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Clerk Warns Job Cuts Are Coming

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By MIKE SALINERO

msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: March 31, 2009

TAMPA - More Hillsborough County government workers learned Monday that their jobs are at risk as the sinking economy continues to take a toll on tax revenue.

Circuit Court Clerk Pat Frank told her employees via an Internet video Monday that some of the office's 900 employees will lose their jobs in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The employees who don't lose their jobs will have their salary cut.

Frank said she doesn't know yet how many of her employees will lose their jobs because revenue cuts next year, decided at the state level, have not been finalized. Her office's funding was cut $2.6 million, or 7.5 percent, this year because of falling state revenue.

"It's a moving target," Frank said. "We don't know when it's going to stop or who is going to hit us."

In her message, called "Frank Talk," the circuit clerk also told employees they will not be paid for three holidays this fiscal year, and that the office will reduce its payments to the employees' deferred compensation plan.

Frank's announcement came three days after Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean said she might have to lay off 1,000 county workers over the next two years. County budget crunchers are projecting a $110 million budget shortfall next fiscal year, followed by an additional $56 million deficit in fiscal 2011.

Bean's layoff announcement drew fire Monday from Commissioner Al Higginbotham. He accused the county administrator of using the announcement to pressure Sheriff David Gee into reducing his work force.

"I don't think it's a good tactic to use when planning a budget," Higginbotham said. "It appears it's being used as a bargaining tactic."

Bean didn't deny she wants the sheriff to share in the pain of personnel cuts.

"The sheriff has cooperated to the extent of holding the line of not adding new positions," Bean said Monday. "But he hasn't taken any reductions. We don't even get detail to see what's in his budget."

Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said Gee realizes the county's budget predicament and wants to work "really hard" with commissioners on budget reductions.

Higginbotham said his figures show the county budget has grown by 19.1 percent since 2004, while the sheriff's budget grew just 16.3 percent.
County budget director Eric Johnson said the sheriff's budget actually grew by $93.4 million, or 33 percent, from fiscal 2005 through this year. During the same period, the county budget increased $62.5 million or 27.1 percent, he said.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

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