Letters to the Editors

County should have picked Hernando accounting firm

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 8, 2000

Editor: I am writing on behalf of the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors to express our disappointment over the recent decision by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners to select a new, out-of-county, more expensive accounting firm as its fiscal agent for the next three years.

For 20 years Oliver and Co. has been the fiscal agent responsible for the county's annual audit. For the past 14 years, Hernando County has been recognized by the Government Financial Officers Association by being awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. These awards exemplify the quality job performance that has been provided us by the management and staff of Oliver and Co. The cost of the new firm's proposal is approximately 50 percent higher than what Oliver and Co.'s charges were in the past. Additionally, it is understood that Hernando County staff members will be fully responsible for the generation of the county's financial report. This was a service automatically provided by Oliver and Co. with its annual contract.

In defense of the new company's higher bid, new minimum standards do require some added costs, but not to the tune of more than $50,000 a year. This is taxpayers' money. Also, are we guaranteed there will be no other charges?

In that we have a qualified local firm, at a lower cost, whose staff is trained and certified to work with government financials, we believe Oliver and Co. should have been the overwhelming choice for the future. After all, its officers, employees and families do live, work and own property in Hernando County.

In spite of these facts and Oliver and Co.'s exemplary performance, two commissioners, Pat Novy and Bobbie Mills, ranked it fourth on the short list, and Commissioner Chris Kingsley ranked it third. Commissioner Nancy Robinson ranked it second. Only Commission Chairman Paul Sullivan ranked it first.

I attended two commission meetings to express our dismay. At the most recent one it became very apparent there is confusion in our selection process for professional services. Examples of the confusion I observed include commissioners not being made aware that price could have been a consideration when the initial request for proposal was voted on. Also, my calculations clearly show Oliver and Co.'s final ranking was actually third, as opposed to fourth.

Our concern is not just this contract, but that it appears more and more we are seeing our commission contracting services out of our area. Unless there is a compelling reason, we urge the commissioners to look locally first. At present, that does not appear to be the policy.

Especially in this case, we believe that selection of an out-of-county firm for a three-year contract was a mistake and will likely guarantee that all future services will be handled by an out-of-county firm and at a considerably higher cost.

Where's the benefit? How can we prevent this from happening in the future? Let's stop the bleeding.
-- John E. Ehlenbeck, president Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce

Kids suffer when promotion is undecided

Editor: I recently attended the fifth-grade graduation ceremony for my granddaughter and her classmates in Brooksville. The cafetorium was decorated with school colors, balloons and palm trees. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were waiting with great anticipation and pride to see their child graduate. This was a milestone in their young lives, and we were all there to share with them the next phase of their journey.

The classes filed in at the appointed time, smiling, eager faces scanning the crowd for their families. The principal gave the welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and the graduation exercises were under way. Special awards for the Safety Patrol and Accelerated Readers and the Presidential Awards were given.

Now it was time for all the students to participate, and each student was called by name to the stage and the teacher and principal presented them with a certificate, some with additional certificates for attendance, citizenship and honor roll; some even received medals.

Such happy faces, such pride and joy, and then reality set in: I could hear the students in front of me say: "Look, I didn't pass. All I got was a certificate of participation."

What does this mean? How could the School Board be so heartless? To allow these students to participate in a graduation ceremony knowing they were not being promoted is inexcusable.

When the teachers and principal were questioned as to the meaning of "participation certificates," they didn't know either. They said they didn't know because the School Board hadn't made a decision about test results. The principal said the decision would affect some 100 students in this school alone and that it might be the end of the summer before they knew if they were going to middle school.

This School Board has had all year to come to terms with the problem. I realize they are all busy people, but nothing is more important than our children, and keeping them uninformed as to their future is unforgivable and borders on cruelty.

Call a special meeting, make a decision, take action. Please do not let this situation languish any longer. The students deserve your best efforts.
-- Merilyn Johnson, Bushnell

Some drivers need full-service stations

Editor: What are senior citizens supposed to do about getting air in their tires? There are no longer full-service gas stations in Brooksville.

We are a group of widows and very senior, with no family living nearby.

I'd like to see readers' answers in the Hernando Times.
-- June Gaige, Nobleton

River travelers often treat it badly

Editor: As a boater, I would like to air my view on the use of the Weeki Wachee River.

I ride my personal watercraft up the river three days a week on average, and I can't be the only person who recognizes all the trash in the water. I believe the garbage, by an overwhelming percent, comes from all of the guests who rent the non-motorized modes of transportation, i.e., canoes.

They spend most of their time zigzagging across the river trying to steer. A lot of them end up capsized, spilling their contents and littering the bottom of our beautiful river.

I also see every time I'm on the river those small motor boats that anyone can rent going above the idle speed limit. They are, at times, looking for a manatee. When they find one, the motor laps around them or over them. Those rental boats have a prop that can injure the manatees; my water scooter doesn't.

I agree with the idle speed law because the river is too narrow to go any faster. If you want to go fast, go somewhere else, because you would not be able to take in the beauty of the river.

To improve the water quality: A ban on riverside development should be started and a sewage system other than septic tanks should be used on property near the river.
-- Kenneth Discepolo, Spring Hill

Some get more dew than their due

Editor: I wonder if some of the subdivisions of Spring Hill have a water dispensation from the almighty ones who run our county.

Take a ride on Linden Drive between County Line Road and Spring Hill Drive. In the area known as East Linden Estates, you can count the brown lawns on one hand. This is just one of many subdivisions that still have lush, green lawns. Could it be they get very heavy dew at night?

Maybe our county should send out inspectors at night to check on the "dew fall."
-- William Hughes, Spring Hill

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