IN YOUR CORNER

We were surprised and disappointed to learn that our County Commissioners adopted a budget that only reduced our tax burden from 8.48 per thousand dollars to an 8.40 millage rate, less than a 1% reduction. This, after realizing a 17% growth in our tax rolls, effectively imposing a 16% tax increase. We had expected a “sharing” of this tremendous growth in County income. Your Taxpayers Association had suggested a split of this gain (a 7.47 millage rate) to give government half and reduce our rates by 8%.

The City of Stuart did not reduce millage at all, keeping it at 4.15 per thousand dollars, while realizing a 22.2% increase in property tax revenues. Even so, the City’s $31M budget is projected to have a $2,842,911 deficit for the coming year. This will be the fourth consecutive year the City has used reserve funds as revenues, and the reserves are nearly gone.

Free spending in these good times leaves little room for adjustment in bad times. As we all know, the aftershock of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne will affect our economy and property values. The County may have adequate reserves to cover hurricane-related costs, the City may not. Also, we do not yet know the total costs local governments will incur due to these hurricanes.

From our conversations with local government staff, we know a lot was learned.

Many of the contractors now helping to clean up and repair damages actually contacted local government before the storm hit, and received faxed authorizations for work to mobilize before communications were lost. The contractors knew that cell phones do not work after hurricanes, now the rest of us do too.

If there is one organization that performed incredibly during and after the storm, it is FPL. However, the money we saved over the past twenty years by not maintaining trees around power lines is now being spent repairing them and cleaning up. We might want FPL to approach this maintenance differently in the future, and pay the up-front cost

We learned that schools need annual inspections to assure they are safe for use as shelters. Our School Board keeps telling us that schools cost more because they are built above and beyond basic requirements. Let’s at least get high quality roofs on them, even at the expense of a little brick if necessary.

We also learned about our sanitary system. Not enough generators to adequately run all the lift stations adequately created health threats and environmental messes. Where shelters are located there is no choice but to keep the central system operational. And restrooms are necessary inside shelters, not outside them. Maybe the old fashioned but reliable septic tank is a better solution for low-density residential areas far from wastewater treatment plants.

We witnessed the failure of County, State and Federal Highways during evacuations. We need to be looking seriously at these problems. As we learned from Hurricane Jeanne, sometimes hurricanes move a lot faster than Hurricane Frances and the long drive from here to the west coast, typical during the evacuation, could put millions at risk. Additional evacuation routes, and better regional logistics to operate them, are required. If this means four-laning, let’s get to it.

We learned that the big box stores can and will mobilize people and materials beyond expectations. Publix, Winn-Dixie, Lowes, and Home Depot, to name four among them, deserve great credit for their efforts. They performed wonderfully. As individuals we also learned there is no substitute for preparation, self-reliance and neighbors.

We also learned that we need a stronger local media. The local AM radio stations failed again. The FM stations carried a lot of information about Vero and West Palm, not much on Martin County. Those with TV service found all local stations doing the same stories, why not divide the coverage?

On the whole, we believe our governments did a commendable job and sincerely thank those dedicated employees, staff and elected officials for their dedication and tireless efforts. We trust that once we can return to more normal conditions, all our local governments will share lessons learned and become better prepared for the next hurricane. The 25 years between Hurricane David and this hurricane season in Martin County is the exception, not the rule.