First, and most important, we hope to return to a time that we all act like we live in a "community" not a living battlefield. We have given lip service to civility and dialogue, but if we are to get anything accomplished that is going to benefit the majority, we are going to have to recognize that we all have a point of view, that may be different, that we may not all agree is the best or brightest, but that is put forward to illicit the best for Sarasota. We in the business community need to recognize that we don't have all the answers, and those with contrary positions need to recognize the same. Most importantly, our elected officials need to face this fact and act as binding mediators based upon the weight of factual evidence as opposed to emotional political threats. We need to support our elected leaders to dismiss those from the community dialogue who do not seek to obtain workable solutions to difficult problems. An integrated economy that recognizes all our roles will be supported and embraced by good elected officials.

Second, rather than disparage growth within our community, we need to recognize that the counterpart to "growth" is "death." We have all chosen our permanent residence in this community because we are committed to managing growth, not killing it. The 2050 vision was a process, a good start to recognizing a need for good planning. Unfortunately due to the delay in implementation we are putting greater pressures on the price of existing housing stock in north county. For those of us lucky enough to own residential real estate we see greater price appreciation because of reduced supply in the "working' folks price range. We face a real challenge to embrace the need to move the urban service boundary east of I-75, while at the same time capturing the livability characteristics in affordable housing that make Sarasota an attractive place to live. Let us finally all come together to work on recognizing and solving these immediate needs.

Third, let us resolve issues of fairness in local taxation. The state of Florida has continued to mandate that local government assume greater responsibility for financing services, while not authorizing through legislation taxation either statewide or by local option to pay for those increased demands. The result is that in an attempt to keep up, local government has resorted to "non-tax" sources. As an example, agriculture has historically relied on "greenbelt" status to allow affordability in farming operations. This shift from ad valorem taxation to a "fee for service" system has made it more difficult, especially for farmers, as well as churches, and non-profits, to operate. In the above cases the fees for service are now far greater than are the property taxes. If we findbenefit to support these institutions and local grower businesses, let us all work to return tax fairness to support important elements of good community life.

Fourth, as we have all been squeezed by tough economic times, it is time that we give scrutiny to our "community " budget All cities should join with County government to ask how can we streamline costs, without sacrificing service. We need to closely look at the duplication of services and become more efficient. Since 1976 the Sarasota County League of Women Voters has been calling for the consolidation of building departments and the adoption of a standard building code to be applied uniformly throughout the County. It is an example of a reasonable way to not only reduce costs, but make all of our lives easier. A modest proposal might be an appointed commission empanelled to make recommendations to all local governments as to how we can collaborate to save money in government without disrupting the quality of service. Consolidate purchasing of goods and materials, might be one of many issues that could yield substantial taxpayer savings. Good local government presupposes confidence and candor in the relations with one another, and eager collaboration for the betterment of all is a mutually important goal.

Expectations are the joys of life. The longer we live the more tempered we become to expect grumbling, complaints and ultimately disappointment. As we age we also realize that if our expectations are not so lofty, not to seek miracles from people, and ask that people complete doable tasks, just sometimes, we might be surprised by having people perform better than we had hoped. On reflection knowing how we ourselves have probably been a disappointment at times, let us hope that we can surprise the world in 2003, work together, and improve life for all of us in Sarasota County.

The Sarasota County School Board has requested that the County impose a $2.033 impact fee on new home construction. In response to many concerns voiced about the effect of impact fees on affordable housing in Sarasota, the School Board has requested that the County Commission only pass an impact fee ordinance if affordable housing is exempt from payment. The School Board request reaffirms the Argus Foundation contention that impact fees are regressive, and that there are more equitable and fair solutions for funding education. Faced with a recent statewide mandate to reduce class size we can appreciate the School Board dilemma to continue to search for more funding for capital projects. If the Board of County Commission does not pass the school impact fee, we would encourage the School Board to refinance their existing certificates of participation, which will increase the capital available for construction without increasing the cost of debt service

The Argus Foundation continues to support broad based funding for public education, and believes that the alternatives for funding new construction are not yet exhausted. We appreciate all the work the School Board is doing in being diligent in searching for the best solution to our problem.

This community has shown its appetite to support quality education when provided with a well thought out plan that leads to improvement. We at Argus have been proud partners in support of the School Board efforts when improvement plans are comprehensive. A re-evaluation of whether the current capital budget adequately deals with the issues of renovation of schools versus replacement, as well as the location and demand for new schools, is an important component in not only determining the money needed, but in garnering community support. We have a lot more work to do before our task is done.