Politics

Sheriff told to cut to bone

The County Commission goes over reductions in sheriff's budget to find more to cut.

By DAVID DeCAMP, Times Staff Writer
Published August 31, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Sheriff Bob White carries a gun, but that wasn't the weapon of choice during his third budget showdown Thursday.

The Pasco County Commission's used its budget hatchet to slash up to $1-million beyond White's own reductions to his budget for next year.

White originally asked for $11.2-million more next year to spend $94.7-million. But he whittled it to a $3.5-million increase this week in the face of commission resistance.

Now he could be left with only $2.5-million more.

"I wanted to see if there were additional places we could cut past the fat, past the muscle, to the bone," Commissioner Ted Schrader said.

They found them, Schrader said, trimming spending for supplies by parsing through travel expenses, supply money and equipment.

In: bullet-proof vests. Out: a radio diagnostic machine.

Commissioners cut so heartily - and at times, confusingly - the finance officials for the sheriff and county couldn't track what the board actually slashed.

Commissioner Pat Mulieri tripped up over numbers, admitting confusion. Col. Al Nienhuis, the undersheriff, was left grasping for specifics on vacancies and specific expenses. White's pleasant demeanor at the beginning turned to grimaces, sighs and testiness over two hours.

"You're messing around in an area that you know nothing about," White told the board.

When asked for a tally near the end, county budget director Mike Nurrenbrock said he didn't have one. Sheriff's office finance chief Lisa Brown cringed, too

"We're going to need Mrs. Brown all day tomorrow to get this straightened out," Nurrenbrock said.

Asked afterward where he goes next, White answered: "to the poorhouse."

White said he did not expect the deep cuts after meeting Thursday with county officials to go over his reductions. He told commissioners some of their deeper cuts will cause him to leave deputies jobs vacant.

"The road we're heading down is not good," White told reporters.

And that was before he unexpectedly had to go back into the meeting room to ward off cuts at the jail and to court services such as bailiffs.

Thursday's hearing marked the third meeting between the sheriff and board. Twice before, they sent White back to reduce his budget increase to zero. On Monday, he came back with an $8-million increase, leading to a 51/2 -hour standoff.

He returned Thursday afternoon with only the $3.5-million increase, mostly allowing for increases to supplies, equipment and raises for his agency.

The board swiftly took to reducing that figure. At one early point, Nienhuis warned the sheriff had already sliced spending that pays for research and accreditation to $5,000 below last year.

"Starting to get the message, are you?" Schrader said, leading an awkward pause until the trimming renewed.

The board meets again next Wednesday to calculate exactly what's left to be cut from the sheriff and other departments. Pasco has a $15.8-million shortfall to makeup by the end of September to balance next year's budget.

Even with the sheriff's office cuts and other reductions, county officials still could have $2.7-million more to trim.

David DeCamp can be reached at ddecamp@sptimes.com or 727 869-6232.

[Last modified August 31, 2007, 06:57:03]