BELLEAIR SHORE – The town’s finances are in good shape, auditor Richard Cristini of the accounting firm Davidson, Jamieson & Cristini, P.I. told the commissioners at their Oct. 16 meeting.
Cristini presented a detailed financial review done each year, as required by law. His report covered the year ended Sept. 30, 2011.
“You collected more (money) than you thought you would collect, and spent less than you thought you would spend,” he said in summing up the town’s financial status.
“You adopted a budget, stayed within it and things got done, that’s the bottom line,” he said.
The review also found “no significant differences and no material weaknesses” in the town’s financial practices, which Cristini said meant “there were no boo-boos that might have led you to do things you shouldn’t have done.”
Out of a budget of just over $84,000, a surplus of about $15,000 was carried over to next year, due to revenues that were higher than budgeted and expenses that were lower. Revenues exceeded expenditures by $4,100 for the year.
Mayor John Robertson said the town’s financial report shows “we have a pretty clean slate, and I think that’s good.”
Buoy replacement coming
The buoys that are missing along the town’s shoreline will be replaced. Robertson said he had met with Belleair Beach Community Services Director Allen Godfrey about joining that city’s periodic maintenance and replacement of buoys. The two also discussed a new way of attaching the buoys so they are stable, and do not break away and wash ashore so easily.
Commissioner John Hayes had complained last month about the continuing loss of buoys. All 16 are now gone.
Robertson said replacement of the buoys is not cheap, with the cost likely to run into thousands of dollars. However, the town has the money for the job, he said, and will do a budget amendment to set aside the funds as soon as the replacement cost is determined.
The buoys keep boaters from venturing too close to the shoreline and endangering people in the water. Their replacement is considered critical.
“If it saves one life or prevents a bad injury, it’s worth having (the buoys) out there,” Hayes said.
Source of mysterious vibrations found
Strange vibrations felt by Hayes in his home on Gulf Boulevard were traced to a house under construction four lots away. Hayes said some of his neighbors also reported a shaking inside their homes.
The cause was construction workers driving piles into the ground. A crane operator on the site said the reading on his sensor equipment was “at the top of the range” during the drilling, Hayes said.
The problem was resolved by increasing the width of the drilling holes.
“Now, we’re not feeling any strong vibrations. It is in an acceptable range,” he said.
Hayes said he is concerned the intense vibrations may have caused cracked foundations or busted pipes in nearby homes that might not be immediately apparent.
“We may get reports of damage several months from now,” he said.
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