Larry glared at Jenna. “Sounds like you’re calling Doug a liar.”
“Oh no, that’s not possible,” said Denise. “Doug has found Jesus and he was very sincere about it. He’s a completely changed man.”
Mimi cleared her throat. “How do you know this, Denise?”
“I was on the committee from church to bring him cookies. It’s so sad seeing him behind bars. He’s very sorry for what he did, and I don’t mind saying that if it hadn’t been for Bruce’s bad influence, well…it’s a shame when one man gets jail time and the other one gets a cruise around the world!”
“Oh brother,” Pilar muttered.
“Why don’t we take a preliminary vote and see where everyone stands?” suggested Mimi.
“Good idea,” Larry said.
The vote was split. With Mimi, Larry and Denise voting yes, and Pilar, Jenna and Gus voting no.
Jenna couldn’t help but be surprised by Mimi’s vote. “So, you’re a definite yes?”
“I’ll be honest, I’m not so sure that Doug was telling the truth or even what Earl’s intentions might have been, but the thing is, Larry is right. We can’t fight Nora and Vince on this. We simply don’t have the resources.” She gave Pilar an apologetic look. “No disrespect meant to our fabulous attorney, but she’s only one person and we can’t afford to hire any more legal help.”
Pilar nodded. “No disrespect taken.”
Larry blew out a breath in disgust. “So what happens now that we’re tied?”
“Maybe we should hire a consulting firm to come in and give us the pros and cons of this offer,” Pilar suggested.
“And let some outsider come in and tell us what we should do? Not on my watch,” Larry stated. For the first time since the meeting began, all three elected council members agreed.
“Maybe we should table this for now and get back to approving the new budget,” Jenna said.
Pilar nodded. “Good idea.”
“If you look at the numbers, you can all see, the money’s pretty tight. Despite the fact that the rec center is being built pro-bono, it still went over budget. But all we can do now is move forward and prioritize the city’s needs. I’m looking into some investments that will give us a bigger cushion to avoid a similar situation in the future, but we need to make some hard decisions today.”
Gus glanced down at his paper. “Something here’s not right. Zeke Grant wants to hire an assistant chief of police and he wants two more squad cars but that’s been slashed. We need to rearrange these numbers and give him what he wants. Can’t have criminals running around Whispering Bay. It’s our strong stance against crime that makes us the safest city in America.”
“The middle school auditorium needs a new roof,” said Denise. “We simply cannot put it off another year. This is a family community. Our priority needs to be education.”
“And the two of you dreamers need a reality check. There isn’t money for any of those things on here,” Larry pointed out. “Not unless we widen our tax base. Let’s face it, we can be heroes and take Nora’s offer to split the land. Let her sell off her share to some developer. The taxes on those new properties will take care of our problem, not to mention all the jobs it’ll create to boost the local economy, and we’ll still have plenty of shoreline left for all the dolphin lovers. Or we can raise taxes on current property owners and be goats. Your choice. But I’ll make sure when I run for reelection that everyone in town knows which way I voted.”
“Now, Larry,” Mimi said, switching from her southern deb voice to a more soothing maternal tone, “that almost sounds like a threat. We all want what’s best for the town.”
“I ain’t threatening anyone. Just calling it like it is.”
Pilar leaned over and whispered in Jenna’s ear. “I think my beverage of choice should have been rum and Coke.”
Jenna silently agreed. The meeting was quickly deteriorating into a squabble.
She sat back in her chair and tried to look at the situation with an impartial eye. The city needed an influx of cash to maintain and upgrade services. Borrowing was always an option, but she hated to be responsible for putting the city in debt. Especially when repayment might become an issue. But absolutely no way was she going to vote yes on this offer. They’d simply have to find another way to come up with more money.
“Perhaps I can find us some grant money,” Jenna said. “I’m pretty good at applying for those and if I’m successful, it will take care of some of our problems.”
“How long is that gonna take?” Larry asked.
Jenna tried to ignore the hostility in his voice. “It’s not an overnight solution,” she warned, “but it’s definitely an option here.”
“I want to know why you voted no to Nora’s offer,” he demanded.
Larry’s question took Jenna by surprise. It felt like a personal attack. Next to her, Gus shifted in his seat, like he was uncomfortable. Larry’s demeanor might come across as gruff, but as a member of the council, he had every right to know the reasoning behind her vote. Jenna tried to think of the most sensitive way to answer.