New Port Richey city officials are preparing for a scary budget season. Layoffs are likely. Revenue has declined. Storefronts in the city have remained stubbornly vacant.
So what is the rallying cry when it's time for hard choices?
“Meeting The Challenge Together.”
At least that’s what the city council agreed the city’s short-term slogan should be.
The city is gearing up for an “aggressive” public relations campaign to educate folks about its current situation. Projections estimate the city deficit could rise to roughly $15 million in 2017 if officials don’t plug some financial holes.
So the city is planning to try to reach out to residents and others in a campaign that includes:
- Ramping up efforts to reach out to community and special interest groups that work with the city, like the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce and New Port Richey Rotary Club, to explain the situation and get ideas on what the city can do to find relief.
- Getting the word out in the media about what the city’s doing to make itself sustainable.
- Creating more outreach opportunities like three or four neighborhood meetings where city officials can solicit ideas and communicate with the public.
- Rallying volunteers to help the city.
- Launching a new city website.
Rob Marlowe Deputy Mayor
I'd like to know how much this "CAMPAIGN" is going to cost!!
Derek Smith Chairman - Cultural Affairs Committee
Over the last year and a half or so, the city has been moving from providing unlimited support for special events (eg. over $80k just for the 2011 Chasco Fiesta and nearly $200k overall that fiscal year) to holding the event organizers responsible for covering their own expenses. The current fiscal year has been a transition year where the event subsidies have been drastically cut back (eg.Chasco was limited to $45k in city services). I suspect the city support for Main Street Blast will be the last city sponsorship of any kind for any special events, possibly for years to come. If you like fireworks, parades and the other special events we have here, now is the time to start helping Greater New Port Richey Main Street and other groups line up businesses to sponsor the events. City money simply won't be there. The city itself is going to need more volunteer help than ever to try to keep things going until the economy turns around. Things are grim. Setting the 2012-2013 budget is going to be ugly. Funding for a lot of things that a lot of people like will be on the chopping block. I don't like it, but it is the hand we've been dealt. I am optimistic that, if everyone works together, we can make it through all of this. Rob Marlowe Deputy Mayor
Businesses are closing up, homes are empty. Special events and parades are not really essential expenditures if we are laying out more to have them then we recoup to put back into city. Especially when many of the events cause traffic flow, drunkenness, and other problems.