During two hearings next month, the Collier County Board of Commissioners will finalize the 2024 budget of just less than $2 billion. At Tuesday’s regular commissioner meeting, the board discussed its approach to the budget’s $10 million unfunded request list, including aquatic parks maintenance, events and improvements to the Collier Museum at Government Center.
The largest unfunded item on the list is phase one of the West Goodlette-Frank Road Joint Stormwater-Sewer Project in partnership with the city of Naples. This project focuses on replacing 1,200 existing septic systems with new sanitary sewer systems and waterlines. Completion of this project design is anticipated in early 2024, however the county needs $8.4 million to proceed. The county requested $19 million in legislative grants, and the city of Naples received $10 million in grant funding for this project.
More than $600,000 of the unfunded request list is for county parks and aquatic maintenance. “Historically, [parks] have been underfunded in certain areas,” Public Services Department Head Tanya Williams said.
County Manager Amy Patterson agreed with Williams, explaining the lack of funding in the past has created a need for larger monetary requests due to neglect and deterioration at some parks. She said it’s important the parks budget becomes more of a priority.
“We have more people coming here, making more and more demands on our infrastructure,” Patterson said. “We’re going to eventually have to add more things, and those things have to be maintained as well. We have to find that balance. I’m not suggesting that the parks budget doubles overnight, but we have to make that slow walk toward right-sizing these budgets so we have that proper balance between all the programs and the things that the community loves and how we keep it nice so we can do those things.”
There are 71 parks in Collier County, and the maintenance funds would go toward items, such as fertilizer, pesticides and electrical repairs. Commissioner Rick LoCastro said he is against cutting any funds needed for parks and recreation.
“I want to see our parks fully funded,” he said. “I want to see them look to the best of their ability.”
When county staff offered to go line by line through all of the unfunded items, Commissioner William McDaniel said that wasn’t the way to go about determining what should be cut.
“Virtually all of these things on this unfunded request list should be fenced off money. We should not be having these discussions without having the larger picture discussion with regard to other priorities that were established for the upcoming budget,” McDaniel said. “I don’t want to have this discussion.”
McDaniel requested the board take a closer look at the funded items and identify where some money can be reallocated to items on the unfunded list during the upcoming hearings.
Commissioner Chris Hall agreed to viewing the budget in its entirety to find ways to save taxpayer money and hold contractors accountable to what has been agreed upon.
No items on the unfunded list were voted to be cut during Tuesday’s discussion. The 2024 budget hearings are set for Sept. 7 and Sept. 21 before the new fiscal year begins in November.
