Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
November 29, 2017 5:37 p.m.
Manager Dale Martin has been at the helm of Fernandina Beach city government for two years effective this month. Last year the Fernandina Observer interviewed him on his first year in office; this year editor Susan Steger and reporter Suanne Thamm sat down with him once more to get his perspective on the city after two years on the job.
Many locals have gotten to know Dale Martin both by direct contact and by reading his weekly column in the Fernandina Observer. He enjoys writing these columns and plans to continue. It is not unusual to run into Dale and his significant other Lisa evenings or weekends out and about in the community. He is approachable and affable, as many will attest. He also has a good working relationship with Nassau County government and other government agencies.
He has no immediate plans to reorganize the city, but will probably consider some options over the next five years. Several key staff members will be retiring, and that might present opportunities to re-examine the organizational structure of the city.
He remains high on the city, its employees and its achievements. This week evaluation committees will convene to rank responses to the RFPs for rebuilding the city marina following Hurricane Matthew’s damage and determining the structural soundness of underpinnings of Brett’s Waterway Café. Martin plans that the first item of business for the new City Commission on December 19, 2017 will be awarding the contract for marina repairs.
Martin is a supporter of the Fernandina Main Street program. He has been working with Interim Executive Director Arlene Filkoff to develop an understanding of the program’s expectations for the city. He is fully supportive of the need to replace and standardize both sidewalks and lighting downtown.
But he also allows that certain issues like opening the Alachua crossing and acquiring the historic Post Office Building have tried everyone’s patience. The Alachua crossing work has been delayed due to the need for railroad review and the fact that there is only one person in FDOT who handles railroad crossings for the entire state. With respect to the Post Office, despite the good offices of Senator Bill Nelson, the city and the USPS seem in a perpetual loop of exchanging polite letters.
Martin talked about the frustrations of city staff, commissioners and citizens at what appears to be the slow pace of government. Because a bureaucracy must adhere to many rules and policies when it comes to spending public money, local government cannot react as quickly as many would like when it comes to solving problems like the waterfront. But Martin also talked about the role played by various special interest factions. He said, “If their ideas are not adopted, they try to make sure that no others are either.”
Martin said that the Fernandina Beach City Commissioners (FBCC) often need to make difficult decisions, which then become the grist for naysayers and social media. He suggested that once a decision is made—such as building the airport terminal—the city needs to move on to other important issues.
One way to help citizens better understand how local government must work might be through instituting a “Citizen Academy” that would offer classes to those interested on budgeting, legal requirements, advisory boards, etc. Martin said that he established a program like this in his previous city, and it worked well.
Martin is already looking forward to a packed agenda session for the new Fernandina Beach City Commission at their January 2018 Visioning Meeting. Some of the topics that may be discussed include:
- Building a new public safety facility at the airport to include fire and police protection, and possibly converting Fire Station 2 at the beach to an ocean rescue headquarters;
- Possibly changing the way the city charges for fire protection, making it more analogous to the way citizens pay for trash removal. The state is encouraging local government to move to more fee based services in order to reduce ad valorem taxes. Approximately 25 percent of the city’s budget pays for fire response. By moving to a fee-based service, the cost would be more equitably distributed among all residents, regardless of how long they have lived in the city. This could also be a means to offset revenue losses due to the anticipated voter approval of additional homestead exemptions;
- Replacing old or antiquated recreation facilities;
- Bringing in a consultant to survey and rate all the city streets for the purpose of developing a long range plan to budget for improvements;
- Determining the future of recycling in the city. Market forces have dramatically changed the economy of recycling. The city will be awarding a new contract for trash hauling and recycling in 2018. Commissioners and residents will need to weigh costs and benefits of continuing regular residential recycling or make changes;
- Deciding what to do with the Vuturo property. The city purchased this Front Street property north of the City Marina to obtain riparian rights, but what to do with the landside property is still up in the air. The building will be demolished soon. The city could then develop the land, lease it or sell it. That will be a decision for the new Commission as well.
Martin approaches his job with a strong degree of optimism. Citing the recent citizens survey, he cautioned against cherry picking results. Although respondents claimed to be concerned about the future direction of the city, they also expressed high degrees of satisfaction with basic government services. He plans a follow up survey in 5 years to track citizen support and concerns. He said he averages fewer than 3 citizen complaints per month. In some instances even those evaporate when he asks for specifics.
Martin said that while he has only been on the job 2 years, it seems longer — in a good way. “The people have been good to me and my family,” he said. “I look forward to remaining here in service to the community for many years.” He added, “Many communities would be willing to trade their problems for ours.”
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.