Shot to the Gut:  The Mayor’s new way to close the pool at Council 5:00 today!!!

Guest Blog:  Former Mayor and City Councilman, Dick Winger

Note this Agenda Item

  1. 5. CITY COUNCIL MATTERS
  2. A) NEW BUSINESS

3)  Informal discussion about creating a City policy to gradually phase out

Transfers from Enterprise Funds to the General Fund and then prohibit future transfers once the transition is complete – Request by Mayor Val Zudans

Your City is Funded from taxes of all kinds (94.2% of the revenue) and a 6% Transfer mark-up from Water and Sewer, The Marina, and Waste Disposal (5.8% of total revenue or $1.5 million).

The Cavets on this Transfer mark-up are:

  • The Enterprise has to charge market rates or less. Our City uniformly charges significantly less than market rates, saving you money.
  • The City employs Capital to own and run these Enterprises, and like any business is due a return for the use of your Funds. The City’s 6% mark-up is very low compared to private business providing the same function. That is why the City charges less.

Ending transfers deprives the City of all Revenue, except from Taxes. That leads either to higher taxes, or essentially partially defunding the City.  That in turn threatens the City’s continued existence in total (at the worst).  At the best, the result is severe cuts in funding so that City facilities like the pool, parks, city buildings, and Recreation would have to be largely eliminated.  That is because under Florida Law the City has to provide public safety, roads, and so on first.

All that is really optional in the cuts in this proposal is the forced elimination of the things we prize so much.  That is our parks, our festivals, our facilities—What has to go is what make Vero Beach Paradise!

Please turn out tonight and simply say NO.