We still have long-term infrastructure needs. One or more satellite facilities should be in Marathon's ten-year plan. Finding ways for our personnel to reside in Marathon would improve matters a lot. We have to keep our dollars in the city to sustain some kind of future economy.

I don't have all the answers, but I have been brainstorming and talking with local leaders. Some topics of discussion have been about possible job exchanges. Locals helping locals. Put together a shop locally and hire locally campaign with small local discounts. We have to get dollars circulating in our economy again. We have to concentrate on hiring locals so that they spend money in the local economy. More coming.

We must never let up, and keep plugging away, one workforce home at a time. The crisis is still there hidden under the property devaluation, loss of workforce, and a crummy local economy. We will always need workforce housing. Such is the nature of our islands. Specifically, I would like to get the Middle Keys Habitat for Humanity together with the Middle Keys Community Land Trust. Habitat can build but does not always have the land required. The Land Trust have five lots ready for workforce housing. A partnership here could get five more homes on the ground helping five workforce families.

Build small satellite fire stations to hurricane strength. Within the next decade build a hurricane-proof city hall. Long-term plans need to start now to achieve these goals.

Beautify US1. Make the city anniversary celebration an annual event, thus pumping dollars into the local economy. Build out the city marina and Boot Key harbor. As a community, we need to brainstorm more ideas.

Support FIRM. Lobby the county, school board, water district, and mosquito board to cut their budgets so that the bottom line property taxes will be reduced more than any cut in the city's budget. As a councilman, I will commit to leading the way on this.

Property taxes [ad valorem], sales taxes, gas taxes, city marina enterprise fund, license and permit fees, fines, forfeitures, grants, bond proceeds, and services income. You total that up, and that is all of us in the country. The direct tax that affects all of us locals is property taxes. Yes, that hand you feel lifting your wallet is the county tax collector.

18.3% 2009 budget. Percentage of 2010 budget has not been determined yet. I would expect that number to be about the same this year. The point though is that Marathon's piece of the tax pie is small compared to the big spenders like the school board, water district, mosquito board, and the county itself. We need to form up and go to those tax meetings and demand budget cuts.

The comprehensive Plan specifies the need to manage this area. While there is likely very little left, we still should form a historical preservation committee to perform advisory functions to the city council. What we do not need is a heavy hand and a narrow view. Preservation should be agreeable to all concerned.

Provided the contributor is aware that money does not buy my vote, I would take any reasonable contributions.

If Duck Key residents are agreeable and the county paves the way through referendum. Whomever Duck Key prefers, the tax base would easily cover services a government entity would have to provide. Even then, there would be more tax revenue than needed. That is probably why this question is so interesting.

The very expensive but accurate visioning plan took input from all the neighborhoods around the city. The most asked for item was a municipal swimming pool. Obviously, that is not going to happen this year or the next. Within the second decade of our fine city, we should build a public pool that pays for itself. More important is the dire need to build a city hall to reduce the risk of catastrophe. Temporary trailers are a disaster waiting to happen. The timeframe for this is in the next ten years. We need to commit to long-term planning.

At one time that was an issue that stirred up emotions all over the city. Actually, it is not that complicated. We are slowly developing suitable parcels to build out. The static amount of developable land will mean that eventually all buildable lots will be developed. So this is restricted all by itself because there is only so much buildable land available.

Provided that a property owner obeys the laws and does not affect neighbors, property rights are okay. Now if an owner encroaches on the city or state right of way, that owner still cannot keep the city or state from using it even after a very long time. And what if your roof water spouts pour rain runoff on the land across the property line next to you doing damage to the yard and the house? Yes, your property rights do not extend beyond your property line. Sounds like common sense to me.

I would aggressively find ways to improve the look of the US 1 corridor through private public partnerships, grants, and other funding opportunities. Our local economy depends on traffic slowing down a bit to increase the likelihood of people stopping, shopping, and spending the night and their money in Marathon.

Boot Key, if purchased with grant or Florida Forever funds, would be a very important tourist attraction. The island could be converted to an environmental showcase as a passive park. Boardwalks, raised pavilions with picnic tables, bird watcher areas, and a facility for research could all compose the passive park. This should not be funded by the city, since there are funds available in a number of ways.

Support the Middle Keys Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity. Help small mom-and-pop businesses to flourish. That would create jobs. The economy would get a boost. Workforce families will settle down in Marathon. The city still has to be vigilant. We are always going to have problems attracting workforce families here. This is a continuing long-term project. Money is not necessarily needed to make all this happen. We need to work on stopping the workforce families moving out of the keys. In recent years, we have lost over three thousand residents. That is not good for the economy. We need to be proactive not reactive.

Establish a retention program to educate, assist, and encourage a career in municipal services. Budget for training to enhance skills to better serve Marathon residents.

These are hard times. Everyone has to scale back to survive. The city has that responsibility as well. I advocate a hiring freeze except for a critical need. Do it for six-month segments to reevaluate each period.

This is the quandary the council faces annually. Having an election coming up so soon after budget season does not help. There are residents who want the budget cut to the bone come hell or high water. There are residents who want to be reassured that needed services will not be endangered by budget cuts. What is funny though is how there are some people who want budget cuts and come back asking for more funding for their concerns. Community, city staff, and councilmembers must work together to get the right balance. During these times though cutting the budget as much as is possible is very important. We got to get the dollars flowing around the city.

Yes, naturist beaches stimulate the local economy. The hard part is where to locate a nudist beach. What do nearby neighbors think? What group would step up to patrol and manage the beach? How much will it cost to update the beach so that it is not viewable from the roadway? After you get through all those hoops, then it is only fair and proper to put it to a vote of Marathon residents.

No. Building permits are self regulated because there is only so much building land available. Even population can grow only so much. Evacuation is so variable depending on storm surge, winds, and what South Florida is doing. Having hurricane proof public infrastructure helps with the aftermath. Having a cash reserve will help the city to recover quickly. We all know how quickly FEMA pays out, and the insurance is not coming to you quickly as well. Having trained and experienced people  who stay behind to start recovery efforts after the hurricane passes is the most important thing to Marathon's survival.

Years ago, I was critical of councilmembers being paid anything. Now after having observed city council for over eight years, councilmembers need that pay to survive. Not only does a councilmember work at a regular job but puts in over 40 hours a week to do the council job. The mayor works over 60 hours, thank you very much.