee making ten bucks an hour loses 5 hours per month or $50 a month. Yep that's easier to swallow than the $2 to $3 a month residents would pay in increased taxes. What's the matter with you folk? If Lake helen wasn't so anti-develpoment, maybe the taxes would go DOWN!