Weekly comments from Dale Martin

Dale Martin

City of Fernandina Beach

March 25, 2016 1:00 a.m.

City Manager Dale Martin

It is somewhat a challenge each week to develop a media piece, so every now and then I’ll offer a “media stew” and throw in several issues. Consider this one such offering.

Budget- the budget calendar for the 2016-2017 fiscal year has been provided to the City Commission and Staff. We’ll kick-off the budget campaign in early April and keep the budget process at the forefront of our business until late September. I look forward to diving into the City budget. I enjoy the tedious attention to detail necessary to pull a municipal budget together and then sharing with the community how things fall into place. Most people find it fascinating to discover the level of detail to which municipalities must budget. As an interesting parallel, I encourage residents to try to create a household budget at the same level: revenues and other income; gasoline, maintenance, insurance, and financing for vehicles; furnishings, utilities, maintenance, insurance, financing, and taxes for homes; food; entertainment, leisure, and vacations; child care, school, and college costs; medical costs; and incidental costs. How accurate would your budget be at the end of the year? How many “amendments” would you have to consider? Have fun.

Staff- With the departure of some staff and the stated interest of the City Commission to consider additional specific staff, I expect to make some changes to the City’s organizational chart. Some of those changes will likely be over the next few weeks or months, while others will wait to be incorporated as part of the proposed budget. Some of the expected changes are in the Community Development Department, the Airport, and among the various “Public Works” departments (Streets, Maintenance, and Utilities). Other changes are likely to be offered, but again, the budget becomes the key driver in that process- what level of service the City Commission desires when balanced with other projects and the community’s acceptance of associated taxes.

Auto Events- It was interesting and impressive to see the mid-March auto events come together. Of City staff, Mr. Bobby Kozakoff single-handedly managed all of the activities at the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport: Federal Aviation Administration coordination, parking preparation, runway closures, racing preparations, site safety, customer service, and post-event clean-up. I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Kozakoff for one of the preparation days and we were dashing from end to end of the Airport grounds throughout the day. Representatives of each event organization commented specifically to the professionalism, courtesy, and responsiveness of Mr. Kozakoff. Other than several concerns voiced about traffic and noise, the events were completed smoothly. I expect that the Tourist Development Council will soon share a report of the economic activity generated by the events.

Slide Into Spring- Happening concurrently with the racing event, the Parks and Recreation Department’s Slide into Spring, hosted in conjunction with Eight Flags Playscape, developers and architects of the improvements to Egans Creek Park, was as successful as the other events. The park enhancements, such as handicapped parking and a kayak launch, should be completed later this year.

Downtown Pocket Park- The small parcel utilized as a pocket park near the western end of Centre Street has been dismantled. The property was sold and a representative of the new owner indicated that the cost to the City to maintain the park would be higher. After consultation with other staff, the decision was made to formally terminate the relationship. I will work with staff to determine a suitable new location to place the art that occupied the park site.

Alachua Street Railroad Crossing- Positive and fruitful discussions continue with Florida Department of Transportation officials regarding the re-opening of Alachua Street at the railroad tracks on Front Street. Those officials appear to be highly supportive of the City’s desire and efforts for the project. I expect that more substantial movement for the re-opening will likely occur in April.

City Commission Goals- The City Commission discussed several goals during a January visioning session. The notes and comments from that meeting have been consolidated and the goals, as well as the metrics to measure success or failure, will be presented to the City Commission for formal approval at the next regular City Commission meeting (April 5). In summary, the top six goals from the Commission were re-opening Alachua Street, reporting on beach safety and personnel, reviewing and amending (as necessary) the City’s storm water management plan, installing lights at the soccer field, increasing downtown residential density, and getting recognized for the City’s disability accessibility efforts. Several other issues were raised and discussed. The additional issues will be part of staff efforts to complete or address as time, personnel, and funds permit.

Please have a safe and enjoyable weekend.