Each year, Key West city officials perform the elaborate dance known as city budget negotiations. Using budgetary sleight-of-hand, the city commission appears to hold the line on spending.
One way the commission accomplishes this is by putting off urgently-needed maintenance and improvements. That's why our sidewalks, or the lack of them, are a dangerous disgrace and our streets flood whenever it rains. That's why you can't get important city documents online. And that's why our city is scrambling now to replace leaky sewer pipes that should have been scrapped when the treatment plant was built in 1989.
Another way that the city maintains the illusion of reducing costs is by transferring losses from one place to another. These financial drains still exist, but somewhere else and under another name. The money-hemorrhaging Park and Ride is the perfect example. Last year, the Park and Ride shuttle— and its huge financial losses— were transferred to the city transit department. So while the Park and Ride still loses money, it's not nearly as much as before the shuttle was removed from the budget. And now, city officials cynically boast that the Park and Ride's financial situation has dramatically improved.
Another way the city tries to appear fiscally responsible is by setting impossibly low budgets for city contracts. Shrewd contractors bid low on these jobs, knowing that they'll never be held to their original budget. When the money runs out, they simply put in for a "change order," a request for additional funds to deal with "unforeseen circumstances." The commission hands out change orders like they're going out of style, often approving them without discussion as part of the consent agenda.
Perhaps the most destructive budgetary charade involves the salaries and working conditions of city employees, usually the first place that the commission applies the hatchet. As a result, a growing number of city employees are "contract labor," meaning that they are getting lower pay than regular city employees, with none of the benefits or job security.
The commission's cost-cutting also burdens city workers with antiquated equipment and cramped working conditions. This has an obvious impact on employee morale and the quality of city services.
The commissioners' attendance rate at the two budget workshops is a good indicator of their level of interest and commitment. Three out of seven commissioners made it to the first workshop, and three to the second, with a fourth commissioner arriving at the end. While some of those absent may have good reasons, the result of those meetings is the budget they voted to pass.
City policy is determined by the budget. Now is the time to call your commissioners and let them know what the most critical issues in your neighborhood are. If you don't have the money budgeted to do something, it doesn't get done and the opportunity is lost for another year.