Politics

Commission gets message

But even the budget cuts it made weren't deep enough for some.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published September 15, 2007

An overflow crowd watches the county's first public hearing on the budget via a television monitor and temporary seating in the atrium of the Hernando County Government building.
	[Maurice Rivenbark | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT Hernando County budget meeting See video [Maurice Rivenbark | Times] Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent looks at budget numbers being displayed during the county's first public hearing Thursday evening.

BROOKSVILLE - After hundreds of fired-up citizens ripped into the County Commission for hours Thursday night, county officials were back Fridaymorning searching for still deeper cuts in next year's spending plan.

Commissioners ordered another cut in the tax rate at the end of the marathon meeting amounting to $1,633,301 more that the county staff will have to hack from the budget.

With the new cut, the tax rate will be 1.2175 mills less than this year's rate. A mill is $1 in tax for every $1,000 in appraised taxable property value. For the owner of a $125,000 home with the $25,000 homestead exemption, that overall cut would be a $121.75 reduction in the tax bill to support county services.

Still unknown is where the budget will be cut. Commissioners made it clear they wanted to see all the property-tax-funded categories take an even hit. Early calculations by the Office of Management and Budget show that the Transportation Trust Fund will lose another $200,000, Emergency Medical Services will lose $91,000 and Spring Hill Fire Rescue will lose $280,000.

The commissioners also want the constitutional officers to feel the pain. Those elected officials trooped before the commission Thursday to justify their budgets and their employees.

One of the officers, Sheriff Richard Nugent, stressed that his accountability methods have made his department more efficient. He suggested that the county should follow suit.

On Friday, Clerk of the Court Karen Nicolai notified the county that she will return another $65,000 by cutting her staff's raises from 5 to 3 percent.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to give county employees raises of 3 percent across the board, with Dave Russell and Rose Rocco opposing. Russell said he thoughtCounty Administrator Gary Kuhl should decide the raise distribution, and Rocco wanted raises only for county employees making less than $35,000.

Russell and Rocco also opposed the quarter-mill cut in the tax rate, with Russell saying the cut should be larger.

Commissioners said they wanted Kuhl to ask department heads to forgo their own pay raises this year. Commissioners said they were willing to do the same. The 2008 County Commission salary is $59,552, up $1,144 from last year.

Salaries have been one of the hottest topics discussed in the community in recent months, with those spending concerns helping to draw 500 people into the Hernando County Government Center on Thursday.

Many took numbers and waited for more than four hours to address the board. Overflow space was arranged in courtrooms and twice County Commission Chairman Jeff Stabins called a recess to handle the crowd issues.

Blaise Ingoglia, the Spring Hill home builder whose Government Gone Wild seminars helped pack in the crowd, drew a standing ovation when it came his time to speak.

"Common sense says there's room to cut," he told commissioners. He urged the board to mandate 15 percent cuts across the board throughout the county.

Tax cut advocate Linda Hayward chided commissioners for failing to get a handle on rising property taxes before the state mandated a property revenue reduction.

"We all knew at that time that the taxpayers were fed up but still you raised the budget outrageously," Hayward said.

Others argued that certain programs needed to be cut.

"THE Bus is expensive," said resident Art Trinque. "You have to agree the ridership is just short of dismal." He suggested that the mass transit system had to go.

The county should consider freezing salaries like the state has, suggested Trinque's wife, Ana. Instead of looking at pay increases, she said, "County employees are lucky they have a job with benefits."

Approximately a quarter of the speakers sided with the county workers and asked that they receive a fair cost-of-living pay raise.

"We're homeowners, taxpayers of Hernando County. We all are," said Flora Boles, a 20-year county employee. "Like everything else, all of the costs have escalated ... we have to pay our bills. We live on a set income like everybody else."

"Step into a county employee's shoes," said emergency management planner Pam Harris "What makes you think that our jobs are easier than the private sector?"

She said her hours have been cut as part of the budget reductions and she will likely have to get another job. Those in the private sector aren't the only ones suffering during this economic downturn.

"I know what living on a fixed income is," she said.

Andrea Perry in the county's building department said the county had already lost employees and others are doing the jobs of multiple people. "One woman is fielding all of the calls helping the contractors who are in here today," she said, referring to those in the building industry who had spoken out in favor of deeper tax cuts and no pay raises for county workers.

Perry also said she felt disrespected by the citizens and felt bad that many in the packed commission room were rude both to the commissioners and to county employees.

County staff is already looking into areas where the commissioners are pushing for cost reductions including consolidating departments and possibly offering early retirement options. Kuhl said he could not have those cuts arranged in time for the final budget hearing but commissioners said county reserves could tide the county over until those new savings can be realized.

Commissioners said they want to talk further about budget cuts at regular meetings Tuesday and Sept. 25. The final public hearing and approval of the budget is Sept. 27 at the government center.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

How proposed tax rates compare to 2007

Tax rates in mills for 2007, proposed tax rates for 2008

Countywide: 7.8106, 6.5931

Stormwater: 0.1350, 0.1139*

EMS: 0.67, 0.5839**

Spring Hill Fire Rescue:2.55, 2.2686

*excludes city of Weeki Wachee property owners

**excludes Spring Hill Fire District property owners

Countywide tax rates in mills over time

2004 - 8.4204

2005 - 8.4204

2006 - 8.3106

2007 - 7.8106

2008 proposed - 6.5931

[Last modified September 15, 2007, 06:45:12]