I thought the budget meetings were last week. Since the taxpayers association was there for them, can we get a report on what happened? Are taxes going up? Down? Stay the same? Can someone from the WCTA who attended let us know?

Budget scrubs are spread out over three days. Were held Wednesday and Thursday of last week and again on Monday. It is still to early to say exactly what will happen because the largest departments scrubs are Monday. Please remember that these are the "internal scrubs" conducted by the OMB Department and things can change dramatically after the process but before the "Public Hearings".

The two major Depts that were held last week were Public Works and the Sheriff's Dept.

Are you taxes going up ? Are you referring to the "millage rate" or your taxes themselves ? If you are referring to your "total taxes" and you have a homestead on you home, then yes they will due to the recapture rule on homesteaded property. The school tax portion of your total bill will increase due to the "state required" portion of the total school tax.

We will issue a formal analysis after Monday.

Thanks for your interest.

Hope this helps !

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Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.

I was wondering about the millage rate. Did the Sheriff and Public Works cut their budgets? Which depts. went up? Which went down? What kind of pay increases is the county workers going to get this year? I will be looking forward to the analysis.
Thanks for taking the time to go to the hearings and examine what is going on.

*****bump*****

I was hoping to hear a report of how things went by now. Who are the spenders, who are the cutters and did they cut enough to not raise taxes?

This seems like a multi-layered question, not a simple one.

If property assesments are down this year, millage rates can rise and the budget can still be the same.

If the millage rate goes up, some homeowners will see their taxes go up from last year and some won't. It depends on the individual assessments and homestead exemptions.

Even if the millage rate stays the same and assessments are down, some homesteaders will still see their taxes go up.

Seems like we should ask about the assessed values and go from there.

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I had already read somewhere that assessed values are down significantly. So that is why I "jumped ahead."

Sorry - been very busy with our new hotline.

Latest Values from Property Appraiser

LY - $16,501,125,081
TY - $13,600,736,524

Decrease In County Total Values = $2,900,388,557 = 18.6% loss

(Note - THE Property Appraisers Office states they will probably fall another .02 % - they are still making some adjustments)

The budget scrub process reduced the budget request by about 1.2 million. The short fall in revenues from ad valorem, sales and gasoline tax has grown to around 8.3 million. That leaves a shortfall of around 7.1 million.

Now comes the hard part that will be dealt with over the next few days as they step through other was to reduce the budget.

I am attaching a listing of their possible avenues. Some have already been dealt with through the scrubs (no more free coffee, 20% reduction in travel, etc.

If I were a betting individual which I am not - I would say we are looking at a .5 mill tax increase, but I could be wrong. They could make the hard decisions that concern head count, benefits and salary reductions.

ITEMS FOR BUDGET CONSIDERATION

Eliminate ARC rental payment for parking Sheriff’s cars
Eliminate County furnished cars for North to south carpooling
Eliminate county-furnished coffee, water, sodas, and crackers
20% across the board reduction in travel
Training travel only for certification needs
Eliminate travel entourages
50% reduction on uniform costs
Reduce the number of take home vehicles
Raise thermostats in summer and lower in winter
Cut back number of days of janitorial service per week
Reduce Library funding
No summer employment program
Roll forward un-filled 2008-2009 personnel vacancy money
Do not fund approx. 30 FTEs for 2009-2010
Do not fund fringe benefits for vacancies
Shift bike path maintenance from contract to prison crew
Lengthen intervals for mowing by Parks and rec
Reduce amounts available for employee tuition reimbursement
Reduce aid to Volunteer Fire Depts same % as Paramedic-Firefighter funding
Actual reduction in operating funds being sought for 2009-2010
Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance reduced and handled by Environmental
Cut non-profit donations by 1/3 and no new funded ones
Bring forward balance in local Option gas Tax fund ($20,300)
Employee contributions to health insurance
Reduced interest expense on credit line and Road Paving loan
Roll forward unspent 2007-2008 Public Works operating funds
Roll forward unspent guardrail dollars
Unspent current year bridge building dollars to 2009-2010
Change % between overlays and dirt to pave
De-obligate Proportionate Fair Share money for CR 30-A
De-obligate bike path striping
De-obligate intersection lighting
Roll forward unspent 2008 Contingency funds
Additional revenue by outsourcing ambulance billing
Reduction in new equipment purchases by public works
Decrease in Workers Comp insurance costs
De-obligate Basin Bayou park
March storm FEMA dollars

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Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.

