Let me be clear that I am not against growth. I am against this reckless methodology that our City and County use when it comes to growth. Our City Commissioners let us know last night, they feel like they are doing the city a favor. They think this because they keep getting re-elected, so they logically conclude it must be the will of the people. Is this your will?

-Robert Krames
Gainesville Resident

The Gainesville City Commission recently met to address the 5.6 million dollar revenue deficit now due in 2010.

Gainesville city government has established an interesting cycle of proposing and implementing new programs that yield multi-million dollar spending deficits, year after year. According to the Commission, these deficits can only be remedied by raising taxes and creating new fees.

Addressing the shortfall created by the City Commission, Commissioner Lauren Poe told the Gainesville Sun that he would like to bring back the Fire Assessment Fee. This fee was previously set aside due to citizen outrage regarding its ill-conceived design to tax churches and charities. Such organizations are among the hardest hit financially by the current recession.

Here are two ideas to make up the deficit; neither of them involves raising taxes or imposing fees on churches and charities:

1. Stop proposing new spending projects that are not vital to our city’s survival until we are out of the recession.  This will enable tax revenue to replenish naturally.

1. Re-assess every program, expense, department, and staff position that was implemented in the last 5 years and do away with what is not absolutely necessary or within the job description of local government.

I urge readers to contact your Commissioners. Tell them to stop proposing new spending projects, stop raising our taxes, and most emphatically not to impose taxes on churches and charities.

–Robert Krames
Gainesville Resident

Responsible management is so much more than creating public policy that throws tax revenues at experimental ideas. Wise stewardship of the environment should also concern itself with the impact on people, one of earth’s most valuable resources.

Widening sidewalks is a nice gesture, but removing lanes from Main Street and University Avenue will create many problems and safety issues. Decreasing traffic flow and reinforcing the use of public transportation seem like good ideas, except where are the options for drivers who need to get to work using these major arteries? The commissioners’ plans neglect to compensate for displaced traffic that results from lowering road capacity. The result: greater traffic congestion with longer commute times and higher carbon emissions. Drivers cutting through residential areas will create safety issues for children walking and riding bicycles to school.

Last year, Gainesville Regional Utilities’ profits were down as residents consumed less power. Rather than tightening up on their own wasteful practices commissioners compensated by voting in a rate increase to balance the city budget. I propose that Gainesville residents should be rewarded for conserving energy and our leaders need to search for alternate means to balance the city budget.

A legitimate environmental issue is the Koppers Superfund site which has been largely ignored by our Commissioners for decades. Citizen outrage has reached an all time high. Even though all of our Commissioners have held office for years they recently have decided to express “frustration” with how long the clean up process is taking.

Where is the leadership on environmental issues?

Robert Krames
Gainesville

As a part owner of GRU I feel that I am entitled to have a few additional line items added to my monthly bill/statement. How much of the money I am paying will result in profit for the company, and how much of that profit is transferred to the city general fund. As a part owner of this large business I think it is only fair for me to be kept in the loop.

On November 2^nd the Gainesville Sun ran another letter from a Gainesville resident who felt that he did not need to be kept in the loop(2). Why anyone would feel the unction to write a letter that basically says they don’t want to know how their personal money is being spent is beyond my ability to comprehend, but I digress… If this person or anyone else does not wish to know how GRU is spending their money, they can easily choose to not look at those line items on their statement.

I hope that you agree with me that GRU should keep its investors more in the loop on how it is spending your capitol and you will continue to urge your Commissioners and Mayor in this direction. [Click here for their contact info]

I would like to thank Ron Cunningham, for quickly running my rebuttal letter on November 5^th(3).

–Robert Krames
Gainesville Resident

Sources:

(1)   http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091030/OPINION02/910299933/-1/OPINION?Title=Letters-to-the-Editor-Oct-30

(2)   http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091102/OPINION02/910309868/-1/OPINION?Title=Letters-to-the-Editor-Nov-2

(3)   http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091105/OPINION02/911049912/-1/OPINION?Title=Letters-to-the-Editor-Nov-5

The Koppers Superfund Site has been a source of Gainesville citizen outrage for decades. Years ago the EPA took control of this site and confirmed that there were indeed dangerous toxins slowly moving towards the aquifer that Gainesville draws its drinking water from. The EPA has made little if any real progress with regard to the cleanup process. Citizens have urged commissioner after commissioner for entire terms of office to take the necessary actions to secure safe drinking water.

Now at the end of her sixth year in office, Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan reacts to the situation with the following statement, “I’m frustrated by the seemingly lack of response to the concerns we have consistently been putting forward,”(1). Really Ms. Mayor? It took only 6 years in public office to become “frustrated” by the EPA’s lack of action? Could future political aspirations have finally stirred an increased awareness of citizen outrage and kindled this new found frustration? Note that the Mayor’s statement doesn’t allude to any form of action that might be taken against the EPA, but lets us know that she is “frustrated”. For a Mayor that has committed this city to conform to the Kyoto Protocol by 2013(2), she sure doesn’t seem very concerned about this environmental issue that hits so close to home.

Recently our Commissioners announced they will now be enforcing a 130 meal per day limit on the local charity, The St. Francis House. The St. Francis house has feed the hungry in Gainesville since 1980, and now with the holiday’s approaching the City Commission has severely limited their capability. Public outcry was severe on this issue(3), and initially our Commissioners took the stance that their hands were tied and there was nothing they could do. After prolonged, unrelenting criticism and outcry our Commissioners began using their creative energies to come up with a solution and ultimately decided to lift the meal cap for the holidays(4). This however should have been their initial reaction as public servants and leaders rather than having to be urged relentlessly by their constituents to serve their community rather than resist it.

Robert Krames
Gainesville Resident

Sources:

(1)http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091030/articles/910301007

(2)http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_a9811e8e-9b1b-5b9e-a222-d7fa94fc2055.html

(3)http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090729/articles/907299944

(4)http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091106/articles/911061013

From the beginning, our Commissioners have had no problem saddling taxpayers with the over 3 million dollar tab for Ironwood Golf Course. Citizens clamored for the city to cut its losses and come up with a more fiscally responsible plan. Our Commissioners’ reply was, “Selling isn’t a viable option, show us a better solution and we’ll take it”.

Astoundingly, the Commission compounded the enormous debt by voting to “refurbish” Ironwood; reasoning an additional 1.1 million dollar expenditure would ultimately help cut losses. Isn’t that how you balance your checkbook? Our Commissioners openly admit that Ironwood is never expected to sustain itself; they are satisfied with simply reducing the amount of debt the course incurs each year. An underhanded effort was made to squelch the growing number of citizen complaints and camouflage losses by shuffling Ironwood’s classification from a city owned business to that of parks and recreation. Brilliant!

Recently a ray of fiscal hope appeared when a developer applied to build an upscale neighborhood around Ironwood. This effort would create good paying jobs and bring real economic growth to the area while supplying the fighting chance Ironwood needs. Scherwin Henry supported the measure and is to be applauded. However, the remainder of the Commission chose to stick with their self-imposed anti-growth agenda which perhaps smacks a bit of residential profiling by voting to block the proposition. Many east side residents are small business owners and would enjoy housing options that include newer, energy efficient homes. Aren’t east side residents entitled to the better housing options this neighborhood would supply?

Meanwhile, the Commission increased numerous taxes and fees around the city in the face of a struggling economy.

References:
City commission votes down Hatchet Creek development (Gainesville Sun)
City Commission OKs tax hike, rate increases (Gainesville Sun)

Robert Krames
Gainesville Resident