County Government
Kohler: Expect a “Minor Rollback” on Escambia’s Budget—And a Wait-and-See on Ballot 3
District 2 Commissioner previews Tuesday’s budget hearing, defends the county’s lean staffing, and talks blight, homelessness and the CRA program that could disappear if the constitutional amendment passes.
Escambia County commissioners take up the county budget at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler told me this week to expect restraint, not a fight.
- Kohler said the county hasn’t raised its millage rate since 2006. Last year commissioners approved a minor rollback from 6.617 to 6.6 mils. He expects something similar this year—with one eye on the November ballot.
Ballot 3, a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes on homesteads, looms over the discussion. Kohler said a more aggressive rollback now would cost the county roughly $43 million the following year if the amendment passes, and potentially closer to $140 million if the county also loses the local Penny for Progress sales tax.
- His approach: hold the line, take public input, then reassess after voters decide in November.
“There Really Isn’t a Whole Lot” of Fat to Cut
Kohler pushed back on the idea that county government is bloated. He said residents love to call for cuts in the abstract but balk when asked what specifically should go—a park, a library, animal services, code enforcement.
“Everyone wants cuts until you cut in their backyard.”
- He said the county actually controls a much smaller slice of its roughly $900 million total budget than people assume—about $340 million once state mandates and grant restrictions are factored out.
Where the county is short-staffed
- Public works
- Correctional officers
Where it isn’t: Kohler said the county currently has enough firefighters and that the Sheriff’s Office has kept pace with staffing, adding roughly eight new deputies a year under a three-year plan he helped set as chair.
“Time to Treat”
Kohler, a retired Navy officer and nurse with decades in healthcare and emergency medicine, pointed to two board decisions he believes will pay off for years: a new fire MSBU funding four new fire stations, and the addition of 26 to 27 new ambulances to the county’s EMS fleet.
“Time to treat’s what saves lives.”
He said the new stations should cover growth in the county for the next six to eight years.
District 2: Homelessness, Blight and a Lot of Diversity
Kohler said blight and homelessness are the two issues he hears about most from District 2 residents—more than he expected when he ran. He was candid that homelessness, in particular, is bigger than the county can solve alone.
- He also pushed back on any single image of District 2, calling it the most diverse district on the board—spanning wealthier pockets like Gulf Beach to lower-income areas in Brownsville and Beachhaven, along with sizable Filipino, Vietnamese and Hispanic communities and a historic Black community in Warrington, plus a heavy veteran presence tied to the district’s military bases.
What’s Next: A Library, and a Fight Over CRAs
Looking ahead, Kohler named two priorities: finishing the South Navy Boulevard project with FDOT, and building a new library near 57th Avenue and Lillian Highway, on the site of the former YMCA—a project he said the county has the money for now, but which could be jeopardized if Ballot 3 costs the county its Penny for Progress revenue.
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