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Proposed Escambia Budget Balances With No Tax Increases
June 8, 2011
Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver is proposing a balanced budget for the next fiscal year without a tax increase despite a projected 3.5 percent decrease in property taxes.
Ad valorem tax revenues are also down, $35.9 million since 2006. Other taxes, including sales, gas and tourist development, are down 11 percent.
The FY 2011/2012 budget includes a net decrease of 14 full time positions, with 17 jobs eliminated and three additions (webmaster, a technical VOIP person and Equestrian Center manager) for a total net savings of $560,000.
County employees will receive a 3.1 percent across the board raise, but that will be offset by the new contributions they will be required to make to their retirement plans.There will be a 5.5 percent increase in employee health insurance premiums, shared between the county ($550,000) and employees ($1.60 monthly for single on a base plan to $22 monthly for full family coverage on the complete plan). County employees will lose a paid holiday with the elimination of one of two days off at New Year’s.
Sheriff David Morgan’s budget will be decreased to $1,394,742 under Oliver’s plan.
Several outside agencies will see cuts that will amount to 15 percent for most. The West Florida Library system will see a 3.5 percent ($120,354) cut, inline with the 3.5 percent property value reductions. The county will still provide $3,318,342 to the library system.
ECAT public transportation will not be cut, rather there will be a slight increase to account for increased fuel costs. But, Oliver said some route changes will be required because of the loss of state and federal subsidy dollars.
Oliver will soon propose a 3.5 percent increase in tipping fees at the landfill to pay higher fuel costs.
Oliver’s budget proposal will be presented to the Escambia County Commission Thursday during a budget workshop.
Comments
13 Responses to “Proposed Escambia Budget Balances With No Tax Increases”
Congratulations ESC. And thank you William for noting if a county employee gets a 3% pay raise its just off setting the contibution to the retirement plan. Let us hope SRC does at least this for their employees. My retirement contribution was part of a benefit plan I was offered along with a county paid for health plan, and a schedule of certain annual pay increases. So when I Iose one of those benefits, as well as money I had already calculated as income when I purchased things like my house and truck, you think I shouldn’t be upset? I must point out to people like Sandra that everytime she pumps gas or pays her light bill she is paying for those employees retirement. So please give us county employees the respect we give the people and places where we shop. We just lost 3% a month we have been spending on goods and services in our local economy today. I don’t understand why anyone sees that as a good thing.
I dont mind having to pay into my retirement if I made 60,000 a year. like some private companies pay employees. hell I would if i got 40000 a year. but i dont. if your going to have an educated ccommented get both sides. i make 28000 a year. that god we got an offset increase in pay.
I think it is only fair that everyone contribute to their retirement fund. Industrial workers have to do this so county, state and federal workers should also. The amount of insurance you will be paying for yourself and family coverage is very low compared to most companies.
429SCJ, Escambia County does use inmate labor to maintain county Right of ways. The only county in the state that does.
I’m glad to know that my taxes are paying for their retirement. Sigh
I think using county and state inmates for contract labor would help reduce cost. My wife’s family in Mississippi use them in their pecan orchards and they do a pretty good job, at a resonable cost too. I say leave the bus alone, the people using the service are not on the bus for the atmosphere and decor, that is how they come and go to work, medical appts ect. We want to complain about Sheriff Morgan’s expendetures, well it takes money to maintain law and order. I would take a look at Federal Prison Industries as a template, put those prisoners to work!
What might be overlooked here is that our elected commissioners
have done a good job here.
I think we are all so conditioned to find fault, it gets easy to miss it when
it happens, but I want to say ‘Good Job’.
Of course William did a better job of covering the story, not to take away
from that… but I have really come to expect that.
What I do not always expect is for leadership to make tougher choices
then ‘just raise taxes’….
Good job guys, but this is just a start…
Good Job.
Name (required)
for not spending what we don’t have
To Oversight:
Generally the people who have to ride the bus have no other transportation. They have no transportation because they don’t have enough money to buy any. When I had a small car I looked into riding the bus instead of driving, the savings was not that great and not worth the inconvenience (I think at that time it would have cost me $6 a day to ride ecat). Now my only transportation is a truck, money could be saved but because of where the bus stops (budget cuts & routing changes) I would have to walk a mile to get to work. In the spring and fall that would not be to bad, summer is to hot (I am not a spring chicken anymore), and with the winter time change it is to dangerous. Not such an easy solution for ECAT management.
Thanks for accurately reporting the story about the raises. With the 3% that employees now have to contribute to their retirement, there is no increase in pay.
Thank you William for getting the story straight. WEARTV 3 is making it look like the Board of County Commissioner’s employees are simply getting a raise.
Thank you for putting the BUT in there.
County employees will receive a 3.1 percent across the board raise, BUT that will be offset by the new contributions they will be required to make to their retirement plans.There will be a 5.5 percent increase in employee health insurance premiums, shared between the county ($550,000) and employees ($1.60 monthly for single on a base plan to $22 monthly for full family coverage on the complete plan). County employees will lose a paid holiday with the elimination of one of two days off at New Year’s.
How much you wanna bet Sheriff Morgan cries about the cut! He needs to do like the rest of the county and its citizens and learn to live within our means.
WOW! A government agency that can balance a budget without raising taxes? What a concept.
I’m impressed. Great job.
Don’t kid yourself, the county will make up the lost revenue through other tax increases like all those fees you see on you electric, phone, cable t.v., and trash services. Here’s a no brainer for the bus service, why not increase the rider’s fee, so that those few who use the service actually help pay for it?