Commissioners look to clean house and save money
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Goodin

Today is the first day of spring and the Santa Rosa County Commission is dedicated to doing some seasonal cleaning

" I t ' s spring, so let's not be afraid to do some spring cleaning," Santa Rosa County Commissioner Goodin told his fellow commissioners last week. "If we have people working for this county who do not have the eye of the tiger anymore, and are not carrying their load, then let's give them the golden handshake and move on. We need to do some cutting, and we should start where there are duplication of services or people who are not earning their paycheck."

Commissioner Tom Stewart said, "We asked the people what do you want - more services or tax relief? I think we got our mandate from the people Jan. 29 when they voted for tax relief. So we have to give it to them."

Commissioners were discussing how to approach next year's budget at their first pre-budget workshop last week.

"We have never done this before," Commissioner Chairman John Broxson of Gulf Breeze explained. "We have usually just waited to hear from our constitutional officers about their department budgets and then waited for a budget proposal from the staff by July 15. But this year we are facing so many cuts from the state, we feel the need to start early to see what we can seriously do to cut back."

Broxson

Stewart said, "Last year the state cut us about $2 million in our budget, sand it now looks like the state is going to cut is another $4 million. We cannot continue the level of services we have provided in the past."

Goodin said, "I am not as remorseful as some about government taking less of the people's money. There are places we should have been looking all along, like duplication of services.

"I know, for example, in our dispatch and 9-1-1 services we have a duplication we don't need. Our Public Works department for the county duplicates some services already provided by local communities' public works, and inspections is another areas to look at. I think we can get leaner while not getting vulnerable in times of disaster."

Commissioner Robert Cole agreed. "Moving money around in the budget just to balance is just robbing Peter to pay Paul, like we have done in the past. I think if there are Pauls out there working for the county that are doing the same jobs as other people are already doing, or if there are Pauls out there that are not putting in a 40 hour week for a 40 hour paycheck, they need to take notice, and they need to go," Cole said.

Cole

County administrator Hunter Walker presented a power point to commissioners on where the budget is right now, and what expected revenue cuts are coming from the state for the next budget year beginning in October. "We had 34 positions deleted at the Board of County Commissioners level in 2008, which saved just over $1.2 million. Since Oct. 1 we have 22 positions vacant we have not filled, with an approximate savings of at least $678,850," Walker said.

He told commissioners every area of revenue for the county will be down in the next budget year. "For example, building permit fees generated for 2007 were just over $2 million. So far in 2008 we have generated about half a million dollars in building permits. We are estimating for the year that we will bring in only $1.3 million, and there is no significant growth expected over the next couple years here."

Walker reported that due to the Jan. 29 ballot proposal, the county will lose about $951.5 million in homestead property valuation this next budget year, meaning a loss of about $5.8 million in budget revenue.