In an environment of serious austerity, the Lame Duck harbor commission is cutting the fat with profound cost-cutting authority.
It’s do or die for the $1.5 million District in major restructuring seeking greater efficiency and sustainability, with limited revenues. Here’s the menu:
• Consolidation of upper level management: The Commission originally consisted of three key management personnel:
Harbormaster/ CEO, assistant harbormaster and comptroller. The new Harbor will have a Harbormaster and Director of Operations, only. The projected annual savings in salary and benefits is estimated to be $191,000. Harbormaster Mike Rademaker underscored, “Leadership is top heavy. This is about survival. The Harbor is running out of time with little ability to pivot. Livelihoods are at stake. We must foster a culture of accountability and teamwork.”
• Grants Management: Grants and accounting services have been handled externally. Those functions will now be handled in-house. The District hopes to cut $159,200 in project savings. Staff support will underscored adaptability.
• Legal Fees: Commissioners acknowledge excessive and crippling legal fees pose a significant burden on the District. Practices of long, drawn out telephone and conference calls with harbor counsel will defer to email and text communications. Rademaker, a veteran paralegal, projects a savings of $174,000.
• Vendor / travel / training budgets contract and renegotiations: Lots of fat on this pig. Projected savings of $587,200 are targeted in an area suffering from long-term abuse, including poor oversight on credit card use.
Harbormaster Rademaker concurs these lean and mean, austere financial actions are lofty but attainable and laments, “ We all must work together to reach these goals. The stakes could not be higher.”