Guest Column by Ben Boukri, Jr, Alachua City Commissioner

 In recent weeks the City of Alachua’s financial situation has been covered widely in the media.  I think it is important for our residents to know, from one of their own, exactly where we stand.

On June 14, 2010, the audit for fiscal year 2008-2009 was presented at a regularly scheduled commission meeting.  The audit revealed that the City of Alachua’s financial situation had declined and the City met one condition out of a possible five of Florida State Statute 218.503(1).

Immediately, a workshop followed by a special commission meeting was called by the City Commission to address the city’s financial issues.  On June 23 those meetings were held and the Alachua City Commission implemented a 12 month hiring freeze effective immediately as well as directing staff to bring a detailed financial report to the City Commission on a monthly basis. 

On June 30, I sat down with City Manager Traci Cain to find out how the City of Alachua reached its current financial situation.

The City of Alachua has been a proactive community for many years and over the past several years has made a number of investments to improve the quality of life of its residents.  In 2006, the City donated $1 million to help bring a Santa Fe College campus specializing in emerging technologies to Alachua, increasing educational and employment opportunities locally. 

The City also expended $195,000 on renovations to the Cleather Hathcock, Sr. Community Center, bringing a much needed facility for our seniors. 

Another $935,000 was spent to complete the build-out of the City’s municipal complex.  This expense was not covered in the loan for the complex, but implementing the build-out concurrent with construction of the complex was estimated to bring substantial savings over the long term. 

The City has also experienced a number of lawsuits which increased legal expenses beyond budgeted levels.

These are some of the major costs that impacted the city’s operating account, leaving a shortfall to cover a $1.2 million utility bill as well as other expenses which were paid by transferring funds out of Alachua’s SBA (State Board of Administration) account.  Further, the City could not have foreseen the downgrading of its bond insurance policy company, which occurred late 2008, requiring the City to maintain additional money in unrestricted funds in the SBA.  This fund is essentially the City’s savings account.  By using these funds from this account to assist in covering operating and other expenses, the City is now in a position where we must replenish this account.  

So where is the City of Alachua today? 

Through a combination of decreased spending and revenue generation, the City is well on its way to an improved financial future. The City is paying its bills on time and is in better financial condition now than represented by the 2008-2009 audit.  Staff is developing an aggressive but achievable plan to replenish the SBA account.  City Manager Cain has reduced $1.2 million in budgeted expenses for fiscal year 2009-2010.  The City of Alachua currently has two properties for sale that are anticipated to net the City $1 million.  This revenue will aid in replenishing the City’s accounts as well.  The City may be able to transfer funds at the end of this current fiscal year to the SBA account.  Additionally for the record, the City of Alachua is current on all debt payments and obligations.   

I ran a campaign on fiscal responsibility and I am confident in saying Alachua is headed in the right direction.  It is now time, and has been for quite a while, for government at all levels to look for ways to reduce spending.  I will be doing my part in Alachua.

The children of this state are the future of hunting and fishing. They are the ones who will become the next generation of sportsmen and continue the traditions we enjoy today.

To make sure these kids are introduced to fishing, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding summer fishing camps that will teach students how to be self-sufficient fishermen.

During these camps, the children go through a series of biology lessons that include the scientific procedures of fish dissection, how to determine the age of fish as well as scaling, skinning and filleting their catch. They learn fish facts that include fish identification, distinguishing characteristics, habitats, feeding preferences and bag limits.

Rod and reel assembly, cane pole use, tackle types, knot-tying, bait selections for specific species of fish, and catch-and-release techniques round out the fishing lessons. The students also receive boating safety information and get a tackle box of their own, which they use when they are taught how to fish from the bank and a boat. 

The FWC surveys each camper before and after the program. All parents have agreed to have their child participate in this study, which includes revisiting the child throughout the year as part of efforts to document again that children who go through this program have increased self-esteem and made better grades in school.

One thing I want to emphasize here is that hunters and anglers helped pay for these fishing camps when they purchased their fishing and hunting licenses. Everyone who purchases a license has the opportunity to donate for the purpose of developing youth programs. 

I am very proud of our dedicated staff who are making this happen, but the credit belongs to all the hunters and anglers who contributed.  They are investing in the future of wildlife and fisheries conservation.

Unfortunately, many people don’t know about this program. I’ve spoken to people who admitted they declined to donate because they didn't believe the money would be spent on youth programs.  Folks agree that if they had known programs like ours would receive the money, they would have given.

These donated dollars are going to good use. Eight camps were held in June. Here are the dates and locations of the remaining camps:

§  July 19-23 and July 26-30 – Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center (BTYCC) in Monticello.

§  July 26-30 – Oldsmar, City of Oldsmar Parks and Recreation.

§  July 26-30 and Aug. 9-13 – Ocala/Horseshoe Lake, Marion County Parks & Recreation.

There are spots available for campers at the BTYCC camps.  The Oldsmar and Ocala camps have been filled.

For the $200 registration fee, kids between 9 and 15 years old get a week at the day camp, a rod and reel and a tackle box loaded with the things they’ll need to get started. To sign your child up for one of the camp sessions, call Rae Waddell at 850-933-4322 .

To help support the camps, just say “yes” when a license vendor asks if you’d like to donate $5 to the FWC’s youth education programs.

Let’s make sure that our future fishermen get the chance to learn their craft.

By Tony Young

 To me, the best part about hunting is not harvesting game but spending quality time in the outdoors with friends and family. 

            One of the best ways to do just that is through dove hunting.  However, great dove hunts are in such high demand they’re often difficult to find.

            That’s why the FWC created its Special-Opportunity Dove Club Program – to offer hunters the chance of experiencing exceptional dove hunting on the state’s best public dove fields.

