BCC budget 7.5 million dollar shortfall next year. How are we going to make it up?

Number three sounds good to me.


quote=wrobert;563266]Okay I see three scenarios.

Cut services.
Doubt you will see much of that.

Cut spending.
I am sure that there are plenty of places to find some savings, but do not know if there are enough to get out of this hole.

Raise taxes a mill or so.
$100 on a $100K house. This is just the BCC side, I have not seen any figures from the school district yet.[/quote]

Number three sounds good to me.


quote=wrobert;563266]Okay I see three scenarios.

Cut services.
Doubt you will see much of that.

Cut spending.
I am sure that there are plenty of places to find some savings, but do not know if there are enough to get out of this hole.

Raise taxes a mill or so.
$100 on a $100K house. This is just the BCC side, I have not seen any figures from the school district yet.

[/quote]


I guess it would be worth a $100 a year knowing that if I did not clean up my stuff I could get a free dumpster to put it in.

How about they cut where they can cut and then take the rest out of employee salary and benefits?

That seems to be the answer in most businesses around here.

Let's pretend they can't raise taxes.

All of the salaries or just including the ones that make, let's say, 70-120 k a year? Not all government employees make a lot of money.

How about they cut where they can cut and then take the rest out of employee salary and benefits?

That seems to be the answer in most businesses around here.

Let's pretend they can't raise taxes.

Cutting salaries makes no sense whatsoever. County government ( including BCC, School Board and constitutional officers) is the largest employer in the county. Most people, whether they make $100,000 or $20,000 pay a large portion of their income on mortgages, car payments, etc. The bulk of the remainder is spent locally on food, clothing, gas, etc. If you cut someone's salary, the first items THEY will cut are eating out, movies, new electronics, etc,etc. Thus, when you say cut government salaries, in essence, you are cutting a major source of income for local business. Since most of our small local businesses are in financial trouble already, cutting salaries will further drive them towards bankruptcy. This will in turn cause less sales tax and property tax to come in leading to another deficit next year. This is basic economics.

I would reccommend a balanced approach. Cut some services ( do we really need two libraries 12 miles apart?) require all employees to contrbute to their health insurance like the private sector and raise the millage maybe .25 mills. Go .50 mills if necessary. Everyone can then share in the pain/savings.

When you say cut services, you eliminate jobs. Same difference.

What about a 1 cent sales tax? We already do it for Garbage and it has been used for other capital improvements, ie jail. Would it be enough to offset the deficit and would there be enough to split with the School Board? If you think not cutting wages is a good idea because of the loss of spending by those you would be cutting, how could increasing the amount an employee pays for their insurance really be any different. Now we have reduced there wage and benefit, IMO.

What would you do if this was your household account ? Would you go to your employer a hand him a bill for the 7.5 million?

Most do what I have been forced to do - you cut spending - you learn to live within the revenue you have, or get a second job.

We could also do what the federal government has done and bankrupt our great grandchildrens future.

Walton County needs a "Bailout" I guess.

:trainwreck:

Unfortunately this is bigger than my household and effects more than just me with regards to services provided to others. It is important to note, that when politicians go for these grants/ bailouts and the like and say it does not cost us anything they are not correct. So when Commissioners and residents want to preserve something or keep a park open or enhance public right of way of keep libraries open longer, it does cost us money.

The operative word is "want". Many times the public has a difficult time distinguishing between a want and a need. I have "wanted" many things in life that I did not need and could not afford.

Basic services are needs - we have a lot of wants being funded that should be eliminated.

Suspend Autum Tides for a year - 1 million
Suspend TDC "New Product Development" for a year - 1.6 million
Cut the TDC Administration budget in half for a year - 3 million
Substantially raise fees on land fill use - current land fill budget is 12 million
Elliminate S.H.I.P. - 1 million
Cancel the "inmate canteen fund" - 300K
-----------------------------
~7.5 million

Suspend Autum Tides for a year - 1 million
Suspend TDC "New Product Development" for a year - 1.6 million
Cut the TDC Administration budget in half for a year - 3 million
Substantially raise fees on land fill use - current land fill budget is 12 million
Elliminate S.H.I.P. - 1 million
Cancel the "inmate canteen fund" - 300K
-----------------------------
~7.5 million

If only it were that easy.

Autumn Tides is from bed tax money so it stays at the TDC.
Same for the next two things.

We collect more on the sales tax then it currently costs to fund the landfill I think. So how is that going to help?

SHIP are either State or Federal, not ad valoreum so we either use them or lose them.

Inmate canteen fund is more restricted dollars that have to be spent on the inmates and are collected from the inmates.

