Item F
MONROE COUNTY TAXATION
Monroe County, as we know it today, is signaling its demise. The problem of what to do
with the county, as it is now reconfigured, has not been adequately addressed. The facts,
steadily increasing taxes and the cumbersome operation, show us we must change our
approach.
Somehow I don't believe any of us has come to grips with the reality of the paradigm
shift that must be accomplished to have cost effective government in the future. It is
natural and almost instinctive to think that we can ultimately solve this problem by
trimming here or cutting there or beating up Mister Roberts. Oh if only that were the
case. Certainly temporary savings can be achieved but using the cutting and trimming
methodology as tools to stop the incredible increases we will most certainly have in years
to come is an inadequate approach. ~
The fact is that Monroe County cannot afford to conduct business as us (we, because
of our unique geographical situation, have always been hard to manag~~iiticallY to
govern. Because we have attempted to deliver government services equally throughout
this long chain of islands we have built centers of government near the voters. They are
now obsolete and unsupportable within our recently shrinking unincorporated land base.
Now with Islamorada and Marathon as cities the county is confronted with the problem
of massive and necessary downsizing to survive. Downsizing (cutting services) is
politically dangerous and because of our geography probably not the final alternative.
Let me present two alternatives I believe will work:
I. The county cannot continue to operate three government centers. Centralize in
Marathon, close Key West and Plantation. Cut services, reduce staff, reduce the
plant, sell all unnecessary office space, consolidate and reduce services. This is
messy but realistically it's what a business would do when confronted with a
similar situation. (Politically ugly!)
II. My second alternative: Divide the county into two counties.
A. No resident of Islamorada or Key Largo has ever liked Key West
commissioners voting on their local issues and vice versa.
B. No matter how hard we try we don't really get along. Because our 100-
mile long county calls forth mis-trust and resentment and our towns and
cities are very different and have and will evolve differently, I say let us
divide and conquer.
C. The truth is, and I say this with a little smile, Marathon and Islamorada are
now feeling the weight of dual layered government. I refer to their
f.
proposed tax increases. And let me assure their residents it has just begun.
Ask Key West - the only difference now is that we are not alone.
When these two new cities emerged the die was cast. The county, as we know it cannot
survive united. Nor should we!
The following solution points are presented to stimulate debate:
A. Split the county at the 7 -mile bridge. The County of the Florida Keys (Marathon
to Key Largo) and Monroe County in the lower Keys.
B. Go to a city- county form of government. (I.e. Jacksonville, Metro-Date)
C. Seven commissioners in each district.
D. Appraise the value of land and buildings in each district. The Lower Keys and
Key West would then sell enough property to pay the Upper Keys the balance due
them.
E. Share the jail on a cost per prisoner basis.
F. The Upper Keys would sell the Plantation or Marathon facilities to the State/Feds.
(They never seem to run out of reasons to expand in the Keys.)
G. The Lower Keys and Key West would in turn sell whatever city or county
buildings would become excess. (Over one-half of them.)
H. The City of Key West and Monroe County would reemerge as one as a
"city/county" form of government with four commissioners from the Keys
districts and 3 from Key West. (That is how the population now resides.) This
city/county type of government now used in Jacksonville and Metro Date would
eliminate the double taxation and save 25% for city taxpayers and 10 to 15% for
the Keys taxpayers immediately. The efficiency and elimination of dual
administration officers and of commissioners and staff would be dramatic. The
lower number of buildings and offices would reduce fixed costs.
I. Each county would have sheriff however the department would be much more
efficient in covering a smaller area. Key West city police would be absorbed into
the new city/county department or vice-versa.
J. Fire would remain as it is within its current districts. The Key West district could
take all of the Stock Island and Key Haven fire district responsibility bringing
professional fire protection to these islands if they voted for it.
K. The title of mayor of Key West would be for ceremonial purposes, the top vote
getter in the city. The new county commissions would choose their own presiding
officer.
L. Marathon and Islamorada, in the Florida Keys County, are now basking in the
after glow of their recent city-dom and would probably retain this structure of
county and separate city governments for a while. Within five to ten years as they
witnessed lower taxes and better services in the new county/city of Monroe they
would find their way to combination. (Or not? - up to them)
M. The individual T.D.C.'s would be run by each district thus allowing each to
effectively advertise and get more bang for the buck.
Other Pluses
1. One entire layer of government would be eliminated along with an entire group of
administrators.
2. Government would be brought closer to the Keys and staff would become more
responsive. Big Pine for instance would have its own commissioner; ditto
Sugarloaf/Cudjoe and Key Haven/Stock Island and Big Coppitt.
3. A sense of greater unity of purpose within each new county would prevail.
What I am suggesting is a paradigm shift. One I have been steadily advocating since
Islamorada got its city in place four years ago. What I am suggesting is merited because I
do not believe the unincorporated areas, in the present county, will do with less services
or a move to service consolidation in a central area. Nor do I believe anyone, is willing to
pay the rapidly and naturally increasing taxes being brought on by a county
administration trying to support its past infrastructure side by side with the new cities
concurrent infrastructures. You can beat the hell out of tM Jim Roberts and yes you can
lower the taxes now but the bottom line is that will not kive the dilemma. It will be back
next year.
It's a ~n standoff and the only path available is to change the way we do business.
Remember this change of approach cannot be done by trimming this and trimming that.
This situation calls for a dramatic restructuring of government in this county.
I hesitate at this point in my life to fight yet another fight but whether I choose to do so is
not of much consequence for I predict we will see these concepts inevitably brought to
fruition. I believe that slowly and surely the reality of what we are doing in governance
ofthe Florida Keys will become undeniably an exercise in futility. As the burden of our
present structure bears down increasingly over the coming years we will change, we
must.
Presented by:
Edwin O. Swift, III