Commissioners suggest budget preferences

Gary Pinnell

Jul. 10, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- SEBRING -- Should Highlands County lay off 22 workers to meet its $8.8 million budget reduction goal by Sept. 30?

"My heart goes out to those guys," said Commissioner Guy Maxcy, who would prefer a pay cut or furloughs for all employees to laying off a few.

He and Edgar Stokes aren't sure they agree with County Administrator Michael Wright's recommendation.

"I want to talk about some of these things," Maxcy said. "It's absolutely going to increase foreclosures. It's just a bad thing to do."

He'd prefer to talk ask employees if they'd consider pay cuts or furloughs. "To help their brothers and their sisters," Maxcy suggested.

"Layoffs should be our last resort," Commissioner Stokes agreed. "Service is what we produce. The problem with private industry is when they run out of work, they run out of money. Our problem is, we've run out money, but we haven't run out of work."

Labor is one of the county's biggest expenses, Maxcy said. "It's one area we should look at. Maybe they could take a day off, without pay, every now and then. We're in desperate times here."

Perhaps, Maxcy suggested, the county administrator could be more precise about pay cuts for selected employees. "I would like to get more surgical about it. We have to validate every single nickel."

Layoffs, said commission chair Barbara Stewart, "are not the only possibility."

She's not sure it's even a good idea to discuss it. "All it's going to do is get people concerned." In general though, she doesn't favor furloughs.

"We're not recommending raises this year," Stokes pointed out. "That's going to save a lot there."

Commissioners Don Bates and Jeff Carlson did not return messages left on their phones by press time.

County attorney

Stewart, Maxcy and Stokes are ready to discuss hiring a full-time county attorney.

Ross MacBeth billed Highlands County $418,258 this year, and is budgeted for $355,520 in 2009-10.

"All the commissioners said at one point that has to be examined," Stewart said. However, she cautioned, other counties had problems with inexperienced lawyers.

"I'd rather have an attorney on staff," Maxcy said. "You can get things done quicker."

He wants to see a cost comparison between an in-house attorney and MacBeth's charges. "I'd be all for looking at it," Maxcy said. "But every single time we've looked at this, we've said it won't save money."

Neither Stewart nor Maxcy want an attorney fresh out of law school, but Maxcy suggested soliciting bids.

"I just want the best service for the least amount of money," Stokes said.

Tax increase

Wright included these three sentences in his June 30 budget message: "There is no recommended increase in the property tax rate, although the County Commission could levy a 'rollback rate' of 8.0 mills. That would not be considered a tax increase under current state law because it would bring in the same amount of ad valorem taxes as the current year, and result in almost $5 million more in revenues. In other words, a 'millage neutral' rate would be 7.1 mills and a 'tax neutral' rate would be 8.0 mills."

Either way, Stokes, Stewart and Maxcy aren't having it.

"No," all three said flatly.

"We could do it easily, legally," Stokes said, but added, "This is not a good time to raise millage."

"To me, it's not an option," Stewart said.

It's also not a good time to spend the county's reserve funds, she said. Next year, the recession could be even worse.

Stokes agreed. "We hit (the reserve fund) pretty hard this year."

Budget copies available

Read the Highlands County FY 2009-10 budget in three ways:

Online

At www.hcbcc.net/PDFfiles/FY0910RequestedBudgetBook.p..., or go to www.hcbcc.net, click on Budget at the left of the page, then on FY 09-10 Requested Budget at the right. Copies can be printed.

On disc

At the Board of County Commissioners office, Room B233, County Government Center, 600 S. Commerce, Sebring. Request a disc from the switchboard operator for 47 cents. A paper review copy also is available.

At the library

All 1,176 pages are available at the Avon Park, Lake Placid and Sebring libraries. Librarians can copy pages for a fee.

Three budget workshops are scheduled in July. The first will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The five constitutional officers and the department heads have been invited to hear County Administrator Michael Wright's presentation. Dates have not been set for two other July meetings, one at night, one during the day.

"My hope is that if people suggest something they want to put back in the budget, that they also make a constructive suggestion about what else to cut out," said Barbara Stewart, commission chair.

You make the call

To balance the budget by Sept. 30, Highlands County must save another $8.8 million.

Administrator Michael Wright has suggested eliminating 10 jobs, laying off 22 workers, reducing by 25 percent the parks and recreation funds to the three cities, cutting by 10 percent the contributions to outside agencies, closing the shell pit in Charlotte County, consolidating the housing and human services departments, surcharging $15 on traffic fines, increasing EMS fees, and raising property taxes from 7.1 to 8 mills.

Where would you cut? Which fees or taxes should be raised?

Go to www.highlandstoday.com with your suggestions.

Highlands Today reporter Gary Pinnell can be reached at 863-386-5828 or gpinnell@highlandstoday.com.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0290-36371234