Since I have been on the ITID Board, I have advocated for the restoration of unspent funds appropriated for drainage and paving, to remain in the budget and carried forward year to year. It has been my position these dollars should not be used to supplement other budget items, especially ones that are not board directed. We need to have a plan and stick to it. "Failing to plan, is planning to fail".
Investment in our infrastructure is my top priority and the board has supported this since I came on board. We have been aggressively investing in the replacement of culverts which have exceeded their life cycle by 20 years. We brought that work in-house and are able to accomplish a lot more as a result. We started with one crew, this year we have added another. It will still take 15+ years to replace them all. We have been setting money aside for the past three years to prepare for the R2 road repavement costs and to replace the inverted siphon in the M1 basin at the M canal and 130th. We have been replenishing road rock on our dirt roads, and have been retrofitting swales and dirt roads throughout the district to improve drainage and lessening work orders on dirt roads. We have also begun reclamation of canal and road easements.
We have maintained updating and replacing park playgrounds at one a year and bringing them up to today’s standards.
We have been working on increasing drainage capacity in the M1 Basin with SFWMD, as well as with alternate drainage and storage options such as Moss project, GL Homes 640 acre impoundment donation, M2 impoundment by-pass and the M0 outfall discharge gate. We have continued to lobby the State for funds to complete the Corbett Levee as well as some of the other projects mentioned. We also continue to seek grant dollars towards these projects as well as for traffic calming projects to mitigate the impact of surrounding development on our roads.
Most importantly we have been focused on efficient and effective delivery of service to our residents through maintenance of swales, canals and grading.
Regarding the park project, the article incorrectly refers to increase in costs as the reason for the shortfall. This is incorrect. While there has been an increase in some costs since the contract was done in 2015 and construction is just now nearing completion, the majority of the shortfall relates to loss of grants and a misrepresentation from former staff that grant dollars were available that were not tied to the contract. In addition, there were monies spent from the utility sale account that could be reallocated. The Board chose to reallocate funds to make up the shortfall. While it has an impact on the dollars available for the 2019/20 budget, it is an issue that has been resolved by the Board.
Regarding our healthcare plan that we currently offer to our employees, ITID currently pays 100% of the HMO employee health plan. This amounts to approximately $750 per month per employee with a 10-20% increase annually absorbed.
There are three healthcare options the employee can apply those funds to 1. Affordable high deductible family HMO plan 2. HMO plan (which is what the 100% $ coverage is based on) and 3. PPO Plan.
I think the District’s healthcare Plan is already exceptional. However we are exploring ways to provide more affordable options for families with minimal increase in cost to the District. I will continue to support 100% coverage to our employees and remain committed to finding more affordable plans for their dependents. I do NOT support paying for dependent coverage. I believe our taxpayers also struggle with providing healthcare for themselves and their dependents and I do not want to burden them further.
It is important to note that ITID's budget is limited by non ad valorem tax revenue. We don't get shared revenue from elsewhere. We also do not benefit from market value increases. We have to make sure each penny is spent wisely.
This is the platform I was elected to office for. I remain true to my word and committed to our taxpayers.
I look forward to hearing from you, our taxpayers. How are we doing? How can we do better?
Please feel free to attend the budget workshop July 17th at 5:30 pm or the regular Board of Supervisors meeting at 6:30 pm. You may also email me at bargue@indiantrail.com or you can email any of the other board members.
https://gotowncrier.com/2019/07/sparks-fly-as-itid-board-sets-budget-workshop-for-july-17/
