March 28, 2011 -- County Happenings
We are so incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. There is no better time of the year than now when it comes to cool mornings, crystal clear skies and some of the best visuals you’ll witness anywhere. Sometimes it’s difficult to shift back into the mode of County Watchdog, but those once a year tax bills, huge insurance bills and the ever present reminders of decimated property values remind all of us that there is a business side that can’t be ignored either.
The County suffers unevenly on many levels. We need more opportunity and jobs. We need more tourists and retirees, we need more predictability and consistency in how our fisheries are regulated and enforced. We need better leadership and less reliance on handouts that will be dwindling over time and that will become less generous as well. BP pumped in over $40 million dollars into the local economy over the last year, which was far more than any economic impact from the no spill/oil spill; at least not here. Was everybody made whole? No. But, many other people benefited in excess of their actual economic loss. The money was corrupting with at least one elected official taking BP money that he may not have been entitled to and certainly should not have taken given his position.
Sadly and prominently featured in our local newspaper is the extremely high utilization of Federal Food Stamps, now called SNAP in Florida. We want people to have the means to feed themselves and not have to rely permanently on public assistance programs. Where is the leadership that will bring good jobs into our community?
Can a county government be on public assistance? I believe it can. Both the County government and School District depend on huge helpings of Federal and State money to balance their books, much more so than any other county of its size. Unfortunately, this aid is declining, with little hope of it returning to present levels. This has not stopped either government agency from acting as if this is only a temporary problem.
We are just about to start another budget cycle. As in past years, the CCFC is going to ask County government to act more like a business and not like just a conduit of public largess. Specifically, the CCFC will ask each Commissioner this year to estimate the available revenues for the 2011/2012 budget year and assign preliminary budget caps to each County department and each County Constitutional Officer so that the painful budget process can be made less so. Let there be no mistake about it; it is the constitutional responsibility of the Commissioners to set everyone’s budget, including the Constitutional Officers. In the past our Commissioners have shied away from accepting that responsibility. With continued declines in the tax digest and dwindling reserves, this year is likely to be the most painful yet. Hiding from the truth is guaranteed to give us an even more painful, uneven outcome. Time to step up Commissioners!
You may have noticed that your total tax bite this last year was unbalanced, with the School District taking a higher percentage of the taxes than in the past. Problems with the County are even worse at the School District with an almost total disdain for the problems of the taxpayers. With a union enforced demand for more money and raises, we do not see any fiscal restraint on the part of School District this year. This will be the first time that the CCFC plans to be involved in the formation of the District’s budget. Whenever you hear that it’s “for the kids,” temper that thought with the knowledge of the hundreds of highly paid workers with great benefits largely detached from the success or failure of the “kids.” Most of the millions and millions of dollars go not to the kids, but to people. A few members of the CCFC toured the school last month and were rightly impressed with the terrific physical plant and the many excellent people we met. There are no bad School employees we’ve met. However, there is a natural conflict of interest though between the needs of the kids and the people who make their living from the school system. The citizens of Franklin county need to be more involved with the District. Please consider attending the occasional monthly District meeting and see for yourself. Get involved if you can.
The CCFC needs your talents, interest and individual financial support through membership dues. Please consider your place in helping to protect your own financial interests as well as helping to ensure that Franklin County remains the kind of place people come to for fun, retirement, nature and investment.
Thank you,
Allan J. Feifer, President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”