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Tampa Preps For Budget Cuts

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 6, 2008

TAMPA - The city's department heads will spend the next three weeks preparing their budgets for next year with an eye toward making cuts.

On the list are: turning full-time positions into part-time jobs, leaving vacancies unfilled and privatizing some positions.

"All departments know that there will be no additions to their budget," Mayor Pam Iorio said. "They are to look at more efficient ways of doing business. Our cuts are not one-size-fits-all or across the board. They are focused instead on how the cut would affect the public."

Iorio has said she is reluctant to support cuts that directly affect Tampa residents and the services they receive.

In all, the city needs to make up a $16 million shortfall, brought on mostly by changes to the state's property tax system. Some money will be pulled from reserves, but that's a short-term solution, city finance Director Bonnie Wise said. Leaving vacant dozens of nonessential positions is expected to save the city $1.8 million from its general fund.

Unlike last year when department heads were given an estimate in early May of how much they needed to cut, this year the directors are to come up with a spending plan, which then will be reviewed by budget and other top officials.

The parks department likely will cut about $2.2 million from its $36 million budget, said Santiago Corrada, neighborhood services administrator. Part of that comes from leaving 27 vacant positions unfilled.

Two ideas the department is considering: turning several full-time positions into part-time jobs and turning mowing work over to the private sector.

The city could save money using more part-time workers by offering them lower salaries without fringe benefits. Fringe benefits cost the city an additional 30 percent per employee.

Turning mowing work over to the private sector would reduce costs because the city wouldn't have to directly pay for mowers, gas and other chemicals, Corrada said.

Those alternatives would be more palatable than laying off employees, and the work would still get done, Corrada said.

Last year, the city's parks department eliminated some programs and cut the hours some pools were open. Corrada hopes to avoid similar cuts this year. "Right now, I don't see the public will feel any significant impact at this point in time," he said.

At the police department, this year's budget is about $127 million and isn't expected to exceed $132 million next year. But Police Chief Stephen Hogue needs to determine whether the $5 million increase is enough to cover the pay raises negotiated by the police union.

Hogue said he has no plans to cut street-level officers.

"I anticipate I'll cut some civilian employees and see if I can generate some revenue," Hogue said. He declined to elaborate but said he is trying to cut operating expenses.

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

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