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Cox Seeks To Change Budgeting

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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 5, 2008

DADE CITY - Residents soon may get the chance to tell the county commission just how they want their tax dollars spent.

County Commissioner Michael Cox plans to ask his fellow board members to hire a consultant to facilitate the process, called "budgeting for outcomes," during a meeting starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave.

Neighboring Polk County has been using the method to trim spending and ensure residents are getting the services they want, Cox said recently.

If Pasco moves forward with the program, the board would seek proposals from consultants to organize public workshops and help government officials answer needs.

County commissioners went through a similar process in 2000 as they began to revise their comprehensive growth plan and again last year in the form of a regional workshop called Reality Check Tampa Bay.

County officials also have been streamlining operations and holding back on hiring for some positions in light of state-mandated budget cuts.

Also Tuesday, commissioners are set to consider a recommendation from the Tourist Development Council to change the way tourism tax revenue is allocated. Pasco collects about $750,000 per year from a 2 percent "bed tax" on hotel stays and short-term rentals.

Currently, 10 percent of the proceeds are used for administrative costs, 40 percent for promotional activities and 50 percent for construction projects to promote tourism. Any interest accrued or money unspent goes into the "bricks and mortar" fund.

The money is allocated that way in part because it is difficult to predict how much the county will collect from hotel stays, Michael Nurrenbrock, Pasco's director of management and budget, said in a letter to commissioners.

In the 2001-02 fiscal year, for instance, budget officials predicted Pasco would collect $800,000 from hotel stays. After the Sept. 11 attacks, however, tourism dropped, and the county collected about $638,000. Collections have not fully rebounded.

The TDC, which has turned its attention to attracting sporting events, suggests that extra revenue be divided among administration, promotions and bricks and mortar.

Commissioners also are to consider paying Tallahassee lawyer Jake Varn another $15,000 to defend their long-running permit application for the Ridge Road extension. Varn and his firm, Fowler White Boggs Banker, have been paid $240,000 since they were retained in 2000.

Varn, who has charged the county a discounted rate of $200 per hour for billable services since 2000, is asking for an increase to $250 per hour. His regular rate in 2000 was $240 per hour, he said in a letter to commissioners. It now is $450 per hour.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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