IN YOUR CORNER

The Taxpayers Association Annual Dinner meeting often presents a speaker whose topic applies to the future. Last year’s speaker, retired Mobil Oil CEO Rawleigh Warner, quite accurately predicted the supply and demand pressures that have produced our current record gas prices. As an aside, he also predicted world oil production will peak within the next decade.

This year’s speaker, Craig Evans, presented an innovative approach to agriculture, conservation, preservation and development of land outside the Urban Services Area. His program presented a method of bringing market forces into alignment with natural resource values, so that future development pays for more than just itself. It also pays to preserve sensitive lands, conserve open space, and create compact growth that is far less costly to taxpayers than the semi-urban sprawl our Comprehensive Plan calls for.

The program he described is being implemented in Collier County. Also, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties are reportedly investigating this general approach to planning rural lands. We do not have enough details yet to fully understand the program, but the potential fiscal and growth control benefits are very intriguing. We hope the County will keep an open mind on such innovative long-range planning concepts. We already know we do not have enough money to prevent significant development outside the Urban Services Area, so other approaches need to be examined by our County government.

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The MCTA Board of Directors recently held a round-table discussion of what we do, how we do it, and what can be done better. It was quite a lively discussion.

One of our faults is that we criticize government excesses after-the-fact. This is partly because volunteers cannot stay abreast of all the issues important to taxpayers before decisions are made, so we must make our positions known as best we can to elected officials and the electorate.

We can, however, “keep score” of votes for and against taxpayers’ interests. To this end we agreed to periodically present a “Report Card” on how our elected officials vote on key taxpayer issues. These “report cards” will appear in future articles by our association.

The board voted unanimously to support the additional $25,000 property tax exemption for the elderly. Our research indicates that ad valorem income would be reduced by $311,000 annually if this exemption is approved. The board agreed that this tax relief measure is the right thing to do for those residents.

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Following the County Fire/EMS union’s success in obtaining better pay and benefits packages than any other County employees over the past four years, the Sheriff’s Department voted to unionize. Negotiations are underway at this time.

Although we contend that the Fire/EMS contracts were anomalous, and should not be used as a benchmark, the new Law Enforcement union apparently disagrees. We believe all County employees should be paid a competitive wage for their services, and beyond that, all employees should be treated equally with respect to pay and benefits.

This is such a basic principle of good management, as well as simple equity, we have asked the Board of County Commissioners to make it Fiscal Policy. The inequities created in the past for the Fire/EMS union should not be compounded by more special employee classes and more inequities, but should be corrected over time so all employees and taxpayers are treated fairly.

The Board of County Commissioners will discuss our requests for Fiscal Polities on April 27. We hope you tune in to MCTV for the discussion.