In Your Corner

The purpose of the Martin County Taxpayers’ Association is to reduce

the

cost of local government and thus reduce the tax burden on county

taxpayers.

This includes all government entities which are supported wholly or in

part

by these taxpayers. This reduction can be accomplished by eliminating

unnecessary government operations, by increasing the cost efficiency of

necessary operations, and by subjecting capital projects to rigorous

value-added studies covering both the initial expenditure and the yearly

operating cost. In all of our work with various local governmental

entities,

we make clear that we wish to address only those matters that have the

reduction of taxpayer burden as their ultimate goal.

During the next several weeks, almost two dozen members of the

Martin

County Taxpayers’ Association will call upon Martin County officials in

a

concerted effort to acquaint themselves with various departments. These

volunteers, appropriately called "Watchdogs", will learn and evaluate

how our

county business is conducted with respect to the use of taxpayer

dollars.

They will study each department’s organization, personnel and spending

patterns from their individual perspectives. This should prove most

interesting as the volunteers are far from a homogeneous group - to name

a

few, they are contractors, lawyers, plant managers, engineers,

appraisers,

public servants, bankers and "large-cap" CEOs, some active, some

retired.

Their collective product should prove fascinating and will be passed on

to

our readers.

Our Watchdogs will attempt to peer beneath the surface of Martin

County’s

"award-winning" budget presentation and examine the processes and

policies

that are used to justify spending. Fair and accurate comparisons may be

obtained from other counties, and newsworthy reports will find their way

into

this column. Prior to publishing our views, however, we will share our

findings with those affected in an attempt to fairly determine theirs.

To attain these goals, we are seeking additional talent to study the

tax

situation in Martin County and to work with public officials toward

greater

economy and efficiency in the operations of our county government. If

you

have an interest in becoming a Watchdog and putting your skills to work

for

the benefit of all taxpayers, call Dave Rohl at 546-5295 or 546-4249.

***

Some of our hopes and dreams continue to be that

** the commissioners will make it their number one priority to

reduce

the high cost of county government by adopting a budget process that

lends

itself to reducing expenditures;

** the administration will revive the privatization study

authorized by

the commission and completed two years ago - a number of taxpayers

devoted a

great deal of time and energy to this study, but the commission has not

yet

taken any action;

** the administration will take steps to end the annexation

litigation

that has cost Martin and Stuart taxpayers hundreds of thousands of

dollars,

with no end in sight;

** the administration will take steps to end unacceptably high wage

increases such as those given to county personnel during the past

several

years;

** the commission will devote 100% of the money collected from the

recent sales tax increase to purchase land to clean up the St. Lucie

River,

and will refuse to support land purchases that do not directly improve

the

quality of the river.

** the commission will learn it can trust the citizens of this

community.

***

The political season is here again, and a recent election year

phenomenon

has returned with it - projects are suddenly moving forward. We note a

few - Jensen Beach roads are being constructed and improved; Port

Salerno, Rio and Hobe Sound Community Redevelopment Master Plans are

being developed and prepared; the Regional Park plan has finally been

approved; drainage projects across the county are being funded. The

commission even talked about a budget reduction. We welcome this years

unusual progress ,however it is sad to think, that we may need an

election every year to eliminate the backlog of community needs! As a

matter of good policy government projects should be built when needed,

not when politically expedient.

***

Regarding the upcoming election, efficiency of operation is, and

always

has been, our main concern, and although we applaud candidates who

advocate

that objective, the Martin County Taxpayers’ Association does not

support any

particular candidate. We do, however, strongly encourage our members,

and

each and every one of our fellow taxpayers, to actively participate in

our

local elections and advocate for the candidates of your choice, but

remind

you that the views, opinions and support expressed by our individual

members

do not carry with them the endorsement of the Martin County Taxpayers’

Association.