Financial Advisory Board - Will it be effective?

Everyone who applied to the Financial Advisory Board did so for one main reason—to help their City to find ways to survive the crisis we are in with our budget. All are either highly qualified in Finance or qualified in other ways to help make a difference and get to the source of some of our budgetary problems as well as to offer suggestions on cutting waste.

Ordinance 2010-03 states that the Board’s mission is to serve in an advisory capacity to the City Commission and to the City Manager. It will promote transparency in the City of Lake Worth’s budget process and allow for additional citizen input on major financial decisions. The Board will consult with and advise the City manager and the City Commission in matters affecting the annual operating budget, capital improvement and all financial policies.

Last night they were told by the City Clerk that it was up to this Board to determine whether or not it wanted to take public input. It seems clear that the Ordinance dictates it to do so if it wants to follow the established Ordinance.

City Manager, Susan Stanton, was the one who wanted this Board and told Mayor Varela that “she can’t do it alone.” Unlike the Mayor, she talked for some time about the true state of affairs in our City saying that it was going to be extremely difficult to “right the ship.” Stanton further stated that she has now compiled a “pretty good team” as the City has lacked some “steady, competent leadership.”

Last year our millage was raised to 4.9999 with the MSTU (fire rescue) of 3.4581 mills and debt service of .341 bringing it up to a total of 8.7891. The City Staff, raised all fees for everything and we are one of the highest taxed cities in Palm Beach County. If you consider the rate increases for water, electric, storm water and waste, Solid Waste Authority plus a conservation surcharge on our utility bill and a power cost adjustment charge, we are being taxed to death. City Staff continues to come up with schemes on raising fees for all recreation.

After last night, the responsibilities of this Board are unclear to me. It will only be as good as Staff wants it to be and as good as this Board insists that it should be. If it does not have executive authority to ask for documents in order to analyze and render opinion and get them quickly, then it will be nothing more than a rubber stamp for the City Manager.

If it can not understand our Utility, where the greatest source of revenue and waste is, this Board will be ineffective. We do not want this Board compromised by Staff just like the Electric Utility Task Force was.