It’s Time For You To Set The Agenda For The Future

All political and civic groups grapple with the issues concerning budgeting. Needless to say those in the position of dealing with the budget process and maintaining the lowest costs of operation, whether it is for a governmental organization or that of any other group, desires to show the lowest operating costs for those they are responsible to. In government it is the taxpayer, in corporate life it is your boss or the board of directors.

A great friend of mine would equate building a $20,000,000 facility and paying someone $5.00/hour to maintain it the height of stupidity. My friend never went to college, but understood the value of an investment, whether it was in personnel or in brick and mortar. He dealt more in common sense and not from any fancy leather bound book regarding “theoretical management.” He gained his knowledge as they say, “the old fashion way, he earned it,” as did his father and his grandfather and their company has been in business since 1904 and still going strong.

He would also remind me that it isn’t what you invest, but what you get as a result of a good investment and the value it brings long-term.

In the next couple of months we will be bringing online approximately $25,000,000 dollars of investment of taxpayers’ dollars in two large capital projects. One that will come online first will be the final development of Veterans Community Park. Actually, the total is $35,000,000, for we seem to always forget the taxpayer spent $10,000,000 acquiring that property over 20 years ago. We should also include all of the planning, design and interest for that project.

The purchase of that property was the right thing to do for this young fledgling community, as was the time and treasure it will have taken to create what I think will be a wonderful addition to our personality and identity regarding where we call home.

 We can ill afford, however, to fail to maintain and invest in this wonderful addition. That simply means we must spend money to maintain that image, but not for our egos, but for the investment made of the taxpayers’ treasure. Failure to do so may come back to haunt us over the next five to seven years as these types of facilities will degrade if not properly maintained.

The same will be true for the investment being made at the corner of San Marco Road and Heathwood as work continues on the new Fire/Rescue Headquarters and Emergency Operations Center. Unless you’ve failed to have been engaged during the recent events surrounding Hurricane Ian you better understand the necessity of this facility, not only for the citizens of our community, but for personnel who will be utilizing it.

Our citizens are not against planning for the future or investing in the necessary improvements to our community. What they are against is not prioritizing the proper spending to ensure we get, “the best bang for our buck,” and part of that involves investing in maintaining those investments.

Residents and our taxpayers don’t want to see those investments wasted for the lack of maintenance or the political will to do so. What they are against lies in lack of courage to be leaders, rather than blow with the political winds for the quick sound bite for an election ad or on a stump speech.

As I close, I want to share how amazed I am at how “want to be” political figures literally destroy a forest full of trees to write something that two paragraphs could accomplish. The thing is, I don’t think I am alone here, but I think many have lately thrown up their hands in disgust and have become disengaged from the process, believing we have lost the battle of common sense. 

We have an election coming up and it’s time to stay engaged, for the future of our nation, as well as our state and our individual communities are at stake here. Research all your options and make a choice, not based upon some of this hyperbolic mudslinging and negativity, but instead based upon the research you’ve done. Speak to your candidates and let your own good common sense help you make these choices. Don’t let fear and misinformation drive your decision on November 8th, instead you make YOUR choice and don’t let anyone else drive that decision.