County Budget Looks Good For Next Year

If you have been looking for good economic news locally, you'll like the new Highlands County government budget for fiscal year 2008-09, which begins Oct. 1.

Unlike many other counties in Florida, Highlands is projected to have more money, not less, in the new fiscal year compared to this fiscal year.

"Other counties, and cities, in Florida are looking at what I consider to be mass layoffs, of 10 or 20 percent" of their personnel, said Bernis Gainer, director of the Highlands County's Office of Management and Budget.

Many Highlands County employees have been worried that all the talk about financial trouble in the private and public sectors could lead to the loss of their jobs.

That won't happen, according to Gainer, who released the "big picture" numbers Thursday as the OMB was putting the financial touches on the new 2008-09 budget.

The county's financial team - comprised of Administrator Michael Wright, Assistant Administrator Ricky Helms, and Gainer, plus all of their staffs - is predicting more than $1.3 million additional in the general fund for next fiscal year over the current fiscal year.

Also, that same financial team is predicting that the total of all funds for the county in the new fiscal year will rise by $6.3 million over the current fiscal year.

Despite the good financial numbers, Gainer was asked if rising costs, especially gasoline and diesel, could still force county layoffs.

"At this time," Gainer answered, "no mass layoffs are planned."

Gainer quickly added that he would consider "mass layoffs" to be getting rid of between five to 10 county workers. In total, the county commissioners employ more than 400 workers full time.

Gainer predicted that not even one county worker will be laid off in the new fiscal year. If a handful of positions do need to be chopped due to rising fuel prices, he said, attrition - reducing staff through retirements - should prevent any so-called "pink slips" (layoff notices).

"That's great news," said county Commissioner Don Bates. "That is just great."

Bates returned Thursday afternoon from a vacation and said that before he left a week ago, preliminary numbers indicated there probably would be no layoffs.

"That was the general information back then, but to learn now that the actual budget is here and there will be no layoffs, that is just great."

Commissioner Barbara Stewart said she is pleased that indications are there will be no layoffs.

Before commenting beyond that, Stewart said, "I need to spend the next couple weeks reviewing it (the budget). I can say now I think Mr. Wright and his staff have done an excellent job of adjusting the budget so that the millage does not need to be raised and we can still provide basic services.

Commissioner Andy Jackson was happy about the no-layoff news.

"You certainly don't enjoy laying anyone off," Jackson said. He also said that, in his talks with Wright a week ago, "the numbers looked good then, but they weren't chiseled in rock, they weren't final numbers."

Now that the final recommended budget shows no lay offs, Jackson said, county officials will continue to act in a "fiscally conservative" way to keep the good financial news rolling.

"We have built up some reserves over the last few years and we basically run a tight ship financially," Jackson said. "So, we're in pretty good shape."

Jackson added that Wright is looking at how the costs of running county government might be reduced.

"He is going to recommend, maybe, some combining of departments and maybe some streamlining of our organization," Jackson said. Even if the number of county workers is reduced through "streamlining," he added, "I still don't see us laying anybody off. Any reductions could be handled through attrition."

Commissioners Guy Maxcy and Edgar Stokes could not be reached by phone for comment Thursday afternoon.

Among all of the department heads, only one, Vicki Pontius, director of parks and recreation, asked for a reduction in staff in her proposed new fiscal year budget.

"The only cut (in personnel) requested (by a department director) in this budget is eliminating the job of manager of the (county) sports complex," Gainer said. "That is the only one."

Here are the bottom-line budget numbers, which will be officially released at Tuesday's board of county commissioners meeting and might be available today:

Projected general fund spending - which covers day-to-day operations, including payroll and supplies - will go from $74,086,145 this fiscal year to $75,337,315 in the new fiscal year, an increase of $1,361,170.

For the total of all funds, county revenue and spending is projected to rise from this fiscal year's $163,611,437 to $169,930,437, an increase of $6,319,139.

The new fiscal year budget will be released to the five county commissioners and to the public on CDs with PDFs on Tuesday.

Also, the budget will be released in a printed version which will run about 40 pages. That printed budget may be available by Monday, Gainer said.

Last year, for example, the recommended budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year totaled $74 million in the general fund, but the actual adopted budget came in more than $500,000 higher, at $74,505,954.

The county commissioners have to adopt the new budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, by late September. Before voting on the final budget, the commissioners must hold two public hearings.

The public hearings, which will be scheduled in the early evening hours, are set for Sept. 4 and Sept. 16.