Budget ax looms again

County department heads have trimmed nearly $5 million out of their budgets — moves that could result in a loss of up to 13 positions — and county commissioners once again are asking the sheriff and other elected officers to share the pain.

Finance Director Michael Nurrenbrock said the department heads cut their 2012 budget requests by 4.5 percent, but some departments will be hit harder than others.

Human services would lose $1 million, or 11 percent of its current budget. Zoning and site development would be cut 22.5 percent.

Departments that took huge hits in previous years, such as parks and libraries, would lose a combined $650,000.

Last year, most of the elected officers complied with the commissioners' request. But then-Sheriff Bob White requested a $4 million budget increase to hire dozens of deputies. It set up a confrontation that dragged on for months. The two sides settled in February, and the sheriff's office got a $925,000 increase.

Newly appointed Sheriff Chris Nocco has been mum on his 2012 budget. "Our budget will be released June 1," said his spokesman, Kevin Doll. "We will reserve comment until that time."

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said he already told county administrators he would not be cutting his budget for 2012, a presidential election year during which he also will have to deal with redistricting.

"I've cut my budget 28 percent over the last four years," he said. "There's no way I can reduce it next year, because I have certain unavoidable costs."

Besides, cutting his $2.6 million budget by 4.5 percent would be a largely symbolic, he said. "The real meat is in the sheriff's $88 million budget," he said.

One option commissioners haven't seriously considered would be to raise property taxes, though the most recent county survey indicates residents have softened on the subject.

Fewer than 2,000 Pasco County residents took the time to go to a budget workshop or fill out the online survey, but for the first time, a majority said they would be willing to pay slightly higher taxes. Two years ago, about two-thirds of survey respondents opposed a property tax increase.

Two-thirds of the respondents said they would support user fees similar to those implemented last year for parks.

Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand said the people she hears from do not want a tax increase.

"I don't think we want to put too much faith in the survey," Commissioner Ted Schrader said. "People are struggling out there. They're concerned about gas prices. They're concerned about paying their electric bill. They're concerned about their mortgage."

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

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