Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/356321
though. I have no problem with a facility for someone who has been in jail for 10 days and they need a place to come to sleep for a few days and get case management, much like [one] program at the jail right now. But this come-as-you-are shelter just to welcome any- one who wants to wander in off the street? No, that is not the taxpayers' obligation. A jail diversion facility would be a lot smaller. SNL: The County Commission recently voted to hold its millage rate steady. Since property values have increased, that means an uptick in taxes for some residents. You voted on the City Commission to keep the city's tax rate flat, too. SS: I have never voted for a millage increase at the City Commission. This year it is flat. It is exactly what it was last year. SNL: Would you have voted to keep the mill- age rate steady on the county's budget? SS: Yes. We have existing roads that we do not have the revenues yet to repave, and I also don't think our reserves are where they need to be at, according to the county's own website. SNL: As you know, the city and county have not had balanced budgets in the past six years. They used revenue stabilization funds put aside in the good times to cover their deficits, but those funds are now gone or low. How will you balance the county budget over the next few years without reserves? What programs or departments would be cut? And should reserves be brought back up to a higher level? SS: Bringing the reserves back up is some- thing that should be slow and steady. I have been an advocate about that on the City Commission level, talking about making sure we are prepared if we ever got hit by a storm or some other economic [downturn]. We need to be able to put money back into a reserve fund. The problem is politicians, especially now that we have term limits on the County Commission. They want to get something done, and they only have a few years. Sometimes, though, just being fiscally prudent is the most important thing you can do. That is something I have learned from being on the City Commission. I point to the Utility Department at the city. There are two things the City Commission really is in agreement on. They want to take the system from a "B" system to an "A" sys- tem in the next couple of decades. And they also want to work the system to be debt-free, because we are a built-out system. I will always be cognizant of the long- term fiscal legacy you will hand off to the next generation. SNL: Nathan Benderson Park has been in the news for different reasons, including securing big tournaments. It briefly lost its ability to solicit donations while accepting significant public funding. Is the park a golden goose or a fat hen? SS: There have been problems with it. At some point that rowing facility will be a good venue … Sarasota News Leader August 1, 2014 Page 22