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Lobbyist speaks at chamber luncheon PDF Print E-mail
Around Osceola
Wednesday, 07 July 2010 00:00
St. Cloud business owners need to keep an eye on what legislators are doing, a lobbyist for the city urged during a monthly meeting last Tuesday (June 29) of the St. Cloud/ Greater Osceola Chamber of Commerce.
Bill Barrett, who has been a lobbyist for the last 12 years – 10 of which for St. Cloud – delivered a run-down on some of the amendments voters will be facing in the election this year.
Among those amendments were ones concerning fair districts, school class size and health care reform.
On redrawing districts, Barrett, who served as an assistant under Bud Bronson, first elected to the House in 1982, said he’s only been personally involved one time.
“It sounds great to have an entire county in a district, but there are problems with that,” he said. “At times you have to cross the county lines.”
On class size, Barrett said, there are a lot of unknowns, with schools being split on the matter. Barrett only mentioned there has been a lot of reactions from the state government on the hot-button health care issue. The lobbyist then spoke about the future of the state’s budget.
“We’ve all seen the budgets decrease. Next year is not going to be any better,” he said. “They’re looking to cut it down $6 million to $10 million to balance the budget.”
Barrett said the BP oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico also is affecting budget projections.
“There’s a drop in tax collections and valuation already in the Panhandle,” he said. “We just don’t know how that’s going to pan out long term.”
He said the end of stimulus money from the government this year would also present a challenge next year.
Gov. Charlie Crist, Barrett said, shocked a lot of politicians when he vetoed a teachers’ bill recently.
“Had he not vetoed that bill, we’d have been pushed back another couple of years on road projects,” he said. “He’s no longer a Republican. That would have been the kiss of death for him to run as a Republican.”
Barrett said he tries to get government funding for St. Cloud whenever possible.
“I say to them ‘I want part of that money to go to St. Cloud,’” he said. “If you’re not at the table, you won’t get anything ... the money will go somewhere.”
 

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