Board of County Commissioners Public Hearings
Preliminary Budget Workshop
Fiscal Year 2008/2009 Countywide Budget
19 March 2008
Call to order at 8:35 a.m.
Grover Robinson started discussion by suggesting cutting the commissioners’ salary by 5 percent.
“If you were talking about cutting 5 percent of your gross income that is one thing, but 5 percent of your county commissioner’s salary is a token,” Whitehead said. “I don’t appreciate the grandstanding. It is inappropriate. Don’t think that a 5 percent cut in your salary is going to make you feel the pain of someone with a $25,000 a year salary.”
Robinson said he believe it would help and would help residents know that we feel there pain.
“You are trying to make us dictate how to run our lives,” Whitehead said, his voice raising. “I don’t appreciate it. I think the community gets there money’s worth out of us. If you don’t think you are worth what we pay you then write us a check.”
“I think your approach is wrong,” Robinson rebutted. “I believe (the cut) would send a real message of leadership. This is not grandstanding. This is leadership.”
Whitehead noted that he thinks the cuts in salaries of all county employees should be last.
Kevin White and Gene Valentino suggested sending a letter to the state legislature about cutting county staff salaries state-wide.
“I think the better way to support the community through private donations,” Valentino said.
“I will support White’s suggestion to run this through the state legislature,” Robinson said.
White moved to send a letter to the legislature to ask them to reduce their salaries by 10 percent. It was seconded by Robinson and approved unanimously.
Prioritization of Programs
“We are looking at contracts with our medical and food requirements, retirement, fuel cost and insurance programs,” said Steve Stevens of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. “I can’t give you a good number right now on what we’ll need and I can’t give you a timeline on when I
will have that number right now.”
Valentino noted the total reduction in the budget ($7,511,412) is just over 4 percent.
The total needed to be cut is $12,000,000, more that $4,000,000 more than the current budget shows.
Valentino asked about line ITEM 61, Southwest Sector CRA, an allocation of $3,229,125.
“Is this beach renourishment or road widening,” he asked. “If I suggested to the commissioners that we cut this ITEM how confident are you that we could find alternative grant funding?”
“I am reasonably comfortable with getting grants,” Larry Newsome with traffic management said. “The concern with that though is this money might require some matching.”
Newsome confirmed that a delay in beach renourishment would not delay road widening.
“I do expect to see ITEM 61 back in the budget in the next fiscal year,” Valentino said.
“This is an important economical project,” Whitehead said. “The road widening (of Perdido Key Drive) needs to be done.”
County Administrator Bob McLaughlin rebutted that if the county was unable to renourish the beach and protect the beach mouse habitat while working on the road, the permits for the road widening may be delayed.
“We know that we have to do renourishment as part o the project,” Whitehead said. “We can just find alternative funding down the road.”
Valentino suggested the removal of ITEM 61 for one year.
Whitehead then suggested looking at the ITEM list from the bottom up.
“I think we need to put some of these issues to bed,” Whitehead said.
ITEM 80: Merit System Protection Board.
“What I am asking you to do is not cut it out of existence,” said the director of MSP. “I have made cuts and I will make more.”
“The problem I have is we are spending $100,000 on paying board members to hear appeals that they have not been hearing,” Whitehead said.
“This board is willing to serve at no cost. They were surprised they
would be paid,” the director said. “Let me tell you why we have never heard a case. We have a great mediation program.”
Commissioner Marie Young proposed reducing the budget to the director’s salary and an attorney retainer fee.
“We paid an attorney $14,000 for each case. He covered nine cases in two years,” Whitehead said. “If we can not cut something as unproductive as this, we might as well start over.”
Robinson made a motion to reduce the budget to $35,000. It was passed 4-1 with Young voting against it.
ITEM 79: Sertoma
“People come to see the 4th of July fireworks,” Whitehead said. “It will negatively impact tourism. This is an ITEM that we will need to move to the option sales tax, but it will be eliminated from the general fund.”
ITEM 78: West Florida Regional Planning Council
There was a comment made that this may be a requirement. With question, the ITEM was left in temporarily.
ITEM 77: Human Relations Commission
“Currently the human relation commission has done over 400 cases this year,” said Amber Beconhale, who was representing the Human Relations Commission. “We make sure our citizens are being taken care of. The fair housing situation is only going to get worse. If you cut this
agency you will find you have a problem finding a place to send your constituencies when they have these concerns.”
A motion was made to eliminate ITEM 77. It was passes 4-1 with Young voting against it.
ITEM 76: Gulf Coast African American Chamber
Eliminated from the Budget
ITEM 75: Pensacola’s Promise
No comments. Eliminated.
ITEM 74: Junior Achievement
Eliminated.
