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County looks at ways to slash budget
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 |
PINELLAS COUNTY – Increasing efficiencies and cutting back on jobs and services are among the proposed methods Pinellas County plans to use to balance next year’s budget.
Faced with an estimated $55 million loss in revenue, county staff is scrambling to find ways to save money as departments submit their fiscal year 2009 budgets for consideration by the Board of County Commissioners.
Commissioners went over proposed departmental budgets at an information session on April 29. Additional budget workshops are scheduled on May 8. A second budget development recap meeting, which includes a segment for citizens to be heard, is scheduled on May 15, 6:30 p.m.
Early estimates show that as many as 194 employee positions may be cut. Of that number, 81 are positions currently filled; 18 are filled by employees who plan to retire; and another 95 are now vacant.
Some examples of proposed ways departments plan to reduce their budgets include:
- Closing Animal Services shelter on Saturday and scaling back the mobile veterinary clinic by 50 percent.
- Closure of two of the four County Connection Centers.
- Eliminating three employees who maintain and repair the buildings and grounds at Heritage Village.
- Elimination of financial planning classes offered by Extension in lieu of online programs.
- Elimination of the Florida Naturalist program.
- Elimination of the 4-H Healthy Living Team and Community Services Grant program.
- Reduction in mowing services from every seven days to every 10 days; elimination of Pinellas Trail landscape and litter contracts and beach access landscape contracts. The contract work would be done in-house.
- Reducing the frequency of restroom and shelter cleaning at county parks.
- Implementation of an online shelter reservation system at county parks.
- Elimination of the County International Trade Program.
- Elimination of the Brownfield Program.
- Reduction of assistance to small business start-ups.
- Elimination of six code enforcement positions in environmental services.
- Elimination of homeless prevention program to be replaced by transitional and supportive housing projects.
- Reduction in the amount of time people can receive financial assistance.
- Reduction in medical services, behavioral health services and pharmacy services provided by the health department.
- Elimination of Turning Point, which provides homeless inebriate services.
- Elimination of non-mandated portion of county support for Guardian Ad Litem.
- Reductions to mandated service level for Help A Child; Juvenile Assessment Center; Justice Coordination; Drug Court; and Justice Assistance Grant.
- Reducing inspections of defibrillators used by EMS personnel to once annually instead of two times a year.
All of the proposed departmental budgets include summaries detailing the number of positions that would be eliminated or reclassified. The summaries also talk about increased efficiencies from consolidation of personnel, equipment and services.
For example, in fleet management, eight positions would be eliminated due to decreased need because of service reductions. The end result would be a decreased need for preventive maintenance and reductions in overall fleet size.
The summaries also include staff comments about the impact proposed changes will have. Some warn of decreased levels of service that the public will notice. Others say that the changes can be implemented without adversely effecting operations.
A PDF file of the presentation from April 29, including the complete list of proposed changes with summaries can be found at www.pinellascounty.org. Click on the “Budget” link found on the right-side menu. Then click on the “FY09” link.
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Article published on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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