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Proposed Hillsborough Budget Cuts Jobs And Services

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By MIKE SALINERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 5, 2008

TAMPA - Care for children, the aged and the environment will get less money next year under a budget proposed Wednesday by Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean.

Bean is recommending the county cut up to 100 jobs, including 12 upper-level positions, to offset the effects of Amendment 1 and a slowing economy. The layoffs, if approved by the county commission, would affect almost every county service, from code enforcement to dead animal removal.

In all, Bean's budget would eliminate 408 positions, but 308 are already vacant. She said she hoped to place some of the remaining 100 employees in other county jobs.

An additional 41 full-time positions would become part-time. The proposed budget also calls for lower-than-normal raises for the county's approximately 5,900 employees.

The $3.87 billion budget does not include a change in property tax rates.

The $87 million revenue hit from Amendment 1 and a slumping economy have created the most difficult budget she has dealt with in 31 years working for the county, Bean said. She said she encouraged all her departments to look for cost-cutting strategies that would have the least impact on services.

"I emphasized that tax reform is permanent," she said.

The proposed job cuts are spread across every department, although some suffered more than others. The Environmental Protection Commission is slated to lose 11 of its 163 employees. The agency lost 11 employees last year when the county was dealing with state-imposed property tax cuts.

Rick Garrity, executive director of the environmental agency, said the cuts could reduce oversight of water and solid waste. After last year's cuts, the environmental commission had to stop monitoring Tampa Bay Water's water-supply projects for possible environmental damage to rivers and Tampa Bay.

The cuts at EPC are sure to be opposed by the local environmental community, which last year fought county commission efforts to kill the agency's wetlands protection division.

"Pat Bean is responding to the commissioners, who are responding to their campaign contributors, particularly the development lobby," said Mariella Smith, spokeswoman for the Suncoast Chapter of the Sierra Club. "They were almost successful in getting the wetlands division eliminated last summer, but apparently they're still pushing to have the agency weakened as much as possible."

Bean also wants to save $11.7 million next year by ending supplemental funding for the county's program to buy and preserve environmentally important land. Bonds to buy the land are paid through a property tax assessment, but for the past eight years, the county also has used other property taxes to help pay off the bonds.

Former County Commissioner Jan Platt, one of the founders of the conservation program, said the cutoff in supplemental funding makes it more important that voters renew the program in a referendum in November.

"The bottom line is if the program is to continue, it's got to be voted on in November with a yes vote," Platt said.

One of the positions to be cut is that of Deputy County Administrator Wally Hill. After the commission meeting, Hill said he didn't blame Bean for cutting his job.

"Pat made it very clear that the burden of these cuts was not going to fall just on the lower ranks, but that there would have to be cuts in the managerial ranks as well," Hill said.

Other management-level job cuts are proposed for these departments: Human Resources, Economic Development, Debt Management, Planning and Growth Management, Health and Human Resources, Real Estate, and Parks, Recreation and Conservation. The management cuts will save an estimated $1.4 million a year.

Bean is also recommending cost-of-living raises be held to 2.5 percent, compared with the 3.5 percent given last year.

"I will remind you," Bean told commissioners, "there are increases in the health care costs that will be hitting our employees as well."

County commissioners, who make the final decision on cuts, will hold a workshop on the budget today at 1:30 p.m. The first public hearing on the budget will be at 6 p.m. June 18 at the County Center downtown. The commission will approve the final budget Sept. 18.

To see the full text of the proposed budget, go to www.hillsboroughcounty.org.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.

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