It looks like the city has been collecting less for trash pick-up than they’ve been spending. According to our city accountant, they seem to have an $86,000 shortfall for 2023. The expense for the year was $302,000 while the “assessment revenue” was $216,000. At Monday’s meeting the commission will discuss our options to correct this shortcoming. I don’t think corrective action will have an impact until fiscal year 2025. I hope the loss for 2024 won’t be the same as 2023. If it is, that would mean that in those two fiscal years, the city paid $172,000 more than they collected for trash pick-up service.

The New Smyrna Beach Heritage Festival will be held on April 6, 2024. It looks like they will be holding the event on Sam’s Avenue and the surrounding parks. The Oak Hill Saints and Sinner’s Cemetery Group, spearheaded by Dru Ann Welch, will have a display set-up outlining all that has been accomplished and all they hope to accomplish in the future. Dru Ann and her crew have been doing a fantastic job cleaning and restoring these two historic cemeteries back to their rightful state. The effort put forth by this group should inspire us all and instill a sense of pride in our community.