Dealing with the monumental

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Had wifi installed Wednesday morning at the new World Headquarters III, where I’m still splitting time with World Headquarters on the shores of Big Lake Henderson. That’ll all wrap up in the next week or so.

Wanted to touch on three items from Tuesday’s County Commission meeting: Barek, fire fee, and monument signs.

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Let’s start with the last first. Commissioner Diana Finegan has championed the idea of cleaning up the county, making it look nicer, that kind of thing. She’s not the first commissioner to say that, but she is the first to suggest new signage welcoming motorists into Citrus County.

Hence, the monument sign. Designed by special projects manager Veronica Kampschroer, one sign each will be placed on major roadways in the five commission districts.

That’s the idea, anyway. They’re $30,000 per sign and, so far, no plan to actually buy one. Finegan plans to pay for it from the "tree fund," which contains fines for removing trees without a permit. Expect more on this in the coming weeks.

At least we have a very cool design. That’s a start.

Now, Janet Barek. Fizzled faster than a popped balloon. Commissioner Jeff Kinnard presented the resolution by saying it was a better choice than ignoring the situation or hiring an outside investigator to get the skinny on what happened.

It got no traction. Commissioners Finegan and Holly Davis had little or nothing to say. Chair Rebecca Bays said she wouldn’t support the resolution; she called on colleagues to treat staff with respect.

Janet never uttered a word.

Let’s please hope — pretty please! — that we’ve moved on from the Romper Room. Kinnard thinks so:

“I don’t expect anything like this will come up again.”

With that out of the way, let’s talk a little about the fire fee.

I tend not to get too deep in the weeds on these things. That’s what the newspaper is for. I’m unlikely to blog about the inner workings of the fire department, its funding, or how this fee is derived.

But, boy, do I connect with citizens and their anger. I heard a few comments Tuesday that are worth a thought or two:

— “I can’t have you in my pocket just because you feel like a new shiny fire station.”

OK, folks, I understand your angst. But this is the FIRE DEPARTMENT. You know, those men and women who run into flames? And perform a host of other duties, all geared toward keeping us safe from harm. No one is wasting money on frivolous toys.

Plus, today’s firefighters are not the firefighters of even 20 years ago in Citrus County. We’ve morphed from an all-volunteer agency to career firefighters. They work 24-hour shifts that require them to reside in the fire station. A couple cots and a La-Z-Boy just won’t do.

 Learn more about fire services here!

— “Leave the little guy alone.”

This is a significant dilemma facing commissioners. A feeling of weariness among the citizenry. Several people went to the microphone looking like they needed a 3-day nap. People are being priced out of their homes, they can’t afford a normal trip to the grocery store, and the loose dimes are turning into pennies.

Folks are headed toward what we sober alcoholics call the broken shoelace. It’s not world calamity that’ll get me drunk, it’s the broken shoelace — the last straw. If people see county taxes as their broken shoelace, that’s difficult to overcome.

— “I do believe there is a need. I also believe there are ways to meet that need.”

OK, well, there you go. That’s the sticking point. We have a need. How do we pay for it? Several people suggested impact fees, which help but are not a panacea. 

The county shifted much of its fire funding from property taxes to the MSBU to make the burden more equitable. If there’s yet another way to pay for all this, I haven’t seen it yet.

— “Enjoy the job. If this goes through, you might not have one tomorrow.”

Ah, yes, the idle threat to commissioners. A staple in any hearing about taxes and zoning, especially. Do what we say or you’re a goner. Again, I understand the sentiment. Has little bearing on the vote.

The county has a budget hearing at 5 p.m. today. It’s rubber-meets-the-road time. Have an opinion on county taxes and how commissioners spend money? This is your time.

That’s it for Thursday. Have a great one, friends.

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