The City of Stuart has begun planning for next year’s budget. The good news is that there is no anticipated increase in our millage rate. So it appears we, as a state, county and city, are beginning to see a recovery in the value of our homes and business properties. That is a very good sign. Increased property values (especially for commercial properties) will bring more money into government coffers. Government at all levels will have two choices – either do what was done in the past and foolishly use the money to increase salaries, staffing levels and perks or continue to be fiscally prudent as it has been during the lean years. I am sure the taxpayers want the latter.

In order to accomplish that, we must look at what services the City of Stuart should provide. Those services are Public Safety (Police and Fire/Rescue), Public Works (Water, Sewer, Roads, Trash and Parks), and Development (Building, Planning and Zoning).  There are also support departments that mainly serve to make sure that those listed above can provide the services. They include Finance, IT and Human Resources. Then, you have departments that are both external and internal such as the City Clerk and the City Attorney. Except for the attorney who reports directly to the city commission, all city employees report to the City Manager, who then reports to the city commission.

As part of the budgetary process, I have been speaking with the city manager about eliminating one department known as the Community Redevelopment Agency or CRA, and looking into downsizing our IT Department which currently consists of four people. The CRA is a geographical area that is part of the city that has its own funding source which is dedicated for specific projects within it’s boundaries. In the past, it was not a separate department but only a dedicated fund for use within those boundaries. I want to see it returned to being a dedicated fund only. Any specific projects that would fall within the CRA boundaries could be accomplished by using our existing departments to oversee the work as similar projects in other parts of the city are now done. An example would be the Public Works Department which now successfully accomplishes certain duties and projects by using different dedicated funds. I see no reason why a distinct separate department is necessary to administer a fund.

I believe the city needs to more fully engage the private sector for certain functions in technology, collections and finance. No technology department of our size can keep abreast of the latest and most cost-effective solutions and systems. As a business person, I have found that it is better not to buy systems because they change and become obsolete so rapidly. I rely on renting space on outside servers to store records and using internet-based programs to perform accounting and other functions. This cloud computing is done by every level of government including the CIA.  I am not saying that every technology function should be outsourced, but I am saying that all systems should be continuously evaluated to see if it can be done better and more cost effectively by the private sector or in other ways.

Let me be clear.  As a commissioner, I believe that the overall city workforce is dedicated to providing excellent service to the citizens. We need to reorganize that workforce to better serve the public. In some cases, I will be looking to increase the number of employees.  For example, the Police Department during the economic downturn has had a reduction in the number of officers patrolling our streets. The biggest complaint I hear from people is the lack of enforcement for minor quality of life offences such as traffic control, noise and code enforcement. This needs to be addressed so we can have a better city.

Now is the time to make sure that Stuart’s foundation is in order. We can’t truly build our future if the blocks are missing or not plumbed. What government tends to do is add people to fix problems that are created by keeping systems and people that should be replaced. As someone who has managed literally hundreds of commercial properties with thousands of employees over the last 40 years, I know that you need to continuously review and adapt your organizational chart to be successful in a changing world. If you are tied to past practices, you are doomed to expensive future failure. I do not want that for Stuart’s residents and taxpayers.