- April 28, 2024
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It's a month before the first budget hearing for Volusia County, and the council has directed staff to investigate decreases in the hopes of lessening the tax burden on citizens.
County Manager George Recktenwald recommended the council adopt a $963.9 million operating budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, a budget he felt addressed some of the costs now impacting the county: $13.3 million for the newly-created constitutional offices as a result of Amendment 10, labor shortages, increased costs in construction and the mandatory minimum wage increases.
At the council's meeting on July 20, Chair Jeff Brower asked staff to explore a 5% budget cut, and after a long discussion at the council's meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 3, staff was also asked by Councilwoman Barb Girtman to look into a 3% budget cut.
Brower said he believes the county has to start to save funds in small ways when possible.
“We have to show the public that we have their interest at heart and find ways to do it without costing more down the road, or putting reserves in danger," he said.
Only one council member expressed reservations about a 5% decrease: Councilwoman Billie Wheeler. Two council members, Ben Johnson and Fred Lowry, were absent from the meeting.
“I just don’t feel comfortable at all with looking at a 5% decrease," she said. "I would like to see something, but I certainly can’t, with a conscience, say that would be a wise move.”
Councilwoman Heather Post said looking at 5% decrease of every division was the wrong way to look at the issue. Rather, the councilwoman was n favor of looking at the whole budget and seeing where moneys could be saved.
“We wasted so much money at the airport — band-aiding the security system for years — when we actually had money in the airport funds to handle that," Post said. "That was an issue where we actually had the money, but that was the status quo. That’s how we were operating and there was no accountability. It’s those kinds of things — not wasting those moneys on that kind of stuff.”
She also said the county should take advantage of being on the receiving end of $250 million of federal relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act and other coronavirus relief funds.
“If there were ever a time for us to really try and step outside the status quo role of how we’ve been operating and doing various things, and really work to invest that, this is it," Post said. "I don’t know how we’re not doing that.”
Recktenwald cautioned that a reduction now could "kick the can down the road" for some needed projects and improvements. He was not advocating for any budget reductions, but said staff would bring back some suggestions as to what that could look like.
“We’re maintaining a huge infrastructure," he said. "I think that’s a thing to remember. Literally, billions of dollars of assets for the public, and they require maintenance.”
