St. Denis proposes new cuts to budget

The Longboat Key Town Commission has some decisions to make next week.

Town Manager Bruce St. Denis has presented the Longboat Key Town Commission with a balanced 2011-12 preliminary budget, which is what the commission requested last month.

In a budget memo and chart that officially will be distributed Wednesday, July 6, St. Denis and Finance Director Tom Kelley found ways to cut $307,746 and eliminate a $263,000 budget shortfall.

Included as suggestions for cuts are the slashing of thousands of dollars in training and travel for town staff and commissioners, the elimination of several annual membership fees to various organizations that include the $7,500 annual membership to the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce and the elimination of the town’s March election.

The budget-cut suggestions, which St. Denis says will affect levels of service, will be discussed at the commission’s 9 a.m. Monday, July 11, budget workshop.

St. Denis suggests that the town can save $30,000 a year by holding town elections in November instead of March. By holding elections in November, the town can piggyback off the elections already being held at the state and county levels.

Other cuts include all non-mandatory training and conferences for town staff and commissioners.
The town could also save $17,000 per year by eliminating the taping of commission meetings for broadcast on a local Comcast cable channel.

Services to be cut?
Town Manager Bruce St. Denis has suggested the town can eliminate the following out of the town’s Police and Fire Rescue budgets:

Police annual physicals $5,000
Police training $5,000
Hurricane response training $496
Police legal updates $5,000
Police EMT training $5,000
Misc. Police Training $3,000
Firefighter annual physicals $18,025
Thermal imaging cameras $4,500
iPads for firefighters $10,000
Firefighter tools $1,000
Firefighter appliance replacement $1,200
Firefighter visibility equipment $200
Firefighter tools and
building maintenance $2,000
Firefighter floor replacement $10,000
Fire chief training $1,280
Firefighter ems training $2,500
Fire marshal conference $1,059
Fire safety forum $1,448
Fire emergency
vehicle symposium $1,131
Total police and fire reductions $71,715

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].