For several months now, the Port Richey Police Department, Pasco Sheriff’s Department and the New Port Richey Police Department have been dealing with a series of water meter and back flow preventer thefts.  All of these thefts were occurring at businesses in our community with several businesses actually victimized not just once, but twice.  This incurred several thousands of dollars of loss for our local business owner’s.  The Port Richey Police department quietly put together a task force with our surrounding agencies.  Several of the Port Richey Police Officers and support staff gave up their off duty time to work extra patrols designed to apprehend the subjects guilty of these thefts.  The Port Richey Police Department came up with an innovative and progressive idea to apprehend these subjects by utilizing the latest technology.  Working with the City of Port Richey’s IT Department and the Utilities Department, several GPS tracking devices were purchased and installed in meters throughout the City, as well as in the hardest hit areas of the Pasco Sheriff’s Department.  These devices were being monitored in real time by the Port Richey Police Departments Communications Center twenty four hours a day.  On November 7, 2011, one of these devices was stolen and was on the move and within seconds several units from the Port Richey Police department were dispatched and responded to the location of the vehicle.  The vehicle was tracked for approximately 10 minutes before it was located and stopped in the parking lot of the Burger King located at Stone Road and US Highway 19.  Subsequent to arrest the vehicle was searched and the water meter that had been stolen for a second time from a local business was located in the back seat of the vehicle.  A subject, Michael Flanagan was arrested for the theft.  After an interview conducted jointly between the Port Richey Police Department and the Pasco Sheriff’s department, Mr. Flanagan admitted to the thefts that had occurred both in the City’s jurisdiction as well as in the Pasco Sheriff’s jurisdiction.  This resulted in a total of twenty six felony grand theft cases being filed against Mr. Flanagan.  Eighteen of those cases occurred in the City of Port Richey.  The GPS trackers will remain hidden within the community to deter any additional thefts of our water meters.  The men and women of the Port Richey Police Department, IT Department and Utilities Department worked tirelessly on this issue and should be commended for their effort to keep local businesses in the community as well as the surrounding areas safe from this type of repeated crime.

The office of City Clerk is at the very hub of local government. City clerks are the historians of their communities, responsible for the recorded history of each local political entity and its people. They serve the mayor, council, and city manager and on a daily basis provide the citizens with a direct link to their government. The development of municipal clerks’ professional skills is therefore critically important to the effective and efficient functioning of local governmental processes.

To earn the CMC designation, a Municipal Clerk must attend extensive education programs. The CMC designation also requires pertinent experience in a municipality. The CMC program prepares the applicants to meet the challenges of the complex role of the Municipal Clerk by providing them with quality education

Our City Clerk, Sharron Mayberry, has been performing her duties while acquiring her CMC.   Today, after 3 years of training, Sharron has received her Certified Municipal Clerk certification designation.  Congratulations and thank you for your dedication.

City management and staff encourage your participation in the 2011/2012 Community Redevelopment Grant Program.  Applications are now being accepted for the following programs:

                    Paint-Up, Fix-Up Grant

                    Residential Reconstruction Grant

                    Business Interior Renovation Grant

                    Façade Improvement Grant

 

For an explanation of each program and how it can benefit you, brochures and applications are available under the "How do I..." tab on the homepage. Click on "Apply for a grant" to view brochures and obtain information about each grant program. You can also pick up brochures and applications at City Hall.

 

We look forward to another successful year with the grant program for the citizens of Port Richey.

There will be a Town Hall Meeting, October 5th, to discuss the dredging project.  Click here to view and print the flyer for more information.