Commission To Hold Closed Door Meeting To Discuss Sheriff’s Budget Appeal

April 9, 2018

The Escambia County Commission will hold a closed-door meeting with its attorneys Thursday to discuss the Sheriff David Morgan’s pending budget appeal to Gov. Rick Scott.

Such private meetings to discuss pending litigation are allowable under Florida law, and a court reporter’s record become public upon conclusion of the litigation..

The county and the Sheriff’s Office have been battling it out over funding for most of the last year, with the parties signing a mediation agreement on March 9. After the mediation agreement was announced, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan announced a few days later that the agreement was unsuccessful, citing issue over workers compensation, unemployment compensation, retirement and health care issues.

Comments

8 Responses to “Commission To Hold Closed Door Meeting To Discuss Sheriff’s Budget Appeal”

  1. John C. on April 11th, 2018 5:42 am

    The COLA is paid for by the BOCC and it is NOT given every year. The BOCC never seem to have enough money to fund it but surely have plenty of money for those who don’t work for the county.

    Budget dollars and salary dollars are two very different beasts. As some may not realize, you cannot use operational funds or lost funds to pay salaries. So just by increasing you budget by $2,000,000 to help off set the cost of fuel, maintenance of vehicles and other miscellaneous costs, doesn’t mean the CEO of your business can use it towards salaries unless the budget was submitted that way. Each item is submitted and seen prior to approval by the BOCC. This isn’t restricted to one particular entity but all the department heads, elected or not.

  2. Grand Locust on April 9th, 2018 7:50 pm

    Where is the discussion of budget cuts? After years of budget increases, how do those increases in the Sheriff’s budget compare to Cola, and the population growth during the last ten years? If Escambia County has grown by 10% population over the last decade, and Cola averaged 2.5% per year, then the average raises for that department would be about 3.5% increases each year, but the population has not grown by 10% and the Cola was probably closer to 2% a year. So anything over 2% increases probably too much and require budget cuts, or anything under 2% over that decade, probably justify increases in the budget. You start with those simple parameters and then work down to line item budget priorities. It is not a blank check. It is hard work, but hard work determining what is necessary and what is an out of whack budget, must be cooperative and justified. Start with the Macro economics and work down from there. Taxpayers need facts, not opinions…..

  3. Bob C. on April 9th, 2018 6:44 pm

    One Commissioner will vote however Morgan directs him two do.
    After all he owes his job there, and more, to Morgan.

    The board of fine gentlemen pictured is always faced with having to have 2 votes plus their own to get anything passed.

    Morgan shucking his duty to personally sign the document is like having one’s shifty and shady brother-in-law ask you to co-sign on a loan. Not good business practice.
    If this was to be an agreement between the Escambia Board and the sheriff then his name should have been inked, with 5 witnesses, and not the scribbled chicken scratch of his number two underling.

    Look for this to be dragged on out past election time.

  4. Citizen on April 9th, 2018 12:42 pm

    @Chris
    where you been buddy? get your facts straight.

  5. Chris on April 9th, 2018 11:20 am

    The mediation agreement was signed but the interlocal agreement wasn’t because the BOCC changed/removed language that had alread been agreed upon.

  6. mike on April 9th, 2018 10:20 am

    uhh, what about the sunshine law?

  7. Mike Amerson on April 9th, 2018 4:30 am

    As stupid as this may seem on Morgan’s part, he’ll blame the two that signed the agreement outside his presence. Just another example of how he’s ran his administration his entire time in Office. I’ll still be surprised if he doesn’t run for another term. The only hope for those that still have to work for him is that he’s thinking he’s leaving on his terms in lieu of another candidate sending him home after the election. When you’re beat in an election, it seems to take a devastating impact on you the rest of your life and you just never know when to quit.

  8. What else is new on April 9th, 2018 2:22 am

    Will the sheriff department pitch a fit? Waiting for the next round of drama from the never ending story.