HAD ENOUGH? Leadership for Change

Candidates focused on spending

Exerpts from an article from the Key West Citizen - 07/26/2010

There is no issue that dominates the upcoming Florida Keys Mosquito Control District elections more than spending.

Two Mosquito Control board seats are up for grabs this year, and a large pool of candidates have come out to run for the seats, as the district and its spending have garnered more headlines this year than in previous years. Questions about how the district spends its money dominated the Hometown PAC forum last week.

Democrat candidates Jay Marzella and Dan Dombroski are two of three men challenging Republican incumbent Dick Rudell, who is also facing fellow Republican Howard Hubbard for the right to represent the Middle Keys on the district's board.

Marzella and Dombroski and Rudell and Hubbard will face off in the Aug. 24 primary. (It is now me against the incumbent - Dick Rudell. - Dan 10/3/10)

Questioning salary

No spending issue has caught the ire of taxpayers more than the salary currently earned by district Executive Director Ed Fussell. At $186,400 a year plus benefits, Fussell earns more than any other government administrator in the Keys, despite having one of the smallest staffs in Monroe County.

Dombroski argued that the salary should have been capped at between $90,000 to $120,000, as that "would seem appropriate for this position."

"This issue that should have been resolved by the board many, many years ago. They should never have voted to allow it to get this high," Dombroski said. "The salary of the executive director is one that needs to be reevaluated; it is excessive, and if possible needs to be readjusted by the board to meet the realities of our community's economy and tax base. Presently, the executive director makes more than the governor of the state of Florida. And, if you coupled that with the salaries of the board members, this is quite a large sum needed to manage an organization of about 100 employees."

No new building

There are other spending issues that have dominated recent board meetings. One of those is whether the district should continue collecting $1 million a year from taxpayers to use to purchase property and/or build a new building to replace its headquarters on Stock Island. The land and building are owned by the city of Key West and there is concern that the city will eventually take back the land.

"This is not the time to do this with the economy being so flat as well as the glut of empty private and government buildings currently being unutilized," Dombroski said. "What people may be forgetting, it is just not the cost of constructing a larger building; there are additional hidden costs associated, like increase in maintenance, larger utility bills, etc."

Internal controls

The most pressing issue is that "the culture of the Mosquito Control District has to be changed from one of financial entitlement to one of effective financial management," Dombroski said. The district has been effective with its efforts at controlling the mosquito population, but its spending policies have been excessive and with little internal controls, he said.

"The board needs to obtain efficient personnel policies, management policies and vehicle policies from comparative mosquito districts in order to establish a fair and equitable compensation and management polices," Dombroski said. "I believe if these controls and policies are revisited and modified, there will be enough fat cut from the budget to continue to successfully control the mosquito population without staff or salary cuts." tohara@keysnews.com

My experience as a professional administrator has provided me with the skills to effectively manage budgets without cutting services. As the director of a charitable organization, I have learned how to make $1.50 out of every $1.00 that we receive. This has been accomplished by collaborative relationships, transparent budgets, fiscal controls and responsible decision making. I will utilize these same skills and abilities as your District 2 Mosquito Control Commissioner.

I have served on several local boards, served as board president and presently serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Florida Keys. I know what needs to be accomplished for a board to be effective, proactive, and cohesive. I will incorporate these skills as you new District 2 Mosquito Control Commissioner.

This election, as all elections, is about trust and character. I won't make promises I may not be able to keep. Remember, I will be one of 5 commissioners on this board. I will promise you, though, that I will be a hard working commissioner that will always remember who he works for. I have always put the needs of others over my own, and I will continue to do so as your new commissioner. These are promises that I can and will keep.

If you have HAD ENOUGH of the chaos of the current Mosquito Control Board, I am asking for your trust and your vote. If you are dissatisfied, as I am, with the present Mosquito Commissioner from District 2 and want change, take the first step and vote for me on November 2.

From the Marathon Florida Keys Journal

September 24, 2010 - Middle Keys - Marilyn Tempest: THE MOSQUITO CONTROL BLUES. “Mosquito Control is out of control” used to be cocktail conversation. We would chuckle, shrug, and move on to other subjects. After the Sept. 20th final public budget hearing in Marathon, it is no longer a laughing matter. This meeting was troubling.

Budget hearings are important. On this night, copies of the agenda and the detailed expense budget were available if you asked for them. No comparisons to last year’s costs were provided, so you had no clue whether costs were up or down except if someone said so.

The Commissioners set the millage rate prior to revising the budget. I have never seen that before. Usually you estimate outside revenue and expenses, and then set the millage rate to produce the tax revenue needed. This confused everyone, including board members. The commissioners adopted the .4596 millage rate achieved at the Key Largo hearing, which is well below rollback, but still high. The staff was pleased, but audience members, consisting mostly of candidates running for board seats, were less pleased.

Then the shell game started. Money was moved from one place to another. Commissioner Shaw had a list of proposed cost cuts, most of which were defeated by Mosquito Control’s gang of three. The net savings were to be moved to a reserve for the retiree health plan, Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB). I think that happened; I’m not sure. I distinctly heard something about $500K taken from the Key West Building fund going to a Capital Reserve. But later, Commissioner Shaw’s motion included that $500K in the OPEB fund transfer. I suppose the later vote supersedes the earlier vote, right? Who’s on first?

One of the line items reduced was merit pay. Commissioner Shaw suggested a range of salaries that would be “eligible”. Then a staff member suggested stretching the range so that more employees, including her, might also be eligible. The commissioner obliged. The comptroller asked for a definition of “merit pay”. He doesn’t know? No one else knew either. Generous housing allowances remained intact. Throughout the discussion, the director was noticeably silent.

Repeated technical issues hampered the discourse. Several staffers attempted to fix the issues, without success. Although I tried to follow on the screen, items under discussion were not displayed. The revised budget was finally approved after three painful hours. The budget hearing adjourned, and was immediately followed by an intriguing regular meeting.

The director proposed the purchase of spraying equipment, which would improve the current disbursal method. He suggested we might eventually buy 3 of these. Initial test results are encouraging, but not yet complete. The director was ready to go forward without a competitive bid, stating that bidding would delay the acquisition several months. The attorney listed the conditions that were required to do “no bid” contracts, one of which is declaring an emergency. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the board unanimously declared an emergency with dengue fever, and if next weekend’s results are encouraging; we will buy the new equipment. The instant declaration of emergency seemed cavalier, at best, to this observer. It was not revealed whether this was budgeted this year, or next year, or at all.

The board also voted to discontinue the OPEB immediately for any new employee, but it will remain in effect for existing retirees and current employees that stay with Mosquito Control long enough to retire. This is an unfunded future obligation to the tune of millions of dollars, and the board was right to end it. It was suggested that staff bring forward options that allow a retiree to join a plan for which he pays. Perhaps at that time, a new set of commissioners will see fit to include current employees in that lower cost plan.

What an evening! Boiled down to simplest terms:

--You cannot hear in this room, and no one uses the microphones. Why not? It’s a public hearing.

--Staff did not have its financial act together.

--The highly paid director is passionate about chemicals, but not about money matters.

-- The generous OPEB is driving and will continue to drive budget decisions at Mosquito Control.

--These meetings should be broadcast live, which might lead to an improved performance.

What can be done? Take a deep breath. An election is coming soon to a precinct near you.

Thanks, Publisher

Marathon Florida Keys Journal

http://MarathonJournal.US

http://MarathonJournal.US/journal/index.htm#Poll Marathon City Council Elections Poll