If all of these things are done, ( understanding some already have) how much more would approximately be saved? What are some other things that could be considered? I would hope reductions in staff or pay would be the last resort; the economy does not need to lose any more spending power, and I hate to see anyone else unemployed, but that is just my opinion.

Thanks for the information, very detailed and non-partisan.

It really depends on what the public is willing to accept. Is the bike path important to you? Do you believe we should supplement the cost of family medical cost ? Are you willing to de-allocate dollars already approved for parks, roads, bridge repair ? Are you willing to not have people clean up discarded items from the beach?

You could make up the short fall by implementing every item on that list, but it would be very painful and would mean salary cuts, layoffs and unpaid furlows. Would you be willing to accept the level of service?

The WCTA is working on its recommendations that it will offer in the Public Budget workshops. Not finished at this time. We are just bored individuals according to some.

__________________
Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.

Are truly conservative notions such as less regulation and less intrusion into private citizen's lives going to be part of the equation? This would seem like the oportune time to effect real change in the direction of government.

So would be willing to give up services, or when road needs patching or repaved you won't mind running the ruts, or think of our employees we would be laying off, bet many live within the County and pay taxes also. When those bridges on 30a need to be replaced or repaired that may have to wait and our guest for which our economy is dependent will have to be detoured. Is that what you are in favor of?

No, I stated previously I hope layoffs and pay cuts would be the last resort. What I am getting at is moving government back to what it is supposed to do. On the local level, that is provide for public safety and infrastructure. Thus the bridges and ruts should be fixed and the fire, EMS, police and prisons should be funded first.
We could do with less restrictions on property use and fewer codes. We could also look at the costs of height restrictions, noise ordinances, light ordinances, scenic corridor ordinances and decide which of these, if any we want to fund in place of fixing ruts and putting out fires. We could also look at non-profits raising their own funds and funding things like parks and libraries with user fees. All government, Federal, State and Local must realize that no one can afford to do everything for everybody.

I don't know what the answers are which is why I am asking questions. I think I am hearing from the ones in the know that this year we either raise taxes or cut services somewhere. Since I don't hear anyone advocating higher taxes, let the dueling begin. I do appreciate those gathering information and sharing it with us and I hope they don't mind people like me asking what may be dumb questions.

I don't mind your questions at all - in fact I enjoy measuring the pulse of what the citizens of Walton County find important. I don't always agree, but I listen and reevaluate my thoughts.

One must remember one thing - property values lag one year behind as far as the property appraisers office is concerned. The 18.6% loss in values is a year behind reality of values today. Short sales, foreclosures will really hit next year. In a phone conversation with the property appraiser today we talked about this issue and it appears that the loss will be greater next year.

I mention this only because one must only look to California and see the effects of unchecked government growth. If we do not addresss the issue of growth in the size of government and reduce the wasted dollars we will get there soon.

Also consider that over 7,000 parcels in Walton County did not/could not pay their taxes last year. That number has grown at an alarming rate since 2006.

Priorities will become the key issue !

It will be a real downey brook.

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Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.

Although I will not disagree that improvement could and should be made, but there are services/ offices that are going to be affected, ie, Property Appraisers, Clerk of Court, Tax Collector, Supervisor of Election causing services to be cut which in my opinion are important and necessary offices. I would also have severe issue with the State taking over any of these offices because then you have no local accountability. They already burden our local constitutional officers.

Well - the tax collector (fee based on requested $55,000 for the cost of mailing trim notices), property appraiser (budget approved by DOR) ,SOE budgets were scrubbed very little. Different story concerning the Clerks office. The Tax Collector actually returns excess fees to the County at the end of the year - they are a revenue producer.

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Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.

Not all services provided by the County are revenue producers, which lead me to believe based on comments made by folks here, people want effiency.

The State seems to have taken over a major portion of the Clerk's budget from what I am reading.

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Could you explain that? How can the state "take over" the Clerk's budget?

You really should follow along when the legislature meets. They do some crazy stuff. The clerk is run on court fees for the most part. The state has an ever increasing sum returned to them and they parcel it back out.

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Hmmmmm, sounds like another South Florida welfare plan to me.

Isn't the real budget hearing Thursday morning?

I think they are just going to be presented with the numbers and go through the process of setting the maximum millage rate that they will be able to work from during budget hearings. Remember, they can always go down, but a vote for a tax increase is a vote for a tax increase, so it is going to be interesting to see which way my Republican, supposed small government friends, vote on this issue.

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Thanks for this thread.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Yes the Public Budget Workshop is Thursday morning 9:00 am at the Courthouse in DFS

__________________
Thank You Walton County !
Our Hotline received 1168 calls during it's first month of operation.