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Editorial: Pinellas budget invests in smart priorities

 
Pinellas County’s proposed $2 billion budget for 2015-16, which will be the subject of two public hearings this month, makes worthy investments in areas ranging from law enforcement to the arts. But there remain issues from affordable housing to transportation that will need more attention as the economy continues to improve.
Pinellas County’s proposed $2 billion budget for 2015-16, which will be the subject of two public hearings this month, makes worthy investments in areas ranging from law enforcement to the arts. But there remain issues from affordable housing to transportation that will need more attention as the economy continues to improve.
Published Sept. 4, 2015

Pinellas County Administrator Mark Woodard sums up the county's financial situation quite nicely: "The good old days aren't here yet. But things are better.'' The county's proposed $2 billion budget for 2015-16, which will be the subject of two public hearings this month, makes worthy investments in areas ranging from law enforcement to the arts. But there remain issues from affordable housing to transportation that will need more attention as the economy continues to improve.

Like other local governments, Pinellas is benefiting from a recovering economy that is generating record tourism, more construction and rising property values. The result is that the county is poised to raise spending a modest 3.4 percent while the property tax rate will remain the same for the second straight year. That enables Pinellas to refocus on priorities that had to wait as the county slashed spending and cut nearly 1,700 jobs when tax revenues plummeted during the economic recession.

For example, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri would get an additional $6 million to complete a new salary plan that should enable the department to offer more competitive pay. There also would be less expensive changes to benefit the county workforce, including banning the box to check for a felony record on job applications, guaranteeing a minimum wage of at least $12.50 an hour for all employees and restoring paid time off for workers to tutor or mentor students. And the county's workforce remains far leaner than it was before the recession, with the total number of workers at 1987 staffing levels.

Other investments are being restored, although not necessarily to pre-recession amounts. Local arts funding through the nonprofit Creative Pinellas would get $300,000 after five years of receiving no general revenue, a positive step but still far less than local arts agencies receive in areas such as Jacksonville, Miami-Dade County and Hillsborough County. The county also would set aside $200,000 for an affordable housing trust fund, which is expected to leverage more than $1.5 million in private investment. These modest contributions recognize the importance of both of these areas, but they will require more money in the future.

There are other signs of progress in this proposed budget, which will be the subject of public hearings on Thursday and Sept. 24 before it takes effect Oct. 1. Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark would get money for technology to count votes faster. About $1 million would be spent in partnership with mental health agencies to identify the top users of mental health services so that those people can be treated more cost-efficiently. And there would be a modest investment in an emergency assistance program for families in desperate need of help keeping the lights on.

Some nagging issues have been resolved since Woodard became county administrator last year. Fights with cities and fire control districts over the county's emergency medical services system have been resolved, a new contract has been negotiated with the county's private ambulance company that transports patients to hospitals, and the EMS tax rate will stay the same for 2016. Ground also has been broken for a long-awaited health clinic for the homeless, which was downsized. But other areas will require increased attention.

The county's reserve account is a bit below the target of 15 percent of the general fund, and commissioners should add to it. The transportation trust fund, fueled by state and local gas taxes, is not keeping up with the demand for improvements. The county has all but given up on a mass transit plan that would include light rail since Greenlight Pinellas was defeated last year. There is no consensus on the commission about how to spend the county resort tax on hotel rooms even after the tax was increased to 6 percent this summer. And the renewal of the Penny for Pinellas that has paid for capital projects in cities and the county will be on the ballot in 2017.

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The proposed 2015-16 budget for Pinellas steers money toward some immediate needs as well as long-term goals. But it remains an incremental step out of the deep economic recession, and there are tougher decisions ahead that will have a bigger impact on the county's future.