News & Public Affairs

Hillsborough budget process analyzed listen

03/31/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Budget, economics, Hillsborough County, Tampa

Officials with Hillsborough County announced earlier this month that decreasing property taxes would leave a huge deficit for next fiscal year, possibly more than $100 million. County Administrator Pat Bean said the reduced revenue could lead to 1,000 layoffs in the county, an admission which stunned some Commissioners and led to a heated discussion about how the County Commission ultimately works.

Leading off the discussion was county Budget Director Eric Johnson, who had little positive ...

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Hillsborough Commissioner: Let's talk about the budget now listen

03/04/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, economy, budget

Tuesday night, the Pinellas County Commission held a public hearing where local citizens could weigh in on how the county should deal with spending cuts that will have to be made as they prepare next fiscal year’s budget.

In Hillsborough, County Commissioner Al Higgenbotham says its incumbent for the government to be vigilant and do whatever it can to help the local citizenry in these challenging economic times.

So Higgenbotham today was able to cajole other board members to get a budge...

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Pinellas seeks input on how to trim local government

03/02/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Pinellas County Commission, budget, economy

The Pinellas Board of County Commissioners plans to cut at least 20 percent from its overall general fund for the next fiscal year, which begins in October.

Because of that, the Board is hosting public hearings unusually early in the budgeting process this year, beginning tomorrow night in Palm Harbor.

Mary Burrell is a spokeswoman for Pinellas County. She says these early meetings are a little unusually early this year, but that’s because the cuts will be substantial.

The County Com...

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Hillsborough Commissioners discuss dismal budget scenario listen

02/11/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, economy, budget

Hillsborough County Commissioners began the first of many public workshops they will conduct on their fiscal year ’09 budget today – and the news was sobering.

Kevin Brickey, an economist with the county, said with the housing market continuing to deteriorate, economic forecasts are more difficult than ever before. And he listed statistics on dropping home prices in the area and the state from a variety of sources.

But existing sale have actually gone up in recent months, due to the roc...

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Hillsborough proposes creating economic stimulus task force listen

01/07/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, economic stimulus, budget

As all indications are that the local economy will get worse before it gets better, the Hillsborough County Commission today voted to create an economic stimulus task force to try to bring new jobs to the county. The idea was proposed by Board Chairman Ken Hagen.

Hagen said ideally the task force would be made up of no more than 10 to 20 people that would come back before the board in two to three months.

Earlier this week, Gov. Charlie Crist announced his Economic Stimulus Plan that ...

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Will Egmont Key lose its state park designation? listen

12/22/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Egmont Key, state parks, budget

Egmont Key State Park is a one-square-mile island located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, offshore of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Ft. DeSoto. Because of Florida's budget shortfalls, the state parks department is considering saving $140,000 by cutting funding for the rangers who run the Egmont Key State Park.

But environmental activists, including Lorraine Margeson, want it to remain a state park. Margeson said royal terns can nest on Egmont Key...

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Hillsborough Commission reviews its budget listen

12/17/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, budget, economy

As Florida’s House members were learning the ramifications of the worst economic environment since the Great Depression, Hillsborough County Commissioners were getting a local take on the dire picture.

The Board did get some relatively good news from Chris Lancamera is ddirector of finance with the Clerk of the Board. She told the Board that they don’t have to worry about the safety of the portfolio, but she said she wasn’t as optimistic about interest earnings, especially after the fed cu...

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Mayor proposes budget revisions to address parking debt listen

12/09/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Tampa City Council, Mayor Pam Iorio, budget, spending, economy

Because of declining property tax revenues fueled by depreciating home values, the city of Tampa is projected to bring in $12 million less in property taxes in fiscal year 2010 than the current year. That same year the city’s contribution to its employees’ pension account must increase by $10 million due to declining pension balances caused by the weak stock market.

Today Mayor Pam Iorio proposed meeting those fiscal challenges by refinancing debt on parking structures, limiting employee ...

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Jim Norman proposes rebate checks for citizens listen

09/10/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, economic stimulus, budget

As the Tampa Bay region continues to be one of the worst in the country in terms of unemployment rates, last night Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman proposed giving relief to county taxpayers in the form of economic stimulus checks.

Norman, who says he has been working on such a proposal for about three weeks, unveiled his idea during a public hearing on the county’s 2009 fiscal year budget last night. WMNF asked him where the money would come from.

County Commissioner Ken Hag...

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Florida's system of raising revenue antiquated? listen

09/05/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Amendent 5, Legislature, Budget

In the wake of the Florida Supreme Court removing Amendment 5 from this November’s ballot, legislative leaders in Florida say they will again make property taxes a top issue in their annual spring session.

But some say the Legislature shouldn’t wait that long to act. Florida Chief Financial Office Alex Sink says now that Florida has a $1.5 billion shortfall, Gov. Charlie Crist should call a special session to be held the day after the November presidential election. That call has been seco...

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