VERO BEACH — Corporate sponsorship may come into play and save cuts from becoming a reality for recreation in Vero Beach. For years, city officials have tried to figure out ways to continue to offer recreation programs and guarded beaches while cutting costs.
Each year, Little League, lifeguards and the operation of the pool and fountain hours come to the front of the line in discussions about cuts. With the prospect of having to trim more than $1 million from the city’s budget coming into play, the cuts seemed more real than ever.
Sponsors have so far saved the Mother Daughter Tea and the Christmas performance.
Still slated to be cut all together from the budget for the upcoming year are the Dancing Under the Stars event, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and the Spring Fling.
The city’s recreation advisory committee has set up multiple subgroups to try and get more sponsors to keep the other programs.
One such form of sponsorship could be the placement of advertisements on the city’s lifeguard stations.
“We may need modifications to our sign ordinance,” said Jim O’Connor during a budget workshop that wraps up Friday with an overview of the cuts made and the setting of a tentative tax rate.
On Thursday, the city council members agreed to hold off for now on an $8,000 cost-saving plan that would have cut the hours of the fountain at Royal Palm Point from four days a week to just one.
What didn’t escape the chopping block was a $25,000 bill for Little League.
The city will be writing the county in the upcoming days and asking it to do its share to defray the utility costs to run the Little League Program.
An estimated 60 to 80 percent of all children who participate in Little League come from the county.
Until 2002, the county had been helping blunt some of the city’s costs to run recreation programs for all Indian River County residents. City Council members weren’t holding out hope that the county will come in and save the day though.
“You can go to the county and bang on the door, but they are not going to answer,” said Mayor Craig Fletcher.
The council Thursday also agreed to not go forward with a plan to cut the hours for guarded beaches in the city.
Now, a full-time position that had been slated to be cut will be put back in the budget. The city’s tennis program will also remain as it currently is although the city is looking to increase the dues to participate. Two jobs, one full time and one part time are expected to be eliminated all together from the recreation department.
“We are just trying to do the best we can and keep plugging along,” said Rob Slezak, the director of the city’s recreation department.
The budget’s tax rate will not officially be set until September.
