Follow the Money
Pay attention. Follow the money. Keep your eye on the ball. --- All just words. It is important to dig deeper and see what is going on with your tax dollars so join me in a quick update.
A review of the Agenda Packet for the August 18th Mount Dora City Council meeting shows a memo from City Manager Vincent Pastue to the Mayor and City Council going over follow-up items for the Fiscal Year 2015-2016. A copy of the memo is shown below.
The advice of Mr. Pastue, based presumably on the seven individual and private meetings of council members, is that the 'outstanding items' can be resolved during the September 10th and 24th meetings set aside for budget review.
These two meetings -- right before the budget year starts -- are the public's chance to make an impact. Complaining about things and not doing something about it is not appropriate so please stay involved if you care about the future of Mount Dora.
Mr. Pastue's memo indicated that there would be detailed presentations for three projects. Based on my observations of Mr. Pastue's past budget presentations, I'm confident that he will have a good presentation ready.
Rest asured, I'll also have some advice ahead of time on things that he should be covering -- that I, if I were on council now, would be asking him about in the public eye.
These three items with detailed presentations coming are as follows:
1. Bio-solids
2. Thrill Hill
3. Utility Relocations
While not noted in the memo, the prior budget presentations show spending of $1.2M, $.6M and over $5.3M, respectively, in the next several years beginning now. Again, we need to know more and expect that these presentations -- while very late in the process -- will be able to provide enough information publicly for informed decision making. I remain cautiously optimistic that we'll get some good information -- and I'll be making sure of that as best I can.
The memo further seemed to indicate that there would be a review of the following:
1. Market Adjustment -- Increase in Salaries/Benefits for $17,300
2. MLK Center Repairs -- Delete that item for a savings of $81,500
3. Simpson Cove Exercise pad -- Delete that item for a savings of $42,000
4. Tree Maintenance -- $15,000 increase
5. In-car Police Video Cameras -- Increase of $30,000
6. Simpson Roof Replacement -- Increase of $25,000
7. Street Sweeper -- Reduction of $75,000
8. Review of the Follow Up Item list
Mark Slaby's Quick Takes
1. Market Adjustment -- Increase in Salaries/Benefits for $17,300
Let's hear more about this -- my questions would be around how/where we got the market data and then also measure it against our employee retention. If we have a high/low retention rate -- this is the practical measure of whether or not we are making the right adjustments.
2. MLK Center Repairs -- Delete that item for a savings of $81,500
Let's just hear more -- if repairs are needed then we need to spend the money. If not, why was this submitted as a budget item in the first place? I'm hoping that there is a logical answer so let's find out.
3. Simpson Cove Exercise pad -- Delete that item for a savings of $42,000
Similar answer -- Is there some sort of resident survey that shows that this is important. If so, then it needs to remain a priority. If it has no resident or other bona fide data driven reason for the expenditure then, yep, yank it out of the budget.
4. Tree Maintenance -- $15,000 increase
I hope I am missing something here. This is nice to increase the funding to maintain our arbor presence but it does not look like the council has made the commitment to reviewing Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Downtown Streetscape. Again, maybe there's more here -- let's ask this on Tuesday. Worry not -- I'll make sure someone does! (smile)
5. In-car Police Video Cameras -- Increase of $30,000
Details will make it clear -- I suspect that this will be fine. We'll find out.
6. Simpson Roof Replacement -- Increase of $25,000
Shows you that things that we have need attention -- good to see this in the budget -- assuming that it is needed -- we'll find out but happy to see maintaining of existing community assets -- I've been in the building dozens of times and want it around for generations.
7. Street Sweeper -- Reduction of $75,000
This one is bothersome to me. The price tag magically goes down from $300,000 to $225,000. Do we know what model/make we are thinking of buying? Could we get that information? What about the operating costs of this machine -- and the likelihood that it will be serviceable in, say, 5 years.
We had, what we thought just a year ago, a good piggy-back Polk County-originated service contract. It was not cheap, but it was a good contract with provisions for ad hoc festival or other work. I got a copy from City Hall and read it.
What is the annual cost of service vs. the annual cost of ownership? Owning might be a better choice even if the annual cost of ownership is more -- just gotta see some numbers in public for me to know. Maybe in each of the seven, private, individual, Sunshine Law-compliant meetings, this information was shared. There are unanswered questions still.
When part of the selling point of buying a sweeper is that we will not incur extra labor I am wary. Is there no vehicle maintenance? Why do we have staff available? What are they doing otherwise? I'm not saying that they are standing around doing nothing -- I'm just saying that we will be pulling them off of something else -- so what is the impact to the 'something else'?
8. Review of the Follow Up Item list
Let's hear it, please.
Let's see what we find out on Tuesday, August 18th and go from there. I'll be watching and you should too.
Important Parting Thoughts
Keeping on top of things is important. I'm ready now -- as you can see -- to stay on top of things -- and will do so for the full 2-year term if you choose to vote for me on November 3rd. Whoever you vote for please make sure that you are sure that you are getting the passion, energy and analysis that you expect from an elected official.
Our city is at an important time in its history -- the economic changes soon coming with the expressway expansion could dramatically chance the charactor of Mount Dora forever. Please stay focused and involved.
