Palm Beach County commissioners seeking to eliminate $110 million budget gap
July 13th, 2008
By John Johnston
Managing Editor
As opposed to just eliminating services, “there are bodies on this list,” County Administrator Bob Weisman told county commissioners.
And at the end of the day, 35 of those bodies will become the humans who will soon be laid off. That, and cutting low-income children summer scholarships among other things, was the opening salvo this week in the county’s attempt to bridge a $110 million income versus budget gap.
That is, the $110 million gap projected by Weisman if the county keeps its promise not to raise taxes. The current tax rate is 3.78 mills – or $378 dollars on each $100,000 of taxable appraised value. That tax rate will in fact remain, commissioners decided – and the cutting has begun to accommodate that decision.
Weisman said that the board’s direction this year was for him to present a budget with the fewest employee layoffs. Weisman predicted, however, that regardless of how many employee layoffs result from cuts this year, cuts next year would be even worse.
“The size of the budget means a reduction in (employees),” Weisman said.
Vegetation
Among the employees to be laid off this year are three persons that mediate consumer/business disputes. Other layoffs will include 10 park rangers and seven persons who regulate vegetation in private developments. Six persons at the Highridge Family Center Residential Program will be laid off and one wing of the facility closed.
All told on Tuesday, commissioners reduced the income/budget gap by about $38 million – moving about $21 million to other than property tax funding sources, increasing fees by about $2.5 million, and cutting about $7 million in property tax funded costs.
Using money from reserves in addition to help close the gap, will leave reserves at about $95 million for next year’s budget, said Weisman.
Among the fees to be increased this year is the annual home alarm security permit fee – rising from $5 to $25 for the approximately 90,0000 homes in the county who have such systems.
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