Mayor’s Response to My Letter on the Budget Crisis

Without further comment, I reproduce a response from Mayor Don Slesnick to my letter to him and Commissioners. I thank him for the direct response and I think that it summarizes quite nicely his public views on the budget.

…We are taking the pension issue very seriously and have been the first Commission in thirty years to reign in some of the cost items and are planning to do more – but everything must be done (by state law) through collective bargaining with the unions. If you have some specific suggestions it might help. However, please know that we are planning to lay off about 8% of the work force and cut some salaries – and freeze all others. Today, in the FOP impasse hearing, we took further steps to “draw back “on the cost of the pension plan while still trying to maintain the morale and espirit de corps of the department. I do not think that anything we are proposing or considering is unacceptable – we need to keep our city as one of the special places of Florida with first class services and amenities that bring residents and businesses to us (one of the strongest real estate markets in the State – even during bad times). To become a “cut rate” city will not serve you well as the market turns upward. Having said that – I do not believe that we are intending to raise the millage as high as we advertised – we felt it was a smart business move (even if it drew comments like yours) to give ourselves some wiggle room as we delved deeper into the budget challenges and opportunities for the coming year…

One of the Oldest Budget Tricks. Is It Still Being Used?

cggazette.com tells the story about past administrations using funds for unstaffed positions for other purposes.

Under David Brown, practically all departments, especially those headed by his favorites, were brazenly undisciplined, fiscally and administratively. Annual budgets routinely, and perhaps purposely, had over 30 unfilled positions, money which formed a slush fund of sorts. That cash was used by Brown to cork up large fiscal leeks and to pay for such expenses as his junkets, his infamous wining and dining and, on one occasion, a birthday cake for himself.

Part of the so-called positions reductions come from the elimination of unfilled positions. This certainly does not represent a reduction in staff and benefits liabilities.