Medline Industries and a flea market want waived fees totaling $233,027. But the city could buy a lot with that much money.
By ANNE LINDBERG
Published April 18, 2004
PINELLAS PARK - The owner of the Wagon Wheel flea market wants council members to forgive hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest and penalties he owes the city.
In return, Hardy Huntley said he will pay the city $78,810 for sewer lines that Pinellas Park installed on his property in 1986.
Another business wants Pinellas Park to waive occupational license fees for five years in return for a pledge to remain in the city and move 16 jobs from Oldsmar to Pinellas Park.
Council members are scheduled to consider both requests at a Tuesday workshop and during Thursday's council meeting. Both are at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall, 5141 78th Ave. N. Both are open to the public, although comment is traditionally permitted only at the meeting. Council members occasionally allow folks to speak at the workshop.
First of the two proposals on the agenda is from Medline Industries, headquartered in Mundelin, Ill. Medline recently bought Maxxim Medical, at 4750 118th Ave. N.
Medline wants the city to waive its $1,900 occupational license fee for five years, for a total of $9,500. If the council agrees, Medline will continue operating its 107,500-square-foot facility in Pinellas Park along with the 326 jobs there, according to an April 7 letter to the City Council from Jim Abrams, Medline chief operating officer.
Abrams said he also would relocate from Oldsmar 16 jobs paying an hourly average of $30.48 and 60 jobs from Athens, Texas, paying an average of $7.15 per hour. All jobs would be relocated by Oct. 1.
Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler said he wanted to see what other council members thought before making his decision. Mischler said he hoped Medline was not using the jobs and the pledge to remain in Pinellas Park as wedges.
"I don't like to see those type of tactics," Mischler said. "I don't like that type of approach, but I'm not sure that's what they are doing."
The big agenda item is the request from Huntley.
In 1986, the city installed sewer lines on his property, according to records. Huntley failed to pay the $78,810 for the lines and in June of that year, the city filed a lien.
The amount Huntley owes Pinellas Park has since grown to about $302,337, according to city records.
Officials negotiated with Huntley for years over the amount, offering to reduce it or forgive the debt if he would annex his property into Pinellas Park. But they never reached a deal.
Now Huntley has written Pinellas Park a check for the original amount, but he wants it back if the council will not waive the $223,527 in interest and penalties.
Huntley was out of the office Friday and could not be reached for comment.
Mischler said the situation has been going on for so long that a settlement is necessary. Mischler said he wants to see how much the city has spent on attorney's and other fees in trying to collect the money. The mayor said he did not want the city to lose any money on the deal.
But he seemed inclined to waive at least part of the rest, saying it was "actually interest" rather than repayment of any expenditures by the city.
He declined to comment when asked why the city had sued others over lesser debts. The council, he said, has never really discussed the issue. It's been with staff and the attorneys.
Although the $223,527 may be interest and penalties, it could buy a lot for the city.
At about $40,000 apiece, the city could buy five fully equipped police cars. Or pay a year's salary and benefits for four first-year police officers (about $50,000 each).
Or consider the Pinellas Park Library. Last year, the city spent about $144,772 for about 9,000 books, CDs, DVDs and other such items, for an average of $14.49 per item. If the entire interest and penalties Huntley owed went to the library, officials could buy an additional 15,000 books and such.