This is what makes it so hard. Only around 40% of the total budget is coming from ad valoreum taxes and that is where we have to find the 7.5 million.

If only it were that easy.

Autumn Tides is from bed tax money so it stays at the TDC.
Same for the next two things.

Why are TDC expenditures off limits when they are a set of line items in the county budget? The TDC is just a government entity that over sees revenue generation through bed taxes. Re-route that money someplace else.

We collect more on the sales tax then it currently costs to fund the landfill I think. So how is that going to help?

Rasising fees on something like this generates revenue. Every time I've gone to the dump I had to pay a fee to dump stuff.

SHIP are either State or Federal, not ad valoreum so we either use them or lose them.

Inmate canteen fund is more restricted dollars that have to be spent on the inmates and are collected from the inmates.

This is what makes it so hard. Only around 40% of the total budget is coming from ad valoreum taxes and that is where we have to find the 7.5 million.

Point me to a detailed ad velorum income vs. expenditures report and I'll be more than happy to find you your 7.5 million, and then some. :lol: The TDC alone accounts for almost 14 million in the budget.

Why are TDC expenditures off limits when they are a set of line items in the county budget? The TDC is just a government entity that over sees revenue generation through bed taxes. Re-route that money someplace else.



Rasising fees on something like this generates revenue. Every time I've gone to the dump I had to pay a fee to dump stuff.



Point me to a detailed ad velorum income vs. expenditures report and I'll be more than happy to find you your 7.5 million, and then some. :lol: The TDC alone accounts for almost 14 million in the budget.

The TDC funds are restricted by Florida statute. They still have to be shown in the budget though. I have never had to pay for anything that I have taken to the landfill to dump that I can recall. Let me get with Hudson and see if he has a copy of the budget yet so it can be put out there for ideas.

One way to raise money is to allow non-property owners to also buy beach permits and dog permits. We already make a significant amount of monies off of these while unconstitutionally restricting the permits. If we were to start doing things legally, there would be a chance for even more dollars that would flow into the general fund.

One way to raise money is to allow non-property owners to also buy beach permits and dog permits. We already make a significant amount of monies off of these while unconstitutionally restricting the permits.

opening up more permits for beach vehicles is a bad idea imo, the environmental impacts are already bad enough with the ones we already have. Selling them to non residents would be a disaster, daytona closed theirs for a reason. also, there isn't enough available space for the ones we have now, there would be nowhere for additional ones to park.

you've mentioned the constitutionality regarding this topic on more than one occasion. your personal opinion is one thing, can you please provide actual backup?

The TDC funds are restricted by Florida statute. They still have to be shown in the budget though.

It's restricted at the state level? You've got me curious now, I'll have to do some reading up.

I have never had to pay for anything that I have taken to the landfill to dump that I can recall.

I won't be calling the guy who hauls junk to the dump for me anymore. :lol: I thought they charged for big loads?

Let me get with Hudson and see if he has a copy of the budget yet so it can be put out there for ideas.

That would be excellent. I'd love to see a full spread on what comes in and where it comes from, and what goes out.

One way to raise money is to allow non-property owners to also buy beach permits and dog permits. We already make a significant amount of monies off of these while unconstitutionally restricting the permits. If we were to start doing things legally, there would be a chance for even more dollars that would flow into the general fund.

You're generating new revenue here, which I think is fine.

I personally would just start by assuming increased sales taxes are not an option. These revenues should adjust upward on their own as Walton experiences population growth. Modest inflation adjustments are probably acceptable too I suppose. But we shouldn't be increasing one tax to pay for the deficit in another. It cancels out what we really wanted, which was a property tax reduction.

Tourist Development Tax

Interesting. Anyone for putting a legal cap on what these guys can charge? I'd vote for that. 😀

When you say cut services, you eliminate jobs. Same difference.

If you eliminate a program you can shift the employees around and allow attrition to weed them out. The immediate savings is on fuel/utilities, reduced equipment and supplies.

Cutting jobs/salaries should be a last resort. Most businesses I know cannot afford anymore drops in revene.:bang:

What about a 1 cent sales tax? We already do it for Garbage and it has been used for other capital improvements, ie jail. Would it be enough to offset the deficit and would there be enough to split with the School Board? If you think not cutting wages is a good idea because of the loss of spending by those you would be cutting, how could increasing the amount an employee pays for their insurance really be any different. Now we have reduced there wage and benefit, IMO.

Due to simple politics the employees are going to have to take a co-pay for their benefits to mirror the private sector. I small insurance contribution should be more acceptable than a 5-10% decrease in salaries or a "furlough" The bottom line is if you intend to ask taxpayers to contribute more, the employees are going to have to pony up as well.:idontno: