Thursday, October 9, 2008

Rene Varela, Candidate for City Commission District 4, on City Budget and Management

Dr. Varela and his wife, Dr. Tanya Tag


City Budget and Management

The driving force to the successful management of any city is a fully verified and dependable budget. This city has survived for far too long without accurate accounting of expenditures and measuring cost-effectiveness of its efforts. Forging ahead to a better future must first begin with creating a system of timely, accurate, and transparent reporting of the city’s liabilities and assets. In an effort to effect such a change, I will demand:

Demand Timely Audits
• Performance-based milestone disbursement of funds for audits
• Call for state review and audit immediately after the deadline has passed without an audit presented

Open up entire budget no less than 3 months prior to submission
• Renegotiate all long-term agreements in favor of Lake Worth
• Re-evaluate utilities mandate and pricing scale
• Re-evaluate and negotiate all taxing districts within the city to find reasonable balance
• Evaluate efficiency measures in all city departments for cost savings to residents
• Apply targeted technology to increase efficiency in city reap savings for residents

Close General Fund Black Hole
• Institute departmental self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness
• Require quarterly budget analyses to be reported
• Require quarterly report to the public with expenditures and product produced