Weekly comments from Dale Martin

Dale Martin
City Manager
Fernandina Beach
May 13, 2016 1:00 a.m.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite times of the municipal year is preparing the annual budget. I enjoy the visionary aspect of budgeting: it is an opportunity to work closely with the City Commissioners to chart the policy course for the next year.

When invited to speak with student groups, most students do not understand the role of a city manager. Students quickly grasp the concept of the Mayor, and they know what police officers and firefighters do, but other municipal employees are foreign to students (and actually, some adults). What does the City Clerk do? The Planner? The Street Superintendent?

I tell students that I get to play SimCity for a living. SimCity is a computer game in which the player founds and develops a city, with a whole series of municipal facets such as zoning, taxation, transportation, utilities, and citizen happiness. Most students are familiar with the game, so they get a basic understanding of at least the environment in which I work.

I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with my oldest daughter’s fourth grade class many years ago as part of a lesson related to government and taxes. Since most fourth graders have yet to develop an appreciation for money, I had to develop a “currency” that had value to fourth graders. I picked candy (sorry, but carrot and celery sticks were not likely to resonate), specifically Jolly Ranchers (for obvious reasons, the candy was required to be wrapped and small- I wasn’t going to use full-size chocolate bars).

I doled out five pieces of candy to each student and informed them that at the end of the session, they could keep whatever candy they had left. We then had an election for someone to serve as the Mayor, picking two random students as the candidates. Since fourth graders had yet to learn about nepotism, I appointed my daughter as the Tax Collector. She gathered two pieces of candy from each student as our community tax. We secured 48 pieces of candy.

I directed the Mayor to ask her citizens what services they wanted in their town. Dog catcher, police officer, firefighter, streets, and parks were immediately suggested. I reminded them about the need for water and sewer services, so those were added. I then assigned a cost to each service, and made sure that everything cost more than 48 pieces of candy.

I told the Mayor that she had to decide what services to eliminate or, instead, how much more candy she would have to take to pay for those services. The class more or less immediately divided itself into two factions representing those alternatives. The Dog Catcher was probably the most untouchable position (fourth graders apparently love dogs), but I wouldn’t let them cut the critical services. In the end, I remember sending my daughter to collect one more piece of candy from each resident. She’s never let me forget how unpopular I made her that day. Just like today, I blamed it on the Mayor (just kidding, Mayor Miller).

The most inspirational moment of the day came at the very end: a student approached me and asked, “Was this why we fought the British?” It offered a little glimmer that the relatively short lesson had connected at some level.

I understand the value of your “candy.” I will work with the City Commission, City staff, and other community leaders to discover the needs and desires of the community. Some conversations have been ongoing for weeks, and more will be considered over the next few months. It is a wonderfully intricate process.

The resulting budget document should be more than a recitation of financial information. It should also contain demographic and other statistical data. It should share local history. A visitor should be able to pick up a copy of the budget and be able to gain an understanding of what Fernandina Beach is about: our values, our vision, our programs, and our projects.

The budget should be understandable. I know that our population is relatively well-educated, but I must be able to explain to as many people as possible how the budget is crafted and functions. I had a resident in Connecticut that was a Marine and retired police officer. He didn’t necessarily have “book smarts,” but he had common sense and “street smarts.” He attended every town meeting, complimenting the town leaders and staff when appropriate, but similarly chastising when necessary. I tried to make everything that I wrote and presented during the budget process understandable to that resident. That town had, and I expect Fernandina Beach has, more of those residents than residents with advanced degrees and professional credentials. Everyone has to have the opportunity to understand the budget process, and I look forward to sharing that information with all of you.

Enjoy your candy.