District Manager Richard Baier on Friday offered an upbeat assessment about services and savings enjoyed by Villagers.
Baier, accompanied by several department heads, presented a detailed report on accomplishments of the past 12 months and a glimpse of what the future might hold. The presentation took place at Laurel Manor Recreation Center before an audience dominated by elected officials in The Villages, representing community development districts, the Amenity Authority Committee and the North Sumter County Utility Dependent District.
Those officials last year crafted budgets totaling $336.37 million, which represented a $4 million reduction from the previous year.
While department heads have been ferreting out savings ranging from consolidation of copier leases (a savings of $30,900 over five years) to the switch to hybrid vehicles by Community Watch (a $12,000 savings in fuel in a single quarter), services to residents are on the rise:
• A new customer service center opened in July at the new Villages Public Safety Department south of State Road 44 and has provided service to 1,000 residents and logged 5,500 phone calls.
• Recreation Director John Rohan said high-tech digital billboards have been installed at the recreation center that bears his name and at the new Everglades Recreation Center south of State Road 44. He said they have proven so popular they will begin to be installed at the older regional recreation centers.
• This week, the District celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Parr Fire Station.
There are plenty of projects on the horizon including a sound system upgrade at Savannah Center, the Brownwood Woodshop and an automated meter reading feasibility project.
You can see the entire presentation at this link: District Gov Update 2-28-20 – Final
