Submitted by Eric Bartelt
August 13, 2014 4:50 p.m.
Tuesday evening had the Fernandina Beach City Commission holding their final budget workshop before they vote to approve the 2014/2015 budget at their regularly scheduled meeting next Tuesday (Aug. 19th). All commissioners were present. The workshop, sparsely attended, also included other, non-budget items for discussion.
To kick off the budget discussion, City Manager Joe Gerrity presented a slide show he put together in response to a request from Commissioner Miller, that posed the question, “What do we get for our tax dollars?” According to the presentation, some of what we get are excellent, reliable Police, Fire and Rescue services; extensive park facilities and recreation programs; trash and recycling pickup at a reasonable cost; 48 public beach accesses; reduced rate golfing at the city’s municipal course; a building and planning department staffed by professionals; and, unlike the county, flood insurance discounts for residents and businesses achieved through participation in the Community Rating System of the National Flood Insurance Program. In addition, Gerrity’s presentation mentioned the over $28 million the city has received in grants since 2007, suggesting how our tax dollars are leveraged with matching grants. The City Manager also cited the city’s competitive utility rates, which he said were 40% less than JEA charges in the county, for water and sewer.
Following the slide show, the Commissioners moved on to Discussion Topics, which included the repaving of the Dolphin St. parking lot at Main Beach. City Manager Gerrity said the parking lot had been resurfaced earlier in the day and the city would now turn its attention to improving the drainage for that lot, with the work being done over the winter months..
Next up under Discussion Topics was Budget Development, with Controller Patti Clifford highlighting the changes to the proposed budget requested at the previous budget workshop on Aug. 6th. The changes were few, with elimination of $12,500 in funding to the Nassau County Economic Development Board (NCEDB) being the most noteworthy. That change had the effect of slightly increasing the city’s reserve funds to 25.3%. Commissioner Gass asked whether the $12,500 originally allocated to the NCEDB would be available for use, instead, in the Retail Strategies program. Ms. Clifford indicated it would be available, should the Commission decide to go in that direction.
Other items discussed pertained to the shifting of budget items to the next fiscal year due to delays in completing the projects, including the new Broome and 2nd St. parking lot; allocation of funds in the storm water management fund; and a $60,000 airport drainage project.
On a lighter note, one item referred to in the budget as “the 4th St. building”, caused some confusion among a couple of Commissioners, who appeared to be unsure what the “4th St. building” was. It was clarified that it’s the building that houses the library, but since the library itself is a Nassau County function and the building that houses it belongs to the city, the city is careful to only refer to it as the “4th St. building”, instead of the library.
The Commissioners discussed at what level the city’s reserve fund should be and whether they should have a set target. Vice Mayor Pelican referred to an Emergency Management meeting she participated in that strongly recommended a 33% reserve fund, because Fernandina is on a barrier island. For non-barrier island communities, the state recommends 25%. Commissioner Gass asked whether the Commission should set a minimum amount or percentage of reserve funds the city should aim for. Controller Clifford sited a resolution approved by the previous Commission, in 2012, that set a 25% reserve fund target, and that the city’s auditors were “comfortable” with that percentage.
Concluding the budget discussion, City Manager Gerrity characterized the proposed budget as “not a totally bare bones budget” and that there were “not a lot frills in it, by any stretch of the imagination.”
The issue of the golf course management contract was brought up by Mayor Boner, asking if there was any interest in extending the contract with Billy Casper Golf by 5 years, in exchange for a $50,000 payment to the city. The City Manager said he thought there was interest but that another possibility, a new 5 year contract, instead of an extension, was something Billy Casper Golf was open to.
The Commission then revisited, again, the issue of giving money to the community’s non-profit organizations. Commissioner Gass had proposed that donating money to non-profits should be voluntary, as opposed to city government supported.
Commissioner Miller said he would like to see the amount increased beyond what the city now gives.
Mayor Boner said he would like to look into establishing a metric, “a rational way”, to determine what would be appropriate amounts for the city to give.He cited the Council on Aging as an example, asking whether a metric could be developed that looked at what the impact would be on the community if the Council on Aging was no longer here. The metric would calculate what the city’s taxpayers would have to spend to fund the services the COA now provides, and would become the basis for deciding how much money to allocate in the future. Commissioner Pelican mentioned the COA’s ability to provide local public transportation, that the city recognizes as a community need, that may be worthy of helping to fund. And Mayor Boner noted how matching funds can be leveraged by non-profits in applying for funding from other sources. He also asked, “How do we equate a dollar that we give to a (non-profit) group with what benefit it gives us?” The Mayor also cited Micah’s Place as an example of a non-profit that provides services that can reduce the need for the police, and their associated cost to taxpayers, in domestic violence situations, and should therefore be considered for funding.
Wrapping up the meeting, the Commission asked for public comment. Lynn Williams spoke to the need for the city to increase revenue. He proposed that the city set up a committee of 4 or 5 citizens to develop a list of ways to generate that revenue, since he said that wasn’t the usual purview of the Commission. The goal would be to find ways to generate an additional $2 – $3 million per year. He noted the many visitors to Fernandina and the large number of well attended events that occur here, as possible sources for a “painless way to raise additional money.” Commissioner Gass responded to Mr. Williams by agreeing with his idea, but adding a caveat, “…the public doesn’t have to wait for the Commission to put together the committee. The public – 3 or 4 – can gather together and put together their good ideas. And when they’ve got a list, they can come before us and present the list.” She added that, “It doesn’t need to be an official city committee, appointed by the Commission, in order for it to work and do good things.” Williams countered that an official committee would more likely be listened to than an unofficial one.
On the subject of raising revenue, the Commissioners engaged in a brief discussion about the merits, and lack thereof, of charging for parking at the beach. A consensus seemed to emerge among them that paid parking was merited only as a last resort.
The City Manager made a final comment to the Commissioners, telling them that it sounded like they were ready to pass the budget at the next City Commission meeting on Aug. 19th. To which Commissioner Gass added, jokingly, “…unless we decide to argue about the millage rate.”
With that, the meeting ended.
For information on previous budget workshop held on August 10, click here.
Editor’s Note: Eric Bartelt retired as a corporate design consultant and moved to Fernandina Beach in 2004. His previously lived in Wisconsin. Since Eric’s arrival in Fernandina Beach, he spends his time volunteering, and playing soccer. We thank Eric for his contributions to the Fernandina Observer.