Thanks to the many who wrote notes about the proposal for City Council to usurp one of the many roles of the Historic District Review Board. (HDRB)

I have no intention of supporting a proposal that would permit City Council to compromise the role of the Historic District Review Board. But please do not stop reading here!

I believe you and I, along with many in and outside of government, have neglected a neighborhood that needs our attention. IF we are not careful we are going to “preserve” it out of existence.

We must address the challenge of dilapidated structures, many of which are dangerous, unsightly and a blight on a community. We must continue to clean up lots and encourage owners to use them for meaningful infill development. We must join those who are working very hard to repair their neighborhood that is deeply in need of repair. We must preserve the history and grow this neighborhood that is close to downtown and has historically been integral to the diversity and character of our hometown.

Some of these properties are said to be contributing structures and others not. Many are owned by families who cannot afford to repair them; others belong to absentee owners who either do not understand the challenge or do not care. Some are tied up in heir’s disputes that are complicated and expensive to solve. It is likely that repairing many of the structures is more expensive than replacing them. For people of modest means, this makes it even more difficult.

While Historic Beaufort Foundation has been a valuable resource in identifying historic structures, they have not been able to save these properties alone. Properties that are “being saved” remain neglected and are fast becoming further dilapidated. They will eventually fall to the ground as time passes. To quote Evan Thompson of HBF, “in the unfortunate event of a Hurricane, all of these properties will be lost.”

I think you will agree the unique character of what we call the Northwest Quadrant, for lack of a more historically precise name, must be protected. Furthermore, I believe none of us have all of the answers to what can and should be done.

In short, we have no plan, nor the means to implement one, so we are grabbing at straws to “do something.” In the absence of a plan, we tend to point fingers, blame others and in this case believe the simple changing of an ordinance will change the situation. I do not think this is the case.

I believe it is time for all of us to pull together with residents, HBF, The Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, The Beaufort Housing Authority, Contractors, Bankers, Attorneys, Realtors and others to develop and implement a plan to address a very complex set of circumstances.

The good news is that over the past few years the City has found and invested over a million dollars in the neighborhood and fortunately there is more in the pipe line. This is to say nothing of the sweat invested by Operation Good Neighbor, Habitat for Humanity, neighborhood and church groups that have given their time and energies. But this is just the beginning.

As an alternative to amending the ordinance, I am going to propose a task force whose mission will be to develop a plan saving historic properties, rejuvenating and growing a neighborhood. I will ask them to report back to Council within 120 days. If you have access to skills, finances and whatever else it takes, I hope we will be able to count on your support for this worthy mission.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not mention the noble efforts by Dr Tony Bush and the many who worked with him on Operation Good Neighbor, for Council Woman Donnie Beer’s Project Repair and most recently for Habitat for Humanity’ Block by Block led by Councilman Mike Sutton. Each of these programs made significant contributions to the neighborhood. But the job is not yet done.

We must take inspiration from these leaders, many of whom began addressing the needs of this neighborhood before some of us even knew it existed.

Issues of public debate are often deeper and more complicated than they appear on the surface. A case in Point: The Beaufort City Council, the City’s Historic District Review Board and Historic Beaufort Foundation were locked in a struggle over who has the final say on the demolition of abandoned and dilapidated structures in The Northwest Quadrant. During the course of the debate, I realized the issue is much bigger than who controls demolition. It is about preserving a neighborhood and the survival and growth of downtown Beaufort.

In recent years, Operation Good Neighbor (initiated by Dr and Mrs. (Patricia) Tony Bush and area churches), Project Repair (initiated by Council Woman Donnie Beer and supported by City Council) and Block By Block (initiated by former Mayor Bill Rauch and Habitat for Humanity, directed through the tireless efforts of Councilman Mike Sutton) invested hundreds of hours of sweat equity while the City has invested millions of grant dollars toward making a neighborhood a better and safer place to live. This was a good start, but many of the problems persist.

If there was a simple solution to the multitude of complex issues faced by the neighborhood, commonly known as The Northwest Quadrant, the problem would not persist. We need a plan of Action. A plan that addresses dilapidated structures, many of which are dangerous, unsightly and a blight on a community. A plan that addresses historically contributing structures and others that are not. A plan that addresses properties owned by families who cannot afford to repair them; those that belong to absentee owners who either do not understand the challenge or do not care; those that involve heir’s disputes that are complicated and expensive to solve. A plan that acknowledges that repairing many of the structures is more expensive than replacing them. A plan that addresses public safety. A plan that addresses complex financing issues. A plan that addresses property tax challenges. A plan that addresses public education about the importance of history. A plan that takes into account the limitations and opportunities with today’s economic climate.

