Disaster Budget

The City of Punta Gorda, Florida is having a problem with disaster relief. Last fall, no less than three hurricanes plowed through the area, leaving a clean-up mess that is still taking its toll on the local citizens. And on the local government. In last week’s municipal election two of the running incumbents were tossed out in one of the largest turnouts at the polls in recent history. It seems the local folk were not happy with the inaction of their council in getting things cleaned up after the hurricanes. That the turnout at the polls was 31% - up from the normal 20%, is another story.

Immediately after the hurricanes, State and Federal aid was promised. As politicians from Governor Jeb Bush to his brother the President viewed the devastation, promises of aid were given and money was set aside. The problem is that the costs were greater than expected.

In one notable trailer park where over 400 of the 450 homes were destroyed, the residents decided to clean up the debris and rebuild their homes and lives. Debris was gathered and placed alongside the city roadway for pick up. New trailers arrived and were installed. But almost six months later, the debris remains. A pile of broken wood and twisted metal measures some twenty feet high, thirty feet wide and two blocks long. As one resident said, there are critters living in there!

The property owner does not have the money to remove the debris, nor do the tenants. Punta Gorda has no money, understandable after many municipal structures were flattened by the storms. The county is likewise strapped for cash. In a State where the economy is booming, the purse strings have been drawn shut with claims that there should be Federal money for this clean up. But even George knows that his money is in short supply.

The trailer park residents, who were praised for staying and trying to rebuild, are beginning to think that they should have just walked away from the mess like so many others did after the storms. The Postal Service will no longer deliver mail; the telephone company says it is too dangerous for their workers to enter the park. I guess those critters living in the debris are getting bigger and bolder. With all the laudatory news of giving for the Tsunami Relief, these people are starting to wonder what happened to charity beginning at home. It is simply one mell of a hess.

What will happen if the funding does not get sorted out is anyone’s guess. It brought to my mind the growing cost of our Regional / District Health Centre. What happens if the project starts without adequate funding? Will the local citizens eventually pick up the tab as the Hospital Board tries to finance the unfunded debt?

Mayor Fedeli is right in not starting any related city work until this is settled. Similarly, council should not commit any more money to the water filtration plant until that funding is in the bank. Government promises are often whimsical, especially when money they don’t have is involved. Like the budget for the hurricane cleanup in Punta Gorda, the budget for the hospital may turn out to be more than the municipality can handle.

And speaking of disaster budgets, the accounting for the million dollars that council claims the province owes us is beginning to sound like a page from the Conservation Authority’s manual on accounting. Recording it as revenue that may never materialize is a bit like calling a repayable loan a forgivable grant. It may make this year’s budget more palatable to the taxpayers, but that is not the reason for the budget exercise.