ITEM 73: First Call for Help
“This is one of these services we provide to people in the time of need,” Whitehead said. “We need to find the finds to keep this. It is there because we are going to have to fill a slot to fit this need.” Whitehead proposed leaving this in the budget at $35,000.
ITEM 72: Wildlife Sanctuary
“I think they are great and I support their work,” Whitehead said. “But we have to find another way to fund it other than the general fund.”
Eliminated.
ITEM 71: Lakeview
“What service are we getting for that?” Whitehead asked. The answer: A Crisis Line.
“I have a hard time eliminating this one,” Whitehead said. “Let’s leave it in and see where we are at. We will have to do this again.”
The ITEM was left in.
ITEM 70: Council on Aging
This money provides for Meals on Wheels. “They do have to raise funding to keep up with their funding. This is matching funding. There are a lot of things going on,” Young said. “The consequence of not funding this is monumental,” Valentino said.
This ITEM stayed in the budget for the time being.
ITEM 69: Marine Recreation
Eliminated.
ITEM 68: Tuition Reimbursement
“Let’s just suspend it for a year or two,” Valentino said. “This is a hard cut but when we are looking at cutting 120 plus jobs, I can’t keep tuition reimbursement.”
ITEM 67: Design and Construction Administration
Eliminated. This will be funded from other projects.
ITEM 66: Parks Recreation
“This is basically two staff members and operating cost,” said Parks and Recreation director Kevin Briske. Whitehead asked for P & R to come back with a lower, reasonable budget
to consider.
ITEM 65: Adult Softball
Eliminated.
ITEM 64: Lake Stone
Eliminated. Will become self-supporting.
ITEM 63: Land Use
“This was budgeted to become self-supporting,” said Amy Lovoy, county budget manager. “But that didn’t happen. They will not hire until the market picks up.”
Eliminated. Will become self-supporting.
ITEM 62: Planning DRC
ITEM 61: Southwest Sector CRA
Discussed earlier in the meeting.
ITEM 60: Health Department
“We don’t know whether or not we can cut this $30,000 at this time,” Whitehead said.
ITEM 59: Property Management
Discussed vehicles for employees, downsizing the fleet and maintenance costs. Decided to bring numbers on these issues to the next meeting.
ITEM 58: Soil and Water
Eliminating one vacant position to save about $42,000.
ITEM 57: Technical Support/Engineering
Eliminating one employee and moving one survey crew to 333.
ITEM 56: Human Resources – Admin
Eliminating three positions or outsourcing services. More information on this will be presented at the next meeting.
ITEM 55: Information Resources
Reductions in equipment and operating.
ITEM 54: Extension Services
Elimination of one position and return to entry level salaries for three positions.
“This is an area where we definitely get a bang for our buck,” White said.
ITEM 53: Community Services
Reduction in Operating accounts.
ITEM 52: Executive Support
Elimination on one position.
ITEM 51: Asst. County Administrator- CSPSA
Elimination of two positions.
ITEM 50: Asst. County Administrator- PWLMA
Realignment of salaries.
ITEM 49: Environmental Quality
This organization does internal and external planning and permitting.
It is slated for no reduction.
“I don’t have a problem with not reducing this right now,” Whitehead said. “But I want to see a breakdown of what the program does. Are we getting $400,000 of bang for our buck?”
“I do have a problem with the zero reduction,” Robinson said. “We are asking everyone to reduce their budget, you have to give something. We are all in this together.”
ITEM 48: Escambia County Community Clinics
“We are spending $7 million on health care for inmates,” White said. “I can’t see eliminating this service for the working poor.” The board decided to reinstate this funding for the time being.
ITEM 47: School Readiness Coalition
Will update this.
ITEM 46: Medical Examiner
Valentino said the state needs to “delineate what we’re responsible for and why.” He said, being facetious, that they should delete line 46 to send a message to Tallahassee.
ITEM 45: Mosquito Control
No action was taken.
ITEM 44: PEDC and ITEM 43: Foundations for the Future. Whitehead indicated he is interested in bringing, PEDC, at least, “in house, to account for the process and the dollars.” The commissioner said he liked the Gulf Power model from the early 1990s. “I’m not sure we’re doing everything we can and should (in economic development efforts),” said Whitehead, who added he thinks it would be difficult for the Chamber to represent both counties.
“I don’t care where it sits,” Valentino said. “What I do care about is results”
“No one knows what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, or why…” Whitehead said. Valentino suggested reinstating Items 43 and 44 with the understanding that they will be looked at again.
The Chamber’s Charles Wood and Evon Emerson addressed the commission. Emerson said the
program has put a total of $66 million in capital back into the county and created 900-plus jobs.
“Let’s don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Emerson said.