City faces challenges for '08 budget
Edwin "Buzz" Eddy, City Manager

The City of Gulf Breeze is facing significant challenges this year making revenues match expenses in our local municipal budget. We have prepared a budget based on the state mandated reductions in property tax rates and limited growth in other revenue sources that is balanced. There is not a great deal of capital improvement money available. The budget can be best described as a "stay the course" plan.

Some highlights include:

We have increased police officer pay and pay for other municipal workers to keep our salaries competitive with area law enforcement and other competing agencies to keep the City from becoming a training ground where we train people to go to work in other agencies.

We have not added any new positions even though we have new and improved parks to maintain and more utility customers.

The street resurfacing and sidewalk construction programs will be reduced this year.

The City refinanced some long term debt to match the debt service to the lifespan of the projects financed. This helps in loan payments due this coming fiscal year. The 2009 fiscal year has a larger debt service burden.

Eddy

The City may have to increase the utility service and communication service taxes and other user type fees to balance the budget.

These actions are necessary in response to reduced property tax revenue, increased demands for service, increased cost of personnel, goods and services and mandates from Tallahassee which cost the taxpayer at the local level.

The City Council and City staff are open to new ideas to cut expenses, reduce services, and raise new revenue in order to keep a balanced budget through which we can continue to provide a high level of services to our citizens.