Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
The plan cuts the budget by 4.2 percent from this year and provides for countywide raises and new sheriff's employees.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 16, 2002
BROOKSVILLE -- Warnings that the county government's tax rate might be raised to cover increasing costs came to fruition in the proposed fiscal 2003 budget that commissioners received Monday.
The $199-million budget plan includes a general tax rate increase of 23.76 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for all residents, boosting the overall rate to $8.5580. It also contains a special tax of 57 cents per $1,000 of value for all property owners within the county ambulance service area.
The owner of a $100,000 home, with a $25,000 homestead exemption, would pay $641.85 in regular taxes under this rate. If served by county ambulances, that homeowner would pay an additional $42.75 for emergency medical services.
Under the current tax rates, that same homeowner paid $624.03 in property taxes to the county government. That amount does not include taxes paid to other government entities, such as the School Board.
County Administrator Richard Radacky said the increase was necessary for the government to function effectively. He noted that the commission had not raised the tax rate in five years and, in three of those years, had cut the rate.
Property values rose, though, providing the county with additional revenue.
"The main message is we've cut it as low as we can possibly cut it without cutting our level of service," Radacky said. "We're certainly going to have to work harder to work at the same levels we did this past year."
The chance remains, he and Budget Director George Zoettlein said, that this rate increase might not be the last. Some of the budget fixes, such as a fund transfer to pay for road repaving, use money that is available only once, and steady revenue sources must be found.
"We're not far from completing (the paving program), and we need to do that," Radacky said, noting that the budget falls about $600,000 short of its paving goal for the year.
If the commission continues to spend as it has, Radacky warned in his budget message, it will face a negative cash flow problem within a year. He and Zoettlein recommended policies to more tightly govern reserve accounts as the first steps to avoid such a situation.
For instance, one policy would require the commission to set aside at least 2 percent of the general fund annually for capital improvements, so the county does not have to rely on a hodgepodge of one-time sources for necessary construction projects.
"At least we'll be able to keep up with the times," Zoettlein said.
Another proposal would change the number of votes required to spend reserves.
The overall fiscal 2003 budget is down 4.2 percent from the current year.
The budget, as presented, includes raises of up to 5 percent for all employees, plus adjustments to be made according to a salary study. It increases the Sheriff's Office budget by 6 percent, which will allow it to add 17 deputies, detectives and other employees.
"I really feel that 6 percent is not that much, particularly when you consider the year we went through," Radacky said, referring to terrorist threats and growth's impact on service demand.
He rejected the idea of cutting the budget for the Sheriff's Office's, which initially asked for an increase of about 9 percent, any further.
The budget also creates a hazardous materials response team and makes the Emergency Management Department part of the Fire Rescue Department. For the most part, though, it is a status quo budget.
Commissioners will have budget workshops next Monday, Thursday and Friday. They said it was important to find long-term solutions for the county's finances.
"This is something that is a real big concern of mine," Commissioner Diane Rowden said. "Certainly after the budget I'm going to address the issue of the (special tax) for the sheriff's department."
Commissioner Chris Kingsley said long-term financial stability should come with more stable management. He did not want to commit to any specific recommendations, though, before studying more closely whether expected decreases in revenue will repeat.
-- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.