Childers' runaway payroll needs a DOGE review

A review of the Escambia County budgets revealed that County Clerk Pam Childers’ payroll—just Executive, Regular and Special Pay and Overtime—has increased $1.295 million since she was elected to her second term in 2016, even though she has only added four people to her staff.

Fiscal Year	2016-17	2024-25	Increase
	Actual	Adopted Budget
Employees	42.66	46.69	4.03

Executive	$ 68,989	$ 94,100
Regular	$ 1,760,288	$ 2,964,300
Overtime	$ 30,669	$ 79,200
Special	$ 2,549	$ 20,000
Total Payroll	$ 1,862,495	$ 3,157,600	$ 1,295,105

Most of the increase happened after Childers was elected to her third term – $949,526. In two years, her payroll jumped from $2.18 million (FY 2022-23) to $3.04 million in her FY 2023-24 adopted budget.

However, she only added 2.6 employees during her third term. The payroll average per employee jumped from $49,153 in FY 2019-20 to $67,377 in the Adopted Budget for FY 2023-24.

	Election Year
Third Term	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
	Actual	Actual	Actual	Actual	Adopted
Employees	42.49	42.59	43.38	45.22	45.09	2.6

Executive	$ 72,922	$ 76,030	$ 20,675	$ 82,129	$ 85,000
Regular	$ 1,981,329	$ 2,023,252	$ 2,111,721	$ 2,346,838	$ 2,874,800
Other Salaries	$ 28,602	$ 31,908	$ 38,095	$ 23,929	$ 64,050
Overtime	$ 5,671	$ 20,280	$ 7,582	$ 2,709	$ 14,200
Total Payroll	$ 2,088,524	$ 2,151,470	$ 2,178,073	$ 2,455,605	$ 3,038,050	$ 949,526

Childers didn’t slow down when she submitted the budget adopted for FY 2024-25, increasing another $119,500 while adding 1.6 employees.

Fourth Term	2023-24	2024-25	Increase
	Adopted	Adopted
Employees	45.09	46.69	1.6

Executive	$ 85,000	$ 94,100
Regular	$ 2,874,800	$ 2,964,300
Other Salaries	$ 64,050	$ 79,200
Overtime	$ 14,200	$ 20,000
Total Payroll	$ 3,038,050	$ 3,157,600	$ 119,550

SUMMARY

	Payroll	Staff	Avg Payroll
2016-17	$ 1,862,495	42.66	$ 43,659
2017-18	$ 1,954,609	41.54	$ 47,054
2018-19	$ 1,782,274	42.59	$ 41,847
2019-20	$ 2,088,524	42.49	$ 49,153
2020-21	$ 2,151,470	42.59	$ 50,516
2021-22	$ 2,178,073	43.38	$ 50,209
2022-23	$ 2,455,605	45.22	$ 54,304
2023-24	$ 3,038,050	45.09	$ 67,377
2024-25	$ 3,157,600	46.69	$ 67,629

DESANTIS DOGE

Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order creating his version of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His DOGE Team would use “publicly available information to identify and report unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments.”

Before the Escambia County Commission adopts her budget, Childers should explain her payroll in detail and give that information to the governor’s DOGE Team. She may be able to justify why an agency of less than 50 employees increased its payroll by nearly $1.3 million over nine years.

Most Escambia County residents would prefer the Clerk’s funds to be used to increase public safety, such as by putting more firefighters, paramedics and deputies on the streets.

TDC Collection Battle

The 70% increase at the Clerk’s Office may explain why Childers has been so reluctant to share her actual cost in collecting the Tourist Development Tax while not budging from the 3% collection she gets.

In April 2021, the Escambia County Tourist Development Council chair, David Bear, sent a letter to the Florida Department of Revenue and then County Administrator Janice Gilley requesting its findings of alleged irregularities in how the county has handled its administration fee and other expenditures using the bed tax funds be sent to the Florida Auditor General for an independent audit of the TDC expenditures.

Clerk of Court Pam Childers has deducted three percent of the monthly collections as an administrative fee.

“The Board (of County Commissioners) must demonstrate a reasonable connection between the three percent retained by the Clerk and the actual costs incurred in administering the tax,” wrote Bear. “Absent support for the amount being assessed, the Clerk may be retaining TDT collections for administrative costs in excess of the actual costs. Any amount of TDT revenues retained for administration of the TDT that exceeds actual administrative costs is unauthorized and must be reduced accordingly.”

Childers has had a grudge against Bear ever since, but she has kept the money.

2005 Revisited

Pensacola_News_Journal_2005_07_20_1-2 - Rick's Blog — July 20 2005

The last time we had payroll controversary with Clerk of Courts office was 20 years ago when then Clerk Ernie Lee Magaha had to go before the Escambia County Commission to justify why gave his employees $742 bonuses (net $500 each) after Hurricane Dennis.

Then Commissioner Mike Whitehead said, “I’ve got deputies calling me, (asking) why didn’t they get more money. It’s patently unfair.”

The other constitional officers told the PNJ that Magaha’s decision made them feel unfair.

Daily Outtakes: Childers’ runaway payroll needs a DOGE review

SUMMARY

DESANTIS DOGE

TDC Collection Battle

2005 Revisited

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