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Sheriff Budget Cuts Discussed
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Published: June 5, 2008
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Pasco County officials and law enforcement leaders might still be far apart on how much cuts might become necessary in the next Sheriff's Office budget, according to several comments today.
Both Commissioner Jack Mariano and a Sheriff's Office spokesman, Doug Tobin, hailed the spirit of cooperation between the two sides in the wake of Amendment 1 property tax reforms.
"We still have a long way to go," Tobin said about the budget process this summer.
The changes to the state's property tax system mean the county will lose property tax revenue, perhaps between $16 million and $17 million for its 2009 fiscal year, starting Oct. 1, various officials have estimated.
Roughly half of property tax revenue collected in Pasco goes to the Sheriff's Office. Overall, however, property tax revenue of about $160 million Pasco receives represents a relatively small portion of the total dollars in a county budget of close to $1.2 billion.
Mariano mentioned in passing today the possible loss of roughly $16 million in county property tax revenue. He made the off-the-cuff remarks during an appearance today at a Green Building Council meeting.
Mariano said county officials had wanted Sheriff Bob White to make deeper cuts than the $1.1 million in his preliminary fiscal 2009 budget proposal, released May 30.
The Sheriff's Office is operating on an $86.1 million budget this fiscal year, and White has proposed a roughly $85 million budget for FY '09.
Last week Commissioner Michael Cox expressed sentiments similar to the ones Marino spoke of today about hoping for more of a Sheriff's Office spending reduction.
"We've been working closely with the county commissioners and administrators to see what can be worked out" on the budget, Tobin said in a phone interview this afternoon.
The sheriff has proposed a significant spending reduction, Tobin emphasized. "Both sides are making a concerted effort" on the budget, he said.
Tobin cautioned that figures on possible tax revenue losses have been fluctuating and County Commission workshop sessions on fiscal 2009 budgets have not yet started.
"This is a long process," he said.
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