Sarasota News Leader

03/01/2013

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Sarasota News Leader March 1, 2013 Page 54 real decisions on tough questions, he was disappointed. CANDOR SPICES DEBATE Lege was assisted by Chris Lyons, the former city finance director who is helping the new guy fit into the job. ���You have to make some tough decisions,��� said Lyons. ���The bottom line is, cut staff or use the fund balance [reserves]. And that���s only good for two more years.��� The ���revenue stabilization fund��� ��� a fancy name for ���reserves��� ��� is estimated to stand at $2.9 million when the 2014 fiscal year begins. City Manager Tom Barwin (left) was away on vacation, leaving Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown to work with the City Commission during its budget workshop this week. Photo by Norman Schimmel Commissioner Shannon Snyder said he ���had no appetite for a tax increase��� and suggested ���We could increase the millage for the $300,000 ���the county is going to have to pick the cost of pushback by the county for the parks agreesome of this stuff, or eventually they���re going ment,��� suggested Lyons. to get all of it.��� When the county redrafted an interlocal agreeCommissioner Terry Turner did not throw up ment on parks a few years ago, it forced the his hands as Snyder did. ���Reduce police po- city to pick up $300,000 in maintenance exsitions: I think we have to. Up to now we���ve penses. only focused on pensions. We need to engage Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown remindour employees to changes in the terms of emed the commission, ���The current staff is reployment. Flexible work rules; healthcare; the ally stretched. You want to rewrite the zonDROP [early retirement] program. This is a ing code? That takes a lot of staff time. You long-term problem, and we can���t just focus on want more eyes on the streets dealing with the things that help out now.��� homeless, that takes police.��� Talk then turned to how ���the ratings agen- With Lyons leaving the city, for the first time cies��� will treat the city. ���The $15 million fund in his long career he seemed to be speaking balance is reflected in our credit rating,��� said candidly to the commission as a whole. Turner. ���OK, so far, no tax increase. We transfer $1.5 ���How we balance the budget is something they [million] or $2 million from the revenue starate,��� said Lyons. ���If we���re willing to raise the bilization fund; we cut seven cops and five millage [property tax rate] if the state takes other employees. That���s $3.5 million, leaving away revenue, they���ll note that.��� $1.3 [million]. Use more revenue stabilization

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