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LAST BUDGET WORKSHOP LEAVES
THE "ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM”
August 29, 2014
 
 
The seventh, and the last, budget workshop occurred in Cedar Key City Hall Thursday, August 28, 2014, at 6pm.  In attendance were Mayor Dale Register, Vice Mayor Sue Colson, and Commissioners Tina Ryan and Royce Nelson.  Nettie Hodges was not in attendance.
 
 
Staff in attendance included Police Chief/Public Works Director Virgil Sandlin, Fire Chief/Building Department Manager Robert Robinson, and City Clerk Teresa George.  Not in attendance were City Attorney Norm Fugate and City Consultant CPA Robert Beauchamp.
 
In the audience were two visitors from Dunnellon, Florida, Allison Nelson, Bob and Jeri Treat, and Mandy and Frank Offerle. 
 
ELEPHANT
The “elephant in the room,” as the commissioners referred to it, is the big-budget issue of hiring a Public Works Director.  They tabled the item until the meeting’s end.
EVENING OVERVIEW
As each line item in each department was discussed at length in prior meetings, Mayor Register called for any unresolved item that still required discussion before the group dealt with the Public Works Director position.   
  • Register reminded all that the current proposed budget is based on the rollback rate, meaning that the proposed budget, if passed, would not require that taxes be raised.
  • Register reminded all that the commission has already spent over two-thirds of its $255,000 contingency fund which left, at the start of the meeting, a remaining excess of $73,083.
CAPITAL OUTLAY PLAN
  • Colson reminded all that Cedar Key needs a long-range capital outlay plan to provide for large, expensive items that will age and need replacement.  No such plan is included in the 2014-2015 proposed budget, leaving the city vulnerable to emergencies and their funding.
  • Register agreed with Colson in theory but stated his belief that not raising taxes was more important.  When confronted with the fact that, establishing a capital outlay fund would not raise taxes because a contingency fund currently exists from which to produce a capital outlay budget, Register said he plans to use that money to pay next year’s taxes.
 
EMPLOYEE RAISES
Commissioners approved a three-percent raise for employees, excluding City Clerk Teresa George because her salary was recently negotiated.  Others have not received a raise in three years.
 
 
POLICE DEPARTMENT CAD SYSTEM SOLFTWARE
  • Police Chief Virgil Sandlin reported quotes from Drummond and Capital City Banks to finance the $18,000 computer assisted dispatch software needed by his department.  Commissioners approved the Drummond quote with its 2.64 interest rate with no fees attached.
  • Commissioner Nelson reiterated that the City should go after grant dollars to fund items such as the CAD software and that he “is not happy” that staff did not do so.  He again reported having conversations with Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum about grants dollars available.  When Vice Mayor Colson suggested that Nelson, because he speaks with McCallum regularly, solicit McCallum’s assistance getting grants because would make a better spokesman and carry more weight than anyone else.  Nelson responded that he was “going back to Georgia” and would not be able to work on securing the grant.
FWC RAMP
  • Commissioners received an email from FWC’s Patricia Harrell which stated that the City cannot charge residents one fee to launch and non-residents another fee to launch, essentially saying that the rates must be the same for all users.
  • Register reported that he would direct Attorney Norm Fugate to continue to look into the matter.
OTHER
  • Commissioners cut the Police Department training budget 25%, from $8,000 to $6,000.  The problem of police, untrained and thus not knowing precisely what they need with which to charge individuals, was not dealt with by commissioners.
  • Commissioners reduced the Clerk’s Department Records Management line item from $2,500 to $1,500.  
 
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
  • Colson has an approximate $2,000 estimate to repair the deteriorating, dangerous portions of some of the playground equipment that may cause injury to children.  Commissioner Nelson said that in order to do it right, the entire playground equipment should be disassembled, sand blasted, and reassembled, totaling tens of thousands of dollars.    The original equipment assemble date of 2004, the lack of a warranty for the metal portions of the equipment, and the current warranty of the equipment’s rubber materials were discussed.  
  • Both agreed that, were the money available, the ‘right” fix would be to disassemble, fix, and reassemble.  Both also agreed that the equipment will only last for perhaps another ten years.  Both finally agreed that the $2,000 interim fix is most appropriate and to move forward with it.
 
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
 
The question of whether to hire a full-time Public Works Director or retain Virgil Sandlin in the position part-time is, of course, “the elephant in the room” the commissioners spoke about.
 
  • Commissioner Nettie Hodges wrote that she would retain Sandlin in the position, explaining that if nothing was broken then nothing needed to be fixed.
  • Commissioner Nelson remained “adamant” in his belief that a full-time person is needed.  “The Police Department is good, but disconnected with the people of Cedar Key,” he averred.  He cited storm drains still not cleaned to his satisfaction.
  • Mayor Register said that “under different times, different circumstances,” he would agree with Nelson, but not now, alluding to the tight budget.
  • Commissioner Ryan supported the need for a full-time director.
  • Vice Mayor Colson reported mixed feelings but would like to have a full time director if one could be found to meet the job description.
  • The group decided to produce a job description amenable to all commissioners, advertise for the full-time position, and interview applicants.  Should they find an excellent candidate, commissioners plan to hire the person on probation and monitor performance with quarterly planning and evaluation sessions.  If no good candidate surfaces, Sandlin will continue in the job part time.
 
ADJOURNMENT, NEXT MEETING CONTENT
  • The meeting adjourned at approximately 8pm.
  • The next scheduled meeting, the Community Redevelopment Agency/City Commission Meeting is Tuesday, September 2, 2014, at 6pm at City Hall.
  • The Tentative Budget Hearing will be Thursday, September 4, 2014, 6pm at City Hall.
  • The Final Budget Hearing will be Monday, September 15, 2014, 6pm at City Hall. 
 
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