IN YOUR CORNER

 

The current Board of County Commissioners operates quite well when

compared to those in the recent past; however, they must never sacrifice

quality for form. "Ready, Fire, Aim" seems to be the present mood of our

county commission when we review some recent performances.

 

In their current rush to show progress and activity, our elected

officials have shown a propensity to get things done without doing the

necessary homework, and making "NO BAD NEWS" decisions without

considering the facts, all of which will cost taxpayers extra dollars if

the trend continues.  Even the lone dissenter seems to have acquiesced

so as not to alienate his four peers.

 

The first decision made in this mode was to delegate to the County

Administrator their responsibility to approve cost changes in major

capital projects (specifically those changes which do not exceed the

budget), so as not to tie up the fast-moving and upbeat commission

meetings in details.  To date, thirty-five change orders have been

approved which amounted to $2,160,803.  Not all were worthy of

discussion at a commission meeting.  However, change orders have ranged

from $7,586 to $243,299.  We believe in delegation, but we do feel the

Administrator's authority might better be limited to a $20,000 - $50,000

range in keeping with accepted business practice.

 

The next questionable decision was to discontinue the use of our

county-owned landfill, so that Waste Management could both transport and

dispose of our waste at an annual additional cost in excess of $3

million.  This was done without even hearing the staff recommendations

on how to use the existing facility, with commensurate savings, for the

next twenty years.

 

The most recent example of an ill-considered "shoot from the hip"

decision was to intervene in a legitimate Soil and Water Conservation

District controlled experiment to recycle horse manure to fertilize farm

land in western Martin County.  They had read about this plan in the

newspaper, but had not had time to thoroughly review with the plan

coordinator.  Haven't  these commissioners ever heard of a manure

spreader?  Did they consider the long-term objectives of this

experiment?  Did the fact that the South Florida Water Management

District and the Department of Environmental Protection endorsed this

experiment add to its credibility?  Apparently not, as our commissioners

would prefer to send horse manure to a landfill and have farmers utilize

chemical fertilizers.  What does that say about agricultural

sustainability?  Why did the commissioners fail to consider these and

other factors before banning the transport of horse manure into the

county?

 

These decisions are but a few gleaned from many, but troublesome when

one examines the lack of process to arrive at them.

 

Even though we are on the brink of a political season, we urge the

commissioners to slow down, listen to all sides, and carefully avoid the

"NO BAD NEWS" decisions in favor of decisions which will have lasting

benefit to Martin County Taxpayers.

 

**

The Martin County Taxpayers Association has been receiving

correspondence regarding the airport issues.  Some ask for our support

of moving same, others just inquire regarding our position in this

matter.

 

We have no position regarding Witham Field, and our stance is unlikely

to change unless we are confronted with unbiased, objective, and

compelling information which would directly impact taxpayers.  To date,

that has not been done.

 

**

On the environmental sustainability front, the Parks & Recreation

Director recently gave an update on the progress and future vision of

the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program (ESL).  There has been

progress in a number of areas, a change in staff, and a variety of new

programs.  The ESL  Division manages thirty-four sites totaling 1,200

acres, thirty percent of which has been treated for exotic plants.  Many

areas have been stabilized over the past three years, and the division

is now looking at public outreach and public access.

 

The Environmental Lands Administrator gave an overview of her

department's activities recently, including Exotic Plant Control at a

cost of $220,000 last year; Native Vegetation; Prescribed Fire (fire

adapted ecosystems and reduction of hazardous fuel loads); Hydrological

Restoration; Biological Assessment and Monitoring (including

archeological sites); and Site Control (fencing, gates, and bollards to

prevent dumping and control illegal activities). The total cost and

funding sources of  all these programs was not presented; however , the

County Administrator said the Environmental Land Program has been very

successful in acquiring grants for exotic removal. Martin County has

purchased a large number of acres under various programs often without

thought to the true cost including management of these purchases. We

hope these figures will be included in the analysis of future

acquisitions.