Wednesday, July 18, 2012

So I promised to get to the finances but not today.

Last week, I promised I would post about the city finances but I have not.  I won't be posting on them today either for the simple reason that the finances are still being reined in.  Dennis Kelly has spent more time on this than any other aspect and now that the audit is done for the year ending September 30, 2011 and the special review by Deede Weithorn is complete, there is new reporting in place.  

I haven't had time to review all of the new reports but in a nutshell, it is looking like we have achieved the reserve account balances we need and are reasonably close to budget.  That's a good thing.  

Dennis Kelly has been the subject of some controversy from the dais, with two commissioners publicly calling for his removal.   While I understand their frustrations, I have come to believe that the city is a much better place  than it was six months ago when Dennis Kelly took over.  NBV will be much better if the commission drops the idea of replacing him.  

I understand the commissioners' concerns and when they came out last month at the commission meeting, I thought it best to reserve judgment, believing as I do that Dennis Kelly needs a chance.  Well what I've seen is that Kelly has more than lived up to responsibilities, has the administration on the right track and is finally cleaning up the morass of our finances. 

North Bay Village has suffered tremendously under unprofessional interim management for two solid years and it shows.   No progress was made on any of the key issues.  The boards had fallen fallow.  Our finances were a mystery.    And it's no easy task to clean that up.  

The city now has transparent financial reporting, Kelly has been active with the boards, steering them and containing, been open to new ideas and willing to share his reasoning and experience.   I'm impressed.  

I'm hoping the two commissioners will de-escalate the current conflict, declare a new starting point and work with the city manager.  This is not to say forget what the concerns are, but figure out how to move forward.  Kelly is a good man for this city and the results are showing.  


Kevin Vericker
July 18, 2012



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