The Money Trail

Port St. Joe taxpayers should be wondering, in the words of that 1960's song, where has all the money gone.

And commissioners should be doing more than pointing fingers in coming up with answers.

Judging by a recent financial workshop, a city that was once flush is now facing thin times and residents are already paying.

Overviews of the city's financials by manager Charlie Weston highlighted that some folks down at city hall were following the lead of the county and treating public dollars as Monopoly play money.

Only in toughening times, it doesn't seem like much fun and if he is going to be much of a State Attorney for the circuit, newly-elected Glenn Hess ought to be paying attention.

The most egregious actions that have been taken in recent years as been the way the water fund, or rather the money earmarked for the city's new water plant has been handled.

What seems clear, if Weston's representation is accurate, is that the water fund was used much like Congress uses Social Security and the Florida Legislature uses lottery revenue - as a chunk of change to move around the ledger to make it balance.

Money from the water fund, which in large part was comprised of the $12.5 million The St. Joe Company paid in upfront tap fees for WindMark Beach, a city windfall given the drop off the cliff of the real estate market the past two years, was used for some $1.5 million in projects unrelated to actual construction of the water plant.

Weston asserted the projects were related to the water plant, but in reality their relation to construction of the water plant, which comes on line in April, was akin to distant cousins not seen for decades.

And the city still owes some $2.5 million on the plant, according to Weston's presentation.

For residents, who listened as city officials four or so years ago pronounced again and again that water rates would not go up for existing residents because of that largesse from The St. Joe Company, because of all this money what would pay for a cutting edge new water plant, there is a special betrayal here.

Not only have rates gone up once, they are about to go up again and may again before the year is out, on top of a rise in garbage rates.

For folks on fixed incomes, who are barely scraping by as it is, there is no protection, such as a homestead exemption on property taxes.

And a pledge that was made several years ago by elected officials in the face of repeated questioning by skeptics turn out to be empty words.

The revelation during this workshop that the water plant was essentially designed on the fly due to changes in scope - and taxpayer dollars devoted to the project - is certainly a unique way to construct a $12 million facility that is now slated to come in at more than $20 million.

Consider that the city owes another $650,000 or so for an offsite sewer lift station for WindMark Beach that St. Joe has no use for, and therefore no need to pay for, turns the convoluted and costly effort to annex WindMark Beach several years ago the definition of cart preceding horse.

This is what can happen when the motivation is more, more, more - particularly more tax money.

Weston also noted that the city can "pull off" a list of 10 infrastructure projects variously close to budget, a comment that with WindMark and the water plant as backdrop seems like wishing on a star.

Compounding the situation for the city is that in essence, city officials can't really account for all the money in the kitty.

The individual in charge of effectively keeping the city's check ledger every day failed to do so accurately for a period of months, if not more than a year, and this individual's supervisor, the former city manager, seems to have let personal judgment interfere with his professional judgment time and again.

This is the same city manager who put the city on the hook for all the ongoing infrastructure projects - not necessarily a bad thing with aging foundations around the city - but seemed ill-prepared for the bills that would come due, hence the moving of water plant funds all over the budget.

That there is enough smoke there to indicate a potentially inappropriate relationship between boss and employee in the workplace adds to the bonfire city commissioners must suddenly douse.

Four years ago the city had some $9 million in the bank and deals with The St. Joe Company to bring on line a new water plant and wastewater treatment plant without taking an additional dime from current residents.

Today, the city has raised water, sewer and garbage rates, gone out for a short-term loan - interest at taxpayer expense - and is considering another just to cover operating costs.

There may or may not be missing money in sums that would make taxpayers shudder and city officials are just hoping something large doesn't jump from under the next overturned rock.

Pointing fingers is not a solution. Commissioners must have a plan and they can't do it on the fly like the water plant.

Confidence in elected officials is crucial, particularly in tough times, and right now confidence is wavering.