BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County commissioners came to a consensus to approve funding for a new youth sports recreation program last week.
The program will finally unite the county with the city of Starke as partners in recreation along with the Tourist Development Council. Each board is contributing $150,000 to the rec budget.
County Chairman Danny Riddick began discussion during the county budget workshop asking for the same understanding shown to the fair board. A recreation program could become self-supporting, but it would take some upfront investment from the county. If that doesn’t happen within two years, they can eliminate the program, he said.
The city and TDC boards had already agreed on financial support, he said. Commissioners were looking for a way to commit funds that didn’t require further spending from their reserves.
Riddick said he knows money is tight and if the state eliminates property taxes, drastic cuts would be needed.
“I’m not putting that off, but at the same time, I’m not going to live in fear and not doing something for our children just because of a what-if,” he said. “The bottom line is, do we want to take a chance for two years to see if it will become self-sustaining and to help our children?”
Commissioner Chris Dougherty didn’t want to compare recreation to the fairgrounds, which the county already invested $1.7 million to acquire. That money was spent out of the general fund reserves to save the fairgrounds from foreclosure, and that is where their commitment should be, he said.
But Dougherty mentioned another way to raise tourism revenue. Seminole County has approved a Tourism Improvement District. Hotels with 60 or more rooms have added a $1.75 charge to their bills to fund improvements that will increase tourism, which benefits the hotels. Like the TDC board, a TID board helps govern use of funding. In Seminole, they will build an indoor sports complex.
Dougherty cautioned against spending money from reserves on recurring expenses, especially considering the discussions in Tallahassee over property taxes.
“I understand what you’re saying about what-if, but this thing’s growing legs really fast it is. I mean, it’s coming hard. People like the narrative. People like to think that they wouldn’t have to pay property taxes,” he said.
There was discussion of using funding offered by the sheriff from his budget and combining that with the funds budgeted to support individual recreation groups. But there wasn’t enough to avoid committing some of the general fund’s reserves to match the other $150,000 contributions.
Riddick predicted, based on conversations he’s had with private donors, that the county’s full commitment would result in donations rolling in.
“I don’t think that next year you’re going to have to ask for the 150. I’ll just throw that out. I won’t mention names of the people that have called me that have pretty much said this. They’re going to make this happen,” he said. “Everybody will see buy in. Is the county going to buy in with the city and really make this work? And I truly feel like, if we do again, within six months, you’ll see people coming forward and putting money in and make the recreation go so that next year, I won’t even have to ask for a 150 from the city or the county.”
Dougherty had previously suggested commissioners each donate $5,000 from their board salaries to support recreation, and he said he is still willing to do so.
“Commissioner, I understand what you’re trying to do, and I fully support recreation, but I also support that we’re watching the money that we’re spending and where we’re pulling that money from because we have so many other issues,” he said.
If they continue to add new expenses, Dougherty said they will never be able to roll back the property tax rate.
The consensus was to move forward by funding recreation, with $135,000 from reserves and the $15,000 budgeted for outside recreation groups.
