Commission seeks creative solutions

The Longboat Key Town Commission has made it clear to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis that it expects him to find ways to reduce the budget so the town doesn’t have to raise taxes to offset a deficit.

The commission received a 2011-12 preliminary budget June 1 that includes a $223,601 budget deficit. Town Manager Bruce St. Denis lists six ways to keep the budget flat.

One of the six ways to achieve a balanced budget is by raising the millage rate for the fourth consecutive year.

St. Denis proposes a 2.6% millage increase, which would raise the millage rate from 1.8872 mills to 1.9367 mills. The move would balance the budget, but commissioners told St. Denis at its Thursday, June 16 regular workshop they aren’t in favor of that option.

“I am asking you to please get creative and find ways to eliminate this shortfall,” said Commissioner Lynn Larson. “I understand it can be hard to do, but it needs to be done.”

St. Denis told the commission he understands the circumstance the town is in.

“We are continuing to keep the same level of service with less money,” St. Denis said. “I hope people recognize they are getting the same level of service for less money than what they have been paying in years past.”

The commissioners told St. Denis they are willing to look at different ways to reduce the town’s current level of service in order not to raise taxes.

“I won’t support anything that includes a tax increase,” Younger said. “We need to continue to tighten costs.”

Commissioner Jack Duncan agreed.

“It’s incumbent on the town manager to get creative now,” Duncan said. “I understand there may be implications about levels of service and you need to be prepared to tell us what the implications are. I hope you can give us options we can review.”

St. Denis agreed to report back to the commission with other ways to reduce the budget.

Brown urged his fellow commissioners to sit down with St. Denis and offer suggestions on how the budget could be cut further.

“We don’t want to raise taxes or spend any more money than we have to,” Brown said. “I think we can find a way to cut the budget.”

Some commissioners gave the town manager feedback at the meeting on how the budget could be cut.
Larson suggested there was no need to earmark $75,000 for new police cars in next year’s budget, because the police department has three new police cars waiting to be used once the current cars approach 100,000 miles.

The commission must set its maximum millage rate at its Monday, July 11 regular meeting and will adopt a budget in late September. St. Denis will release his recommended budget July 1.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].

Landau’s suggested budget cuts
At a Longboat Key Town Commission special budget workshop, Longboat Key resident Lenny Landau suggested the town’s budget can be cut by reducing the following budget line items:

Description                                                                    Amount budgeted
Professional services/other                                         $512,542
Electricity                                                                         $244,275
Hydrants/meters/lines                                                   $230,000
Automotive equipment                                                  $130,650
Fuel and oil                                                                      $129,800
Travel/conference/training                                            $112,882
Professional services/engineering                              $60,000
Books/publications/subscriptions/membership dues $43,375
Printing and forms                                                             $27,875