This Association is pleased that the Commission voted to maintain current milage rates while limiting spending increases to those added funds harvested through increased property values.  However, there are a few items of concern.

Emergency Services has experienced a great deal of growth over the past few years.  For fiscal year 2003, for example, the commission approved a budget of $19,512,721.  This represents an increase of $1.5 mil over last year, and an increase of a whopping $7.2 mil over the audited actual budget for fiscal year 1999.  This department also experienced an increase of 69 employees over the past three years. We understand that some growth may be necessary. Our dry conditions have resulted in  several large fires in the past few years.  However,  our permanent population has only increased 8,526 over the past three years.  This means that the county has increased the Emergency Services budget 59% to cover a permanent population increase of 7%.

New fire stations are planned for Palm City and Kanner Highway.  The cost of recent new facilities, for example,  the impressive Port Salerno station, have escalated alarmingly requiring that the decision to build any new station needs better analysis.  The County Commission ought to be looking rather closely at the growth of this department as well as itès relationship with Stuartès department which seems to be doing a better job of controlling costs!

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We agree with the Commissioners that Sheriff Robert Crowder is doing a great job.  But, here again, Salaries and Related costs seem to be getting out of hand.  The proposed budget for fiscal year 2003 calls for a total Salary and Related of $35,148,121 which represents an increase of 9.1% over last year.  This is pretty average for the Sheriff.  He has asked for a nine percent increase for the last couple of years, and we hope we can continue to afford these increases.
 
We hope that the Sheriff will carefully re-evaluate the capital outlay for autos.  He has budgeted $1.2 mil for this budget item; a 115.8% increase over last year alone.  This might be the year to replace old vehicles, and we are looking for this item to possibly decrease next year.

It is difficult to compare the Sheriff's budget to the actual audit figures due to grant and other monies offsetting certain expenses.  For example, the Boot Camp employees are not counted in the Salaries and Related item of his overall budget because they are offset by grant monies. We feel all expenses should be properly reflected in his budget, and then show offsets as a credit item to such expenses.  Grants have a way of disappearing and, in order not to have an aberration of expenses when this happens, a budget analyzer should be made fully aware of these items.

A further example of this is the School Crossing Guards that are reimbursed by the School District.  When  laptop computers were installed in  patrol cars, it was stated that this was a non budget item and would be covered by the Sheriff's 'forfeiture' fund.  Although we did find the 'forfeiture' fund in his audited financial statements, we did not find the reimbursement from the School District or the laptop computers expense in his budget.  Again, his budget should parallel the audit report.

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 On another subject completely, there will be eleven proposed constitutional amendments on our ballots in November.  We will not comment on all of them, but we do agree with Florida Taxwatch in their support of Amendment 2, Fiscal Impact.  This proposal requires that future proposed constitutional amendments contain an estimate of what they would cost. We feel that this idea is only common sense, and should be included in all proposed amendments.

Our last article addressed Amendment 9, Overcrowded Classrooms.  It sounds terrific, but is extremely costly as presented and is is likely to cause many unintended and unsavory consequences.

Lastly, we could not resist commenting on Amendment 10, Animal Rights.  We are being asked to pass an amendment to our State Constitution to prohibit a practice that is NOT used in the State of Florida! These types of amendments should not be in the Florida Constitution. We certainly feel a great deal of sympathy for all those piggy mamas throughout the nation who are forced to be confined to a cage during their gestation period.  Maybe we should tell those mamas about our famous farmer who coddles his pigs to the degree of playing music for them all day!
 
 

Debra Sopko wrote:

 Can someone email me a copy of Saturday's article?  I did not receive it this time. ---Debra Sopko--- sopfam@gate.net--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.