Dependency Conflict

People are born completely dependent, although with some frustrations.  They don't get all their "needs" met.  They then strive for independence, although not without resistances, sometimes mutual.  Many of them then have someone who is dependent on them, though with plenty of tension, as development progresses.  And many of us end by being dependent once again.  No one escapes the first stage.  Not everyone experiences the third stage.  Likewise, some never experience the fourth stage.  The second stage is a bit up for grabs.

We wind up on a continuum of adaptation regarding dependency.  Some never really develop adequate independence, while others become fiercely independent.  Most of us fall somewhere between the extremes.  Many people expect the same adjustment of others that they work out for themselves, with one exception.  Those who remain comparatively dependent require someone else to do the providing.  The dependent ones don't always give careful consideration, or gratitude, to those on whom they depend.

As we always say to each other, our Village is unique.  One of its unique features is its peculiar limitation.  We have special charm, which translates to special value, but our properties are comparatively modest in value and price.  Since we can't depend for revenue on anyone but ourselves as property owners (one of our charms is that we have no commercial pockets to pick when we need money), we are limited in what we can provide for ourselves.  This leaves us with things we can't do, or at least not easily and without special exertion.  One of the ways some of us have thought of to confront that limitation is to try to rely on people who have nothing to do with us.  A popular mechanism is to pursue "grants."  But grants are not without complication.

This past weekend, I attended a three-day seminar sponsored by the Florida League of Cities.  The seminar was for recently elected municipal officials.  Many topics were presented, and one of them was about revenue.  Mention was made of grants, and the problems to which they can lead.  The bottom line, frankly, was that grants should be sought only after very careful consideration, and their complications must be kept in mind.  One statement made about grants is that they can cost more than they provide.  An example of that problem is grants that carry a requirement for upkeep or maintenance, and that requirement can sometimes exceed the wishes, expectations, or even ability of the beneficiary of the grant.

I'll give you two examples of the real or potential problems of grants.  We have a central park and recreation complex in the Village.  You might not know this, but the reason we have it, and the reason we could afford to develop it, was a contribution by a grant from the State of Florida.  But here's the problem.  The park and recreation area, because it was contributed-to by a State grant, does not exactly belong to us.  It belongs, in some sense, to everyone, including everyone in the State of Florida.  There have been times when some BP residents have wanted to claim, or as they thought re-claim, the park and recreation area, so that it would belong to us, and we could permit whom we want and exclude whom we want.  Nope, can't do it.  We took the grant money, and the park/rec is to be shared with anyone at all who wants to use it.  So some thought further of offering to reimburse the State, in effect to buy back the park/rec from them.  No, thank you, they told us.  We don't want the money.  We want you to keep the park open to everyone.

But you don't understand, we pleaded, we had to take a State grant.  We couldn't afford to do this on our own.  Oh, but we certainly do understand, the State replied.  The thing is, though, you took the money, because you weren't independent, and now you play by our rules.  That's the price you pay for being dependent.  You want to borrow money, don't go to the Mafia.  You want a grant, be very careful before you ask the State (your 19 million neighbors).

The second example is a potential one.  I don't know the details, and I don't yet know how they will come out.  Very recently, we received another grant from the State.  This time, it was for renovation and expansion of the log cabin Village Hall.  Funny enough, we applied for a grant for this purpose last year.  We requested $500K.  We didn't get it, because the Governor vetoed our application.  He didn't think the State should pay its money for something like renovation of the BP Village Hall.  This year, however, he's running for re-election.  Or he got new glasses.  Or he sharpened his pencil.  This year, we requested $1M, and the Governor didn't veto it.  So now, we have $1M to spend to renovate the log cabin, and add a wing for Village administrative services.  But the question is what requirements might come with the $1M.  We never kept the log cabin in proper condition, in part because we couldn't afford to.  But the structure is a "historic" one, and to keep it that way, we have to provide a certain style and level of maintenance.  Suppose the $1M grant holds us to that.  Suppose it requires us to do things our fiscal limitations, or inertia, or lack of ambition, never before permitted.  I'm glad the Governor didn't veto our application, and I will be glad we can now do what we never did before, but frankly, it makes me a bit nervous.  We are potentially now called upon to be responsible and independent in ways we never were before.  Can we handle that?  Are we up to it?

We have also sat idly by and allowed our medians to deteriorate, and our streets to crumble.  We do not provide proper lighting to various places in the Village, we have not updated a very marginal sound/recording system, and we can't even do tree maintenance unless someone cuts us an amazing deal, because they piggyback us onto someone else's contract.

It's perilous being dependent.  There are things you can't do, and shots you don't get to call.  We really need to think about that.  "Budget season" is about to be upon us.  We have a millage rate to consider, and we have to think through the idea of special assessments.  We have a lot of responsibilities as an independent municipality, and we have thus far failed to meet many of them.  The big decision is how independent, and how grown up, we want to be about this.

Obviously, the Village is not a person.  It's not even a small family.  It's a good size collection of people, some of whom have different ideas and expectations about independence than do others.  Hence, the "conflict."