Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/112475
Sarasota News Leader March 1, 2013 Page 17 six years ago. I���ve had six years of tax cuts. The city continues to run a budget defiAfter six years of sequential tax cuts, where cit. We���re about to start the exercise again. It makes up the difference from does it stop? reserves. In reality, city staff has exerFor a lot of people, it doesn���t matter. They cised restraint, and at the end of the last wouldn���t even think of raising taxes. That���s fiscal year, the staff made up the differthe mantra everywhere you go. But they don���t ence and the reserves were not touched. understand. How much do we tap into [the It was not the policy guidance from the reserves]? It doesn���t resonate with the public. City Commission that balanced the budWhen I sit at the table, I have to look at every- get. It was the city manager and staff that balanced the budget. The city manthing. ager and staff took it upon themselves ��� ��� ��� to change policy to achieve further savings. It was done piecemeal, but it was The city continues to run a deficit in its not what the City Commission voted for; annual budget, making up the difference it was not the budget the commissioners from reserves. Will you raise taxes, cut approved. We are talking about millions services or continue tapping into savings of dollars in cuts to services. or let staff figure it out? If elected, you have three choices: raise Chapman: I think part of leadership is com- taxes, cut services or dip into savings, ing up with viable answers. I am not in favor and the savings are just about shot ��� or of raising taxes or cutting services, but I am there is a fourth option: You pass some in favor of looking at everything to look for fantasy budget and let staff figure it out. What will it be? efficiencies and focusing on core services. We do a lot of things and spend a lot of money Holland: Certainly no one running for office on things that are not core city services. I do wants to start out saying, ���Let���s just raise taxnot believe in kicking the can down the road. es.��� The community doesn���t want to hear that. And the community doesn���t want to hear, ���Cut Can you give examples? services.��� And they probably don���t want to hear, ���Dip into reserves.��� Chapman: There are a myriad of little programs that add up ��� take-home police cars; I wouldn���t be a big one for dipping into retake-home vehicles for other staff who do not serves, but I think, if that���s part of a combilive in the city. There are a lot of different little nation of things we can do, and recognizing things that add up. When I talk to people like we���re getting close to not having any more [retired city Finance Director] Chris Lyons, reserves, that would be a very tricky way to go. All of [the options] are tricky ways to go. they indicate those things can add up. All of them are difficult. ���Challenging��� is prob��� ��� ��� ably a better word than ���tricky,��� because of