            Dove Club permits enable one adult and one youth (under age 16) to hunt all scheduled dates for the dove field of their choice.  Permits cost only $150 and enable both hunters to each take a daily bag limit of birds.  There are a total of eight hunts on all but one of the selected dove fields (Caravelle Ranch has six), and all hunts are from noon until sunset and take place on Saturdays, starting Oct. 2 and ending Jan. 8.

            Last year, 1,436 birds were harvested from five fields.  And this coming season, there will be six special-opportunity dove fields scattered throughout the state from which to choose.

One of the fields is on the Allapattah Flats Public Small-Game Hunting Area in Martin County, east of Lake Okeechobee.  There are 25 Dove Club permits available for the 100-acre field, and participants last year experienced an average take of nearly two birds per hunter per day, harvesting 363 birds. 

The North Newberry Public Small-Game Hunting Area in Alachua County has 13 Dove Club permits on its 40 acres.  That field really produced last season, with 410 doves taken by only 107 hunters! 

Another field is on the Combs Farm Public Small-Game Hunting Area in Baker County, where there are 10 Dove Club permits for the 35 acres.  Caravelle Ranch in Putnam County has a 200-acre dove field with 30 Dove Club permits available, and the field on Hilochee Wildlife Management Area in Lake County has 15 Dove Club permits available to hunt its 58 acres.

The remaining special-opportunity dove field, the Frog Pond Public Small-Game Hunting Area in Miami-Dade County, was the top producer in past years but was unavailable last season.  It will be open this year and is going to have about 30 Dove Club permits available to hunt its 50 acres.

            There’s been a change this year: Dove Club permits will not be sold first-come, first-served during Phase I as they have been in the past but will instead be issued by random drawing.  And the Phase I application period for applying runs July 1-19. 

After obtaining the correct application worksheet by going to MyFWC.com/Hunting and clicking on “Limited Entry Hunts,” you can apply for these season passes by filling out a single worksheet (with up to five dove field choices) and turning it in at any county tax collector’s office, license agent or by going online at www.fl.wildlifelicense.com. During Phase I, hunters may be awarded a permit for only one dove field.

If you’re successful in getting drawn, you must pick up and pay for your Dove Club permit at any of the same places mentioned above by Aug. 9.  You can check drawing results in late July at MyFWC.com/Hunting, again by clicking “Limited Entry Hunts.”  And any applicants who provide their e-mail address will be notified by the FWC via e-mail if they are drawn. 

            Brochures on each of these areas are available online at MyFWC.com/Dove.  Also at that Web address, beginning in late September, hunters will be able to find the most up-to-date information on these six special-opportunity dove fields, as well as Florida’s other public dove fields.  The website is updated every Thursday throughout the dove season, and information includes dove densities, previous weeks’ harvests and field conditions.

So if you’d like to join the FWC’s Dove Club, you need to try to do so in July.  Remember to introduce someone new to hunting when you can.  As always, have fun, hunt safely and ethically, and we’ll see you in the woods!

By Eric May, Vice-Mayor, High Springs

It was a hot summer day in late July when I found myself stumbling across a newspaper article that forever changed my life.  The story was the announcement of the upcoming local election for two High Springs City Commission seats. 

You see, I was always the type of person who, like most of you, had some sort of dislike of government but really had never taken action on it.  The more I thought about it, the more I knew what I had to do.  The time was right for me to step off the sidelines and answer the call of public service, to change our government from the top down. 

So that week I went down to City Hall and met with a friendly city employee who gave me the necessary paperwork to get me started.  Before I knew what hit me, I found myself in a field of eight candidates vying for two seats.  One of the seats was held by a nine-year incumbent Mayor/Commissioner and current Alachua County Commission Candidate Jim Gabriel, and the other was held by a popular six-year incumbent, both considered to have strong name recognition.

The next four months were a bit of a blur, and could be described as a roller-coaster of campaigning and hard work.  The end result?  My premise of smaller government, Reagan conservative ideals, and promises of less taxes struck a chord with voters who put me and another newcomer into office.  Last November I was sworn in as High Springs' newest Commissioner, joining what I consider to be one of the finest commissions in recent history. 

Seven months have come and gone since that ceremony and I am happy to report I am part of a commission that is doing what our founding fathers wanted: putting more power back into the hands of the people.  We are reducing government waste, reducing fees, reducing processing times, increasing private property rights, and at the end of the day, improving our citizens' lives by increasing their liberties.  

In that short span of time I have had the pleasure of supporting and voting for suspending impact fees to help the local economy, eliminating overbearing historic regulations, gutting a highly restrictive sign code, avoiding utility rate increases, taken steps to eliminate the business-unfriendly conditional use permit, passed a comprehensive plan that provides for a better future for High Springs, completely remade the City website and email system improving citizen contact, and even reduced the commission's own salary.  The changes have been so substantive, in fact, that leaders from the Gainesville area are approaching High Springs more and more because the longstanding impression that High Springs was not business friendly is fading away.

Despite all this progress, last week, in response to facing criticism for wasting in excess of $420,000 in taxpayer's money during his tenure, Jim Gabriel called us a “do nothing commission.”

Mr. Gabriel, your comments in that article exemplify the reason you lost your re-election bid; you've lost touch with your boss, the people. Furthermore, your race for the County Commission has exemplified why partisan politics are broken; anyone can call themselves a Republican, just pay the fee and sign the paperwork.  But, it's a sad state when public officials like yourself vote for tax increases, increased fees, and wasteful spending projects and then go on to a higher office, putting the “R” behind their name on the ballot, expecting people to believe you are a conservative.

No, the title of Conservative is one that is earned through actions and voting records. It is a title that men and women like me have worked hard to earn and must work even harder to keep.