Time is overdue for all of us to pull together with residents, HBF, The Beaufort Redevelopment Commission, The Beaufort Housing Authority, Contractors, Bankers, Attorneys, Realtors and others to develop and implement a plan to address a very complex set of circumstances.

As an alternative to amending the demolition ordinance, City Council created a task force charged with developing a plan for saving historic properties and rejuvenating and growing a neighborhood. They are to report back to Council by mid to late August 2009.

If you have the time, inclination and resources to lend to the challenge, please let us hear from you.

Outsourcing The Collection of Garbage, Yard Debris and Recycling

While many of us do not personally know our police officers and firefighters because they rarely, if ever, come to our homes (fortunately), most of us do know and have a more personal interest in the people who come, rain or shine, hot or cold, to pick up our solid waste. They are friendly, courteous and do a very good job. When we return home after they have paid us a visit, we roll our emptied cart back to its parking place and are ready for another week.

When the City Manager demonstrated to Council that our $14 a month fee does not cover the $19 a month cost which is eating into the General Fund, it made sense to explore options like he has done within various other city departments.

I was not initially enthusiastic about outsourcing because I thought: (a) employees would lose their jobs and have no place to go (b) outsourcing would be more expensive (c) the vendor would not pay as well as the city or provide competitive benefits, and (d) there would be less accountability.

Careful review of the facts indicates how little I knew and that I was, in fact, mistaken. The proposed contract documents demonstrate how the contractor can manage the task for less money (because he spreads his administrative, maintenance and equipment capitalization costs across tens of thousands of customer pickups throughout the region instead of only the 4200 households in the City.) He will use 4 to 5 of the city’s 6 current full time employees, leaving only one or two who will hopefully be transferred into another function within the Public Works Department. His pay scale is higher than the City’s and he provides comparable health insurance and retirement benefits. Furthermore, he provides opportunity for employees to move up within the larger organization. His web based quality control systems can be monitored by the City on a daily basis, ensuring problems will be addressed more quickly and monitored until the customer is satisfied. The contract cost is fixed for five years regardless of variable gas prices and the costs of maintaining equipment (maybe even replacing.) Just as important, there is value added because Public Works staff will be able to focus their undivided attention toward other functions which often are currently not addressed.

The transition should be seamless since the contractor will perform the exact services the City currently delivers.

Please take a few minutes to review the documents at www.cityofbeaufort.org and share your questions with us. And please join us at our next City Council meeting to hear the presentation and ask questions.

Billy Keyserling
billyk@islc.net

In recent years, many developed a mistrust for their government. They came to believe that decisions were made secretly and information about important issues was withheld.

To ensure the highest level of transparency in City Government, we are working diligently to make sure citizens know as much as possible, as quickly as possible, about what happens within and outside of our City Council chambers.

As you know, I ‘ve been writing about timely topics, like the budget, funding activities in the Waterfront Park, staffing changes and the way we do business, most recently outsourcing the collection of garbage, recycling and yard debris.

News reports have indicated we are taking a comprehensive look at ways to make the city website more user friendly and to keep it more current.

When studying the website the other day, I reviewed a feature I am sure most people do now know about, but may want to preview. It is a state of the art financial reporting system and goes well beyond the level of transparency most would expect from the relatively small budget of a relatively small city.

The City’s Financial Dashboard is a one page document, found under the Finance Department link. It provides an overview and details about the city’s financial status. The dashboard reports year to date (YTD) revenues, expenses and the the city’s fund balance. Furthermore, it outlines department by department spending and how it matches budget allocations. And finally it shows, per resident revenue and expense. The Financial Dashboard is updated monthly.

During this time of economic uncertainty, it is critical we stay on top of financial issues and this is a good way to take a look on an ongoing basis.

I applaud the City Manager and his financial team and urge you to take a look to appreciate a new transparency in The City of Beaufort. Furthermore, you might have some questions.

Below I have attached the May 2009 City of Beaufort Financial Dashboard. To get a clearer image and look for past and future months, go to www.cityofbeaufort.org, click the under Departments on the left side of your screen and then click the Finance Department.

You can go directly to the Dashboard by clicking:

http://www.cityofbeaufort.org/client_resources/finance/dash%20board.pdf

Please do not hesitate to be in touch with questions about the new Dashboard or any other City matter.

Billy Keyserling