County should cut spending
To the editor:
Lee County General Government spending needs to be cut much more, and we should not be using reserves to balance the budget.
From 2005 through 2009, Lee County General Government spending grew by 56.5 percent, from $229.3 million to $358.9 million. By comparison, in other similar sized Florida counties, spending increases were much smaller over the same time period. For example the total spent by Brevard County in 2005 was only $173.3 million and in 2009 they spent only $180.6 million. That is only a 4.2 percent increase. Their population was estimated to be about 537,000 residents, which is very close to our total. Our Commissioners should be asking why these differences exist.
All of the recent talk about how we have to start drawing money from our Reserves in order to balance the budget ignores the huge increases in spending that took place over the recent past. Make no mistake about it. If Lee County were a public corporation, dipping into reserves would not be an option. Instead, those increased costs would be slashed back to more reasonable levels. I believe the major spending increases came about because County Revenues collected from the residents were pouring in during this time period. The data reported to the State says that in 2005, total ad valorem taxes collected was $318.7 million; in 2006 $379.3 million; in 2007 $468.4 million; in 2008 $465.9 million and in 2009 the total collected dropped slightly to $401.8 million. The county manager during those years was never held accountable for his appetite for increased spending.
With the recent change in the makeup of the commission, it is hoped this new line up will see fit to roll back spending to more acceptable levels and do so without jeopardizing the level of service to the public.
Sal Grosso
Cape Coral