BCC set millage rate at Last years rate

I just sent Cecilia Jones a thank you email - I think that she would appreciate hearing from everyone in District 5. This was not an easy thing to do, and there will be lots of tough decisions ahead.

I just sent Cecilia Jones a thank you email - I think that she would appreciate hearing from everyone in District 5. This was not an easy thing to do, and there will be lots of tough decisions ahead.

I disagree...she did the easy thing to do.

Sooner or later the millege rate is going to have to go up & that is political suicide.

I disagree...she did the easy thing to do.

Sooner or later the millege rate is going to have to go up & that is political suicide.

Remember; this year's "distressed" county tax valuation is $14 billion, which we are constantly reminded is 14% lower than last year.

It is also DOUBLE what it was in 2004, and 18% above what it was in 2005. That's not ancient history. What have been the major improvements in the county government in the last 5 years that we have seen from this doubling of income? We have seen some long-needed buildings built, but other than that, everything is about the same. Well, now that the buildings are built, let's see if we can't get by on, say, twice what we did in 2005. I'd be DELIGHTED if my current salary was twice what it was 4 years ago.

WCTA, I have been trying to dig up the totals on BCC budget since 2003 and have been coming up blank. Do you have them handy?

I just sent Cecilia Jones a thank you email - I think that she would appreciate hearing from everyone in District 5. This was not an easy thing to do, and there will be lots of tough decisions ahead.

Originally Posted by beachFool
I disagree...she did the easy thing to do.

Sooner or later the millege rate is going to have to go up & that is political suicide.

You really can't please everybody. It doesn't matter what the BCC does somebody is upset.

Originally Posted by beachFool
I disagree...she did the easy thing to do.

Sooner or later the millege rate is going to have to go up & that is political suicide.

You really can't please everybody. It doesn't matter what the BCC does somebody is upset.

Well we must get the size of government right or we will end up like California with a 28 billion dollar budget shortfall issuing IOU's.

I disagree...she did the easy thing to do.

Sooner or later the millege rate is going to have to go up & that is political suicide.

liberals. They sure are getting easy to spot though.

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Whew, good thing fuel prices, materials, and insurance rates haven't gone up since 2004. Good thing the, remaining, county employees dollar goes just as far as 2004.

Edit: Lord knows with the Census coming that the population hasn't grown either.

/sarcasm off/

Whew, good thing fuel prices, materials, and insurance rates haven't gone up since 2004. Good thing the, remaining, county employees dollar goes just as far as 2004.

Edit: Lord knows with the Census coming that the population hasn't grown either.

/sarcasm off/

CPI+Population growth added to the 2003 base rate is perfectable acceptable. Not sure, but I think you would have to whack another 20% off the budget to get there. But I am glad to use your numbers.

Whew, good thing fuel prices, materials, and insurance rates haven't gone up since 2004. Good thing the, remaining, county employees dollar goes just as far as 2004.

Edit: Lord knows with the Census coming that the population hasn't grown either.
/sarcasm off/

We can't print Obama bucks here. (Sarcasm off)

By the way they aren't making what they were making in 2004.

Use your influence and get us a Bailout. Oh darn we would be the ones having to pay that back.
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We can't print Obama bucks here. (Sarcasm off)

By the way they aren't making what they were making in 2004.

Use your influence and get us a Bailout. Oh darn we would be the ones having to pay that back.
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With alzheimer's and at your age I wouldn't worry about paying it back. Actually right now I'm betting we're paying your Social Security check and Medicare. I'm pretty sure your Aricept is covered.

You're Welcome

I think that most of the tax has went to public safety and roads over the last few years. I remember when the whole county but DFS was all volunteer fire departments to include SOWAL. and you could go all day and not see the only deputy assigned to SOWAL. I do agree that if the county keeps cutting there will be a short fall in the emergancy services. It was the residents who did not protest the county geting rid of all the volunteer firefighters but 2 departments and putting understaffed fire stations in service in north walton (1 person to a fire truck).

With alzheimer's and at your age I wouldn't worry about paying it back. Actually right now I'm betting we're paying your Social Security check and Medicare. I'm pretty sure your Aricept is covered.

You're Welcome

Yes it comes the 3rd Wednesday of every month. I paid for the right to draw that for more years than you are old.

