Latest news with #CityClerk
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Apply now: Windsor seeks new Ward 2 councillor
Those interested in becoming a city councillor in Ward 2 can now apply. Nominations opened Monday to fill the vacant seat after city council voted in favour last week to hold a byelection. This decision comes after former Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante resigned on June 22. Candidates seeking nomination will have until Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. to register. Those wishing to run for the election must be a resident of the City of Windsor, a non-resident-owner or tenant of land in the city, or the spouse of such owner or tenant. They must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18-years-old. Residents will head to the polls on Monday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting will take place on Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, October 18, at Campbell Baptist Church on Wyandotte Street West. Polling locations for October 27 are still being finalized and will be released in the upcoming weeks. Interested candidates must fill out the prescribed forms in the City Clerk's Office at City Hall Square. A nomination filing fee of $100 applies.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vero Beach Mobile Home park owner owes $250,000 in fines to city, but won't pay or comply
This story was updated to add new information. VERO BEACH — Surrounded by auto repair shops and used car dealers, Vero Beach Mobile Home Park is a tight collection of nearly 50 trailers for low-income housing. Three dirt paths traverse the park, and cats are almost as plentiful as residents. Many of the residents are on disability or Social Security. Owner James Schlitt has a problem, though. He owes the city $263,750 — fines of $50 per day from Jan. 1, 2011, to June 10, according to City Clerk Sherri Philo. But, Schlitt says it's in his best interest to let the fines pile up. "It's a numbers game at this point," explained Schlitt. "It's costing me less money to let the fines pile up than it would to fix the problems." The violations levied against Schlitt require him to remove 17 homes from the property, move existing trailers 20 feet apart and clear the right-of-way from obstructions. Schlitt estimates removing one trailer costs $15,000 — or $255,000 for 17. "That's 17 homes that won't be available to people that need them," he said. "The city does not have a lot of cheap housing available already. We can't reduce it." The trailers rent for an average of $450 per month, and since 2011, removing 17 of them would have cost Schlitt nearly $1.3 million in rent over the 14 years the fines have piled up. The city has taken steps to foreclose on the property, officials said. Rock and a hard place The trailer park was established in 1951, and has looked virtually the same since. Schlitt bought the property in 2001. The code enforcement violations stemmed from a former secretary of Schlitt's, who, he said, stole more than $60,000 and disappeared. He says she filed the complaints, and vacated her trailer on the property the next day. Schlitt declined to identify the former secretary. "If she had not done that, we might not be in this situation," Schlitt said. "But, what's done is done." Turner inherited the case when he took his position with the city in 2019. "This case predates my time here," Turner said. "But there is a lot to consider, especially the lives of the people who reside at the park." Turner says the most common way for property owners to resolve large liens is to sell the property and use the proceeds to pay the fines. Schlitt says he's not selling. The value of the park is $479,818, according to the county Property Appraiser's Office. "We don't want to be in this situation either," said City Attorney John Turner. "But everyone is held to the same standard." Schlitt's wife sends weekly emails to the code-enforcement office, asking for help and how to resolve the situation. Until one is found, Schlitt repairs what he can. He doesn't foresee a resolution in the near future. "I walk the park and do my best to keep it nice," says Schlitt. "But, I am one person, and the nature of low-income housing is it tends to have some shortfalls." Local news: The Source buys site of Vero Beach Ranch for Boys Long time coming: Three neglected roads in Gifford to be paved, made safer, after 20 years He also does not want to put his tenants out on the street. "If I sell, who is going to look out for my residents," Schlitt asked. "Many of them have nowhere else to go." For now, his plan is to keep the park open and roofs over the heads of his residents. "I am just going to keep on operating it as I have been," Schlitt says. "And will continue to do so until I can't anymore." Nick Slater is TCPalm's Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at and 224-830-2875. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Local trailer park owner owes city $250,000, but isn't planning to pay Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Orlando Gudes withdraws from Tampa City Council race over residency questions
Orlando Gudes, a former Tampa City Council member, withdrew from the race for the vacant District 5 seat late Wednesday night amid questions over his eligibility to run. County records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show that Gudes changed his residency into the district last month, two weeks before he announced his candidacy. According to the county elections supervisor, candidates must have lived in their district 'for six months immediately preceding the commencement of their term of office.' The special election to fill the seat, which opened after the sudden death of council member Gwen Henderson last month, is set for Sept. 9, with a likely runoff in late October. Had Gudes won in either month, he would have resided in the district for fewer than five months. 'After thoughtful consultation with legal counsel, I've determined that although this matter is winnable, the financial and logistical strain of pursuing it during a condensed campaign timeline is not prudent,' Gudes said in a news release announcing his withdrawal. 'The City Clerk's interpretation of residency relies on the date a voter registration is changed—not on where one has physically lived," Gudes said in the statement. 'I, on the other hand, interpreted the Charter's residency requirement to be where a person physically lives.' He explained that he moved out of his 'personal home' after a family catastrophe and lives with his mother. He did not specify the district of either residence. Ten candidates remain in the race as of Wednesday. This is a developing story and may be updated. Check back at
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Former Wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state's elections commission says
MADISON, Wis. — A 'confluence of errors' including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin's capital city led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots.
CBC
26-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Future of downtown development to be debated over 2 days at Edmonton public hearing
Social Sharing Dozens of Edmontonians will be sharing their opinions on the future of downtown development as a two-day public hearing kicks off Thursday morning at city hall. According to the Office of the City Clerk, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 72 people had registered to speak at the special public hearing on whether city council should extend the downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) by 10 years. CRLs, which allow cities to borrow money against future property tax revenues, are a way to finance development in places where revitalization might not otherwise happen. When property values within a CRL area increase, a municipality can use the additional taxes to pay down the cost of borrowing for special projects there. Edmonton has three CRLs, and the downtown one — established in 2015 — is set to expire in 2034. City officials say extending it by a decade would allow the city to fund more projects and implement a downtown action plan. The terms of the extension, and who stands to benefit from public and private investments in the core, have become contentious — and there are millions of dollars at stake. The extension's supporters are calling it a "generational opportunity" to improve the city without raising taxes while critics are questioning why a privately-run event park should be included in the deal. What's new in the plan? The extension would add some new projects to a list that includes already completed ones like the downtown arena, community rink and Alex Decoteau Park. Infrastructure for new housing in Ice District, expanding the Winspear Centre, improving LRT entrances, brownfield remediation and the event park are among the additions. The province, the City of Edmonton and OEG Sports and Entertainment announced earlier this year that they were closing in on a deal that included a new all-season event park. The province would pay $97 million and OEG would pay $84 million with the remainder — $69 million — coming from the City of Edmonton through the CRL extension. The current CRL also has a number of projects that are in progress, like Warehouse Park, north of Jasper Avenue, between 106 and 108 Streets, and a pedway on 103A Avenue. Has the CRL worked? A recent city report says the CRL has attracted new investment and spurred development downtown to the tune of $4.7 billion. "I think that the CRL makes sense to a lot of proponents because it's worked with the arena project before, and so it's seen as a continuation of that," said Dan Mason, a sport management professor at the University of Alberta who consulted on the arena deal but has no involvement in the extension. The city report said the CRL brought three new office towers and thousands of new residential units downtown. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he's keeping his mind open but the CRL has helped transform downtown — and there is still more work to do. "We may not be where other downtowns are in North America, but we are on the path to do so and things are getting better and we just cannot lose momentum," he said at a news conference Tuesday. Though downtown generates less property tax revenue than it used to for the city, Sohi said reversing that trend would benefit all Edmontonians. Sohi also said investors consider the state of a city's downtown as a factor when deciding where to bring their business. Who benefits? Some downtown business groups and organizations — like the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the Downtown Revitalization Coalition — are urging city councillors to support the extension. They say the CRL isn't just about improving downtown but strengthening the entire city's economy and infrastructure. "From housing to transit to public safety, the CRL enables a more livable and investable city without raising taxes," the groups said in a June 20 news release. Some of the CRL extension's critics are zeroing in on the event park as a reason not to support it. The event park would be a city-owned facility east of Rogers Place, with space for more than 6,000 people outside and more than 2,500 inside. While the city would own the facility, it would be privately run, with one-third of booking time or space available for community groups and non-profits at below-market rates. A report submitted to the city from OEG said the new venue would help fill a gap in the market and bring customers to downtown businesses. Councillors asked administration to have the company's economic benefit estimates independently assessed. The city's analysis concluded the company's assumptions around economic impact were fair and reasonable. Mason, the U of A professor, said it all boils down to whether investing in the event park and the other proposed developments is the best way to achieve downtown revitalization. "The argument is over whether or not this type of development and these types of subsidies warrant that kind of investment or whether that money could be spent on something else that could also lead to this kind of conclusion," he said. Chelsea Tessier, co-owner and head brewer at Polyrhythm Brewing, north of downtown, said she likes the CRL as a model but she and her partner don't support the structure of the proposed extension. "We'd like to see more diversity and these funds being spread out around downtown," she said. She said other small business owners feel the same and would like to see other parts of the city revitalized. Other business owners and organizations have shared arguments for and against the extension with CBC News this week. Sylvester Borowka, who owns the restaurant Continental Treat, said he supports it because it could lead to increased foot traffic downtown and strengthen community. Several city councillors have criticized parts of the deal.
