CKN EDITORIAL
08 September 2024
DO YOU SUPPORT CITY STAFF?
STAND UP AND SAY SO.
STAND UP AND SAY SO.
Cost of living increases for City of Cedar Key staff are discussed at the August 29, 2024, commission "Meeting/Workshop."
Three of the five commissioners agreed to deny the staff cost of living raises: Jolie Davis, Jeff Webb, and Jim Wortham.
PERSPECTIVE
A little retrospective is appropriate here.
• Cedar Key property values have steadily risen for over a decade.
• Since 2020, Covid, the island's visitor numbers have seen marked increase.
• Building / construction, hurricane and not hurricane related, has shot upward.
• The number of full-time residents has diminished dramatically in that time.
• The number of absentee homeowners and short-term rentals have skyrocketed.
A little retrospective is appropriate here.
• Cedar Key property values have steadily risen for over a decade.
• Since 2020, Covid, the island's visitor numbers have seen marked increase.
• Building / construction, hurricane and not hurricane related, has shot upward.
• The number of full-time residents has diminished dramatically in that time.
• The number of absentee homeowners and short-term rentals have skyrocketed.
INCREASED STAFF WORKLOAD
Services related to the increase in visitors has risen sharply and is added to the already vital job of getting the city up and running after suffering the effects of the increasing frequency of storms and flooding.
Services related to the increase in visitors has risen sharply and is added to the already vital job of getting the city up and running after suffering the effects of the increasing frequency of storms and flooding.
More people means:
• the Public Works Department has more maintenance to perform;
• Cedar Key Police officers have more encounters and require a larger presence;
• Cedar Key Fire Rescue calls increase;
• building permits and inspections increase voluminously.
Noteworthy is the fact that no new staffers have been added to deal with this workload of late. Also, embarrassingly noteworthy is the fact that part-time police officers’ positions in Cedar Key have recently been advertised at only $16 per hour.
COMMISSIONERS' JOBS
Each commissioner's job and responsibility is to make city services hum along effectively and reasonably. The job is not to only provide the services and balance the budget, It is also their responsiblity to find the funds needed to do this.
Each commissioner's job and responsibility is to make city services hum along effectively and reasonably. The job is not to only provide the services and balance the budget, It is also their responsiblity to find the funds needed to do this.
The budget should be balanced but not at the expense of those employees that are necessary and responsible for the functioning of the city and for the safety of its residents and visitors.
If the town has increased visitors, new construction, increased maintenance needs, and increased personnel duties and interactions with fire and police, it should be the commissioners’ job to recoup those costs from those who have added the burden to the city's budget.
WANT SERVICES? . . . PAY FOR THEM
Residents and visitors demand and deserve the best in services and safety. To provide those services and maintain a high level safety to these residents and visitors, we provide a way that ensures that they help with the cost involved. That is through city taxes.
Residents and visitors demand and deserve the best in services and safety. To provide those services and maintain a high level safety to these residents and visitors, we provide a way that ensures that they help with the cost involved. That is through city taxes.
Property values in Cedar Key are increasing and property owners are benefiting from the increased value of their property. By leaving the millage rate the same as last year’s rate of 4.744, instead of setting it at the roll-back rate of 4.485, as the commissioners are currently considering, it would provide the City with an additional $56,774, more than enough to pay staff raises. Property owners would then be sharing their increased value with City for required services.
Keeping the millage the same as last year’s rate of 4.744 means that: assuming an average home valued at $200,000 or $250,000 w/ Homestead Exemption, the difference in City taxes to an average homeowner would be about $1.00 a week…not one hundred…one dollar a week…
STAFF NEEDS
Not only does a cost of living raise say that staff members are valued. It addresses the needs of every working person an his/her family. It recognizes that rents, mortgages, groceries, tuition, insurance, health care, and more rise with a growing economy.
Not only does a cost of living raise say that staff members are valued. It addresses the needs of every working person an his/her family. It recognizes that rents, mortgages, groceries, tuition, insurance, health care, and more rise with a growing economy.
Cedar Key is most fortunate to currently employ staff who largely live on the island or within ten minutes of it. Our police are an exception. Adding travel costs and travel time to our current or future staff would further increase employees' needs.
REPLACEMENT
Replacement of staff with the same diligence, and expertise, would be difficult to find. Cedar Key has hired some five city clerks over the past years. The same goes with building officials: few have the certifications necessary, and those who do can not afford to live in Cedar Key.
Replacement of staff with the same diligence, and expertise, would be difficult to find. Cedar Key has hired some five city clerks over the past years. The same goes with building officials: few have the certifications necessary, and those who do can not afford to live in Cedar Key.
HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Come to the Tuesday, September 10 meeting at 5 pm at City Hall.
• Speak up in favor of a cost-of-living raise.
• Speak up citing those staff members who have assisted you and your family and have gone beyond the requirements of their jobs.
• Come to the Tuesday, September 10 meeting at 5 pm at City Hall.
• Speak up in favor of a cost-of-living raise.
• Speak up citing those staff members who have assisted you and your family and have gone beyond the requirements of their jobs.
DO YOU SUPPORT CITY STAFF?
WRITE TO YOUR COMMISSIONERS.
WRITE TO YOUR COMMISSIONERS.
STAND UP AND SAY SO.
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