I assure you that I cannot live on that check - it won't even come close to paying my property taxes.

No I would have to live another 79 years to payback my share of the debt created since January. Sadly my grandchildrens children will still be paying that debt.

Your welcome !

Yes it comes the 3rd Wednesday of every month. I paid for the right to draw that for more years than you are old.

I assure you that I cannot live on that check - it won't even come close to paying my property taxes.

No I would have to live another 79 years to payback my share of the debt created since January. Sadly my grandchildrens children will still be paying that debt.

Your welcome !

You aged 7 years pretty quick, must be the sun downers.

You aged 7 years pretty quick, must be the sun downers.

Don't understand why you say I'm aging any differently than you. The 79 years is what i heard it would take to payoff the debt created since January.

Check your thought process.
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Whew, good thing fuel prices, materials, and insurance rates haven't gone up since 2004. Good thing the, remaining, county employees dollar goes just as far as 2004.

Edit: Lord knows with the Census coming that the population hasn't grown either.

/sarcasm off/

SWGB, I said that the valuation is DOUBLE what it was in 2004. DOUBLE. You know, twice as much.

Have all of those things DOUBLED since 2004? Are there twice as many people now? Twice as many employees, who pay twice as much for groceries?

Does anyone know how this may affect the size of our county workforce/ service? With the possibility of fewer employees the services may be cut. I was looking at the cuts in FTE's in the budget and am curious if that included the millage as recently adopted? If not, how many of our employees will this be affecting. If this is going to be a big cut, I hope it is more than the approx $100 I saved on the properties. Maybe those Commissioners who bill us for travel from home to work will start returning the money. I wonder if those County employees realize how large a voter block they are, I bet they could really impact an election.

According to the powerpoint, we are going to be 7.4 million short over last year. As I read it a .550 increase would have brought in the same monies.

Does anyone know how this may affect the size of our county workforce/ service? With the possibility of fewer employees the services may be cut. I was looking at the cuts in FTE's in the budget and am curious if that included the millage as recently adopted? If not, how many of our employees will this be affecting. If this is going to be a big cut, I hope it is more than the approx $100 I saved on the properties. Maybe those Commissioners who bill us for travel from home to work will start returning the money. I wonder if those County employees realize how large a voter block they are, I bet they could really impact an election.

Layoffs are already happening. And where there are no layoffs they are abolishing positions as attrition occurs. I hate to see people lose their jobs also. But when did it become my responsibility to pay more to government so that people could continue to work, other than GM, the banks, insurance companies, social security? So now I have to pay just a little bit more in property taxes so that all the current county employees can keep their jobs? Where does it end?

When it affects the time it takes for someone to show up at your house because you have a medical emergency or fire, or the county road you live on gets washed out because of a natural diaster or you can't get your public records request in a timely manner or get it for free even if its in PDF format because those that manage these department are watching their employees time/ cost, it will matter. As we pay for the increase in indigent care because people are losing there jobs it will cost us more, when we cut services to the neediest in our communities then it will cost us more, so much for compassionate conservative. Wish Larry Jones and Scot Brannon had prevailed, disappointed in Sara Comander, Keneth Pridgen and Celcia Jones.

BTW, last year I saved less than $120 dollars on my properties, man I will really be pissed if there are any layoff and I don't save a lot more than that. Sorry County employees its all about my wallet, sucks that some of you will be unemployed. Maybe you can sit out some place and see if your former employers can look you in the eye as they walk by.

Robert these are our friends and neighbors, these are the folks who shop our businesses. your business, these are the kids are kids go to school with. These folks have mortgages and debts they owe that will affect our county because they can no longer pay for them. These are not the ones who are turning their house back over to the bank because they aren't worth as much as they were when they bought them like some are. No these are our neighbors, friends and yes family. Not replacing employees when it is through attrition I have less concern than laying off folks in these times. As for the auto makers there are still layoffs and shut downs and job losses, to think that the bailout saved all those jobs is BS, all it did was prevent approx 3 million auto workers and associated employment from being out of work at one time. It took us a lot longer that the last 140 some odd days to get us in this position and it will take a lot longer to get out of it. We can do more locally than we can nationally or state wide.

