Proud of Broward’s spending record

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT

I received a letter from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency regarding an audit of Broward County spending. Despite a name that sounds like something out of a Harry Potter novel, Broward takes this request seriously.

We have complied with every request made since Florida DOGE became a legal entity July 1. The Broward County Commission wants to be as efficient and responsible as possible with every dollar from its residents while maintaining the high level of service that makes this the best place to live, work and play. This is not a binary choice. The county budget is an intelligent balance between efficient government and the values of those we represent.

The federal government’s DOGE looked at federal programs for waste or fraud. I thought that when the state adopted DOGE, it would do something similar and look at state programs for possible efficiency. However, the state conveniently skipped that step and started with Broward County, where our state leadership has had vocal issues with some priorities that our two million residents support.

The first item the state inquired about was procurement. It might surprise them that as a county, we have done our best to take politics out of purchasing. Commissioners no longer sit on selection committees. Professionals in the appropriate fields are selected, and the commission only weighs in if there’s a question about fairness — something that rarely occurs.

We also have an auditor who oversees procurement and billing, whose main job is to weed out anomalies. Procurement is often perceived as a rigged game. Broward has one of the most comprehensive, ethical procurement codes you will find in any local government — something we are proud of.

Another topic DOGE wanted to look into was our transportation spending in 2018.

Our residents overwhelmingly voted to give themselves a gift with a penny tax to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility. To see the projects in progress, go to Broward.org/PennyForTransportation and see what’s accomplished and planned. Whether you’re a senior who’s homebound, someone who can’t or doesn’t want to drive or can’t afford private transportation, we think it’s important to make sure people can get where they need to go. Our residents voted for this overwhelmingly and across partisan lines, and they are starting to see the fruits of the decision that they made.

We are also migrating to cleaner technology because we recognize the connection between greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and sea-level rise. This brings us to another area of inspection — climate change.

There’s some truth to the fact that central and north Florida won’t face the challenges of sea-level rise as soon as South Florida, so to leaders who spend their time in Tallahassee, our decision to invest so much may seem excessive.

However, evidence suggests we are taking proactive steps to save billions for our residents and business owners. Fifteen years ago, Broward spearheaded creation of the Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact with Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. We began coordinating our resources, knowledge and expertise to be prepared for future challenges. This month we published a comprehensive Resilience Plan that will serve as a blueprint for future savings of billions of dollars.

It is a transformational document, heralded as forward-thinking and comprehensive with its attention to both the environment and economics. My hope is the DOGE team recognizes Broward for this work and considers using us as a model throughout the state. Broward County is an international leader on the issue of climate change. Our state leaders in both parties should be proud of this leadership.

Lastly, we have scrubbed our laws of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) verbiage as required by law, but Broward has been — and I hope always will be — a place where all individuals and groups feel valued and represented.

This is one of the most demographically diverse counties in the U.S., and we should not shy away from that.

After the last census, the commission unanimously voted to hire an independent consultant, Florida International University, to draw the lines of each commission district to best ensure representation as reflected in our population. Fairness was the guiding principle. In fact, the professors who led the FIU team are known for teaching courses with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Respected and bipartisan, they worked hard to produce fair representation.

While this audit from DOGE may be seeking headlines, the fact is that it will serve to prove how efficient and responsible our county has been. Broward has a good story to tell. Our past two county administrators cut their teeth as budget analysts. We have the highest possible bond rating because of our responsible stewardship, an achievement accomplished by only 1.5% of all U.S. counties. We have built up reserves, attended to county infrastructure and have no debt.

When taking inflation and population growth into consideration, which adds up to 32% over the past five years, our general fund has grown by 33%, which is what one would expect given the rising costs of goods, services and personnel. All evidence suggests that Broward County has seen a budget increase that is statistically in line with population growth and inflation.

We will be fully compliant with the state. Where we can do better, we will.

Broward is unique in its people and environment, and the government closest to the people usually has a very good sense of what people need and want. If Broward is to be made an example of, it should be an example of how a local government can efficiently provide a high quality of life and serve as a model of responsibility.

Beam Furr is mayor of Broward County.