Commissioners Approve a Tentative Tax Increase for Sheriff's Budget

After cutting 54 positions from county government and slicing the budgets of nearly every department, Manatee County Commissioners increased the proposed millage rate in the coming year to give Sheriff Brad Steube enough money to hire 20 additional deputies.

The sheriff said he needs 10 deputies to work in the county jail and another 10 to patrol the county. For the first time in years, he said, the county is seeing an increase in its crime rate. The overall crime rate jumped two percent in the first six months of this year, while the violent crime rate is up 3.8 percent.

After a 5-2 vote to increase the proposed millage rate from 6.2993 to 6.3703, Carol Whitmore, chairwoman of the county commission, directed the county administrator and the sheriff to get together with their financial staffs to find a way to avoid actually implementing a tax increase in October.

Under the proposal adopted Friday, ad valorem taxes will increase  about $7.10 for every $100,000 of a home's value if the new millage is adopted when the budget is approved. That would amount to a $10.65 tax increase on a home valued at $150,000. Overall that homeowner will pay $600.75, out of a total $955.55 county tax bill, toward the sheriff's office alone if the new millage rate is adopted.

While County Commissioner Joe McClash was the strongest proponent for the millage increase to fund the sheriff's budget, he also said that a wise investment on the county's part might be to contract for an efficiency expert to help determine where the sheriff could cut his budget next year.

Several of the commissioners had their own ideas about where the sheriff could adopt efficiencies including reducing the number of take home cars the sheriff provides to his administrative staff including the finance director, the attorney and others in the department.

Commissioner Donna Hayes suggested he could easily cut 36 take home cars for administrators. She said she is concerned that 60 percent of the county's overall budget goes to the sheriff's office.

But Steube said that the take home cars are part of the salary and benefits package for his staff.

"I want to have the best people I can have," he said. "Because the pay is not equivalent to administrators in other counties, the take home car is part of the pay package."

Still McClash said he is not willing to cut public safety, even if it includes take home cars for the staff.

He said the tax increase would amount to about $1 a month for the average homeowner and that the net results would still be a tax savings for most people who have lost taxable value in their homes.

"These are dollars you need to invest in public safety," he said. "Yes, it's a millage increase, if you want to look at it that way, but this is still a tax savings."

But Whitmore told the sheriff she wants him to find another way to pay for additional staff this year.

"I have no doubt you need the staff," Whitmore said. "With the way the economic times are crime will probably continue to go up. If there's no other way to pay the bills, I will raise the millage."

Steube said he has applied for a COPS grant to pay for 10 patrol deputies and five school resource officers, but that he is not hopeful about getting those grants given state and federal cutbacks. He said he will find out whether the sheriff's office will get those grants before the September public hearings on the budget.

Commissioners Robin DiSabatino and Donna Hayes both voted against the increased millage rate. Hayes said she will not vote for a tax increase this year. DiSabatino asked the sheriff to go back and find places to reduce expenses.

"We have to live within our means," she said. "We all have to cut back. We have to work together to find the money. We have to act smarter. Unemployment is high, people don' have the money to pay more taxes."

She said raising taxes while trying to attract new businesses and generate new jobs is a bad idea.

"Businesses look at the tax structure when they consider moving here," DiSabatino said. "We need to work smarter and work together to help the people in our district and to help the sheriff."

County Commissioner John Chappie also said he is concerned about raising the millage rate while the economy is still struggling and the county is trying to attract new businesses. He said the county administrator and the sheriff should work together to find solutions.

"I will support this motion, but with no guarantees at the end of the day," he said.

The millage rate set Friday, is the maximum amount the county can raise taxes. Commissioners can still adopt a lower rate when they approve the budget in September.

The county has scheduled two public hearings on the budget in September.