When it affects the time it takes for someone to show up at your house because you have a medical emergency or fire, or the county road you live on gets washed out because of a natural diaster or you can't get your public records request in a timely manner or get it for free even if its in PDF format because those that manage these department are watching their employees time/ cost, it will matter. As we pay for the increase in indigent care because people are losing there jobs it will cost us more, when we cut services to the neediest in our communities then it will cost us more, so much for compassionate conservative. Wish Larry Jones and Scot Brannon had prevailed, disappointed in Sara Comander, Keneth Pridgen and Celcia Jones.

You must know something I do not, because I have yet to hear that emergency services were being cut. (But that is the first thing they always tell union supporters to say at union school).

Yes we needed more tax dollars to provide extraordinary benefits to government workers. I agree, it should be perfectly acceptable for government workers to make twice what non-government workers make in a community. And we need more parks, and those need to be lit up at night, with running water and full restroom facilities. And someone has to pay for the guy to ride up and down the bike path at 35/hr to make sure the sprinklers are not getting anyone wet. And where would we be without 44 million dollar high schools to educate 900 students. We have not been able to get half of them to read in the last 8 years so I am sure that was money well spent. And the 500 dollar new Blackberry we bought for the public works employee last Wednesday, then we laid him off on Thursday. And we need to buy more shirts from Land's End and get our logos put on them, those things work really well at keeping the hurricanes away. And everyone needs to go to Washington DC, at least twice a year, or maybe more, so we can get 331 four laned, we have gotten so far over the last five years with that tactic, we do not need to stop now.

Curious though, do you work for the government?

According to the PowerPoint, they are planning on eliminating 10 positions, out of 595. That's 1.6%.

Some of those appear to be open, unfunded positions.

Please consider how much the BCC budget has grown in the last 5 years before you consider these small cuts as doom and gloom. It's just the reality of the economic situation - we are not only going to have to deal with a reduction in property values, but an increase in unpaid property taxes.

You must know something I do not, because I have yet to hear that emergency services were being cut. (But that is the first thing they always tell union supporters to say at union school).

Yes we needed more tax dollars to provide extraordinary benefits to government workers. I agree, it should be perfectly acceptable for government workers to make twice what non-government workers make in a community. And we need more parks, and those need to be lit up at night, with running water and full restroom facilities. And someone has to pay for the guy to ride up and down the bike path at 35/hr to make sure the sprinklers are not getting anyone wet. And where would we be without 44 million dollar high schools to educate 900 students. We have not been able to get half of them to read in the last 8 years so I am sure that was money well spent. And the 500 dollar new Blackberry we bought for the public works employee last Wednesday, then we laid him off on Thursday. And we need to buy more shirts from Land's End and get our logos put on them, those things work really well at keeping the hurricanes away. And everyone needs to go to Washington DC, at least twice a year, or maybe more, so we can get 331 four laned, we have gotten so far over the last five years with that tactic, we do not need to stop now.

Curious though, do you work for the government?

Can you provide some documentation for your rant

Robert, have you not looked at the power point, 2009 they were down 21 postions I think these are 911/ dispatched which were picked up by WCSO and for 2010 they have 3 unfunded and 1 eliminated position. There you go again, when confronted you throw out a what I suppose I am to think is a slam. Proud UNION Member here. First I am opposing all layoff, if they are through attrition and and they are not filling open positions I can't and won't argue, but if they are laying off then it would affect services even more. FYI maybe Robert you should look at the number of folks NFPA says should be on scene to fight a fire. The State of Florida says unless life is endangered you should have a 2 in 2 out rule at a minimum. Talk to Chief Rivers, oh never mind its all about the money. As for my employment, you know I do. I work for 2 departments, one part-time and the other full time. Maybe those things you have mentioned should be those things we cut instead of the folks. I am more than willing to stop improving parks and buying cheaper uniforms, and cutting trips and the such. Didn't you work for the county once? I guess to disagree with you, seems to alway bring an attempt at an attack by you. Sorry that my comments offend you.

Here4Good between 2009 and 2010 my count in positions lost whether thru attrtion, layoff or unfunded is 42.5 positions. I am also unsure how many more positions are going to be eliminated because we will not have the same money as last year. I will admit I am only reading what it says and I could definitiely not be interpeting it the same way you are. Although WCTA did say after the recent vote they would be reviewing the impact, so maybe there are going to be additional cuts to services and personnel.