Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Tax proposals to cut services

As lawmakers gather to decide on a tax relief plan, county officials are considering where cuts are likely to be made.

By BILL VARIAN
Published June 2, 2007

TAMPA - Hillsborough County officials warned Friday that property tax reforms being considered by the Legislature could have a devastating effect on basic services.

Even the most modest proposal would force the county to postpone building 10 fire stations and the expansion or construction of seven new library branches, County Administrator Pat Bean said during a news conference. More aggressive cuts would delay as many as two dozen park projects and dramatically slash staffing at existing ones.

The initial proposal out of the state House would force the county to eliminate as many as 858 jobs, though Bean said some of those jobs are part time. The more limited plan out of the Senate would require the county to shave a few dozen jobs.

Hillsborough County has roughly 5,400 employees who report to the county administrator. It is now under a hiring freeze, with 471 full and part-time jobs left unfilled.

"Isn't it ironic that today is the first day of June? It is the first day of hurricane season," Bean said. "And believe it or not, there is a storm coming."

Bean was not referring to tropical storm Barry in the Gulf of Mexico, but to the property tax proposals from the state that are agitating local governments statewide.

Her comments also came -- coincidentally -- as legislative leaders announced yet another possible approach to property tax reform ahead of a planned special session starting June 12. That means her staff analysis is based on competing proposals that may now be dead in the water.

Regardless of what happens, county Management and Budget Director Eric Johnson said the exercise has helped the county prepare for best- and worst-case scenarios. The only certainty, he said, is that some form of forced diet is coming.

"These end up as benchmarks," Johnson said.

County commissioners, who requested the analysis of potential cuts two weeks ago, will hear a presentation Wednesday. But after getting their first look at Bean's report Friday, their immediate reaction was cool.

"I see this as the beginning part of the discussion," said Hillsborough Commissioner Mark Sharpe, who said he still wants to see more scrutiny of how the county can cut inefficiency and duplication.

Commissioner Brian Blair, one of the board's strongest advocates for property tax relief, said the presentation amounted to "scare tactics," which is how many state legislators have characterized similar reports presented by other local governments around Florida.

"We have to realize that it's paramount that every citizen across Hillsborough County and the state receives property tax relief," Blair said. "It frustrates me that people are trying to use scare tactics."

Hillsborough government expects to collect about $800-million this year from property taxes, which pay for what many consider the most basic government services, such as police and fire protection, parks programs and other day-to-day costs of county government.

The county estimates the original Senate proposal would shave $46-million from what it would collect next year if nothing changed, still an increase of more than $20-million over this year. Bean said it's not enough to keep up with rising costs.

To make up the difference, Bean proposes giving county employees 4 percent raises instead of an average 5 percent, saving $1.1-million next year. Delaying fire station and library construction would trim $26.7-million in anticipated spending.

Bean said challenges from the Senate proposal are tough but surmountable compared to the initial House proposal, which would lop an estimated $217-million from next year's projected property tax proceeds.

Under this scenario, several parks projects are postponed indefinitely and staffing is cut at several existing parks, as is money to help keep them up. Spending on environmentally sensitive lands shrinks by millions.

"I hate to hear that," said Katherine Tabor, treasurer of Friends of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, which already raises money to help buttress parks programs. "The parks do a lot for the county."

The Sheriff's Office, which claims the biggest share of property taxes, would be asked to trim 10 percent from its budget. The fire department would be forced to lay off ambulance workers at several stations. Pay raises for county employees would average 3 percent.

County officials also have prepared a cuts list that assumes a compromise, essentially splitting the difference between the two proposals.

Bean said she realizes many residents are looking forward to getting a shiny gift box from the Legislature in the form of property tax relief. She asks that they look inside before deciding whether to vote for it.

"I can't let this happen without asking you, please look inside the box," Bean said.

Bill Varian can be reached at 813 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com.

Fast Facts:

Spending plans cut different amounts

Hillsborough County's proposed spending cuts would vary depending on which plan for property tax reform is approved. An example:

- Under the Senate plan, the average pay raise for county employees would be reduced from 5 percent to 4 percent, saving $1.1-million.

- The Senate-House projected compromise would cut the average county raise to 3.5 percent, trimming another $574,000.

- The House plan would reduce those raises to 3 percent, cutting another $574,000.

[Last modified June 2, 2007, 00:31:03]