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Hernando Today

Time to shrink bloated county government

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 10, 2009

The issue: Development of the county's 2009-10 budget. Our opinion: Commissioners must downsize government to fit revenues, provide necessary services.

It will be interesting, to say the least, as county commissioners begin the task of preparing/slashing the county's 2009-10 budget.

With revenues expected to decline about $10 million next year, commissioners are faced with agonizing decisions to shrink a government that grew out of control during the housing boom.

While government more than doubled in size with property tax proceeds from the building boom and skyrocketing housing assessments that soared far beyond sustainability, the population only climbed about 20 percent during the same period.

County officials have spent taxpayer dollars like drunken sailors and now they are waking up to that spending hangover.

It's not a pretty sight.

What is most clear is commissioners will have to reduce expenses instead of burdening residents with higher taxes and fees. For the taxpayer has found - like Old Mother Hubbard - the cupboard is bare. Faced with the most troubling economy in recent memory, Hernando Countians need a break. Any attempt to raise taxes would be met with outrage and severe political consequences.

Hernando County had exemplary services before the housing boom, we should have just as good of services after. The trick for commissioners is to eliminate those functions taxpayers benefit from the least, not what government bureaucrats may want the most.

With only six top-level managers opting for the county's buyout program, commissioners will be faced with laying off employees, cutting salaries and benefits and reducing hours - the same painful actions that have occurred in the private sector.

Commissioners have no choice.

However, they should target those functions that have the least impact on direct services to residents. Jobs that can be accomplished by the private sector should also be considered for elimination first. If struggling private businesses can provide government services quicker and cheaper - which they almost always can - commissioners should consider farming out those functions first.

If employees of the county's public works department have so much time on their hands that they can perform the engineering, architectural services and construction of a new courtroom and jury assembly room on the third floor of the government center, commissioners should consider cutting jobs from that department first.

If it costs the county $85 for an oil change at the county's fleet department, commissioner should be able to figure out rather quickly that the county doesn't need its overpriced fleet department - especially one that had to borrow $300,000 to keep functioning despite being fully funded at the beginning the budget year. What happened to all that money anyway?

If projects like the expansion of the county landfill, cleanup of the department of public works site in South Brooksville, dredging of the canal in Hernando Beach, widening of Elgin and Sunshine Grove roads, resurfacing limerock roads, etc., etc. never seem to get accomplished, maybe it's time commissioners wake up to the fact parts of county government have become an impediment to themselves and a drain to taxpayers.

Those excesses are exactly why county government has become the money-eating monster that it is.

On Tuesday, the county's new budget and finance committee met to discuss cuts. Consolidating departments, doing away with others and reducing hours were all on the table as they should be.

It's time to get back to basics. It's time commissioners made decision on what's best for the taxpayers and not what's best for growing the bureaucracy. It's time to quit feeding the county government beast. County government can't be all things to all people.

Spending millions in carryover funds that property owners were overtaxed to produce isn't the answer. That money will simply run out and county government will be faced with the same predicament the following year. Return precious tax dollars to overburdened taxpayers so they can use the money to better and more efficiently drive the economy toward more positive free-market results.

If government can simply get out of the way of private enterprise, much less act as a roadblock, maybe, just maybe, we can turn the economy around in Hernando County.

County government has got to learn to live within the means of its taxpayers. Commissioners need to get out their red pens and start slashing if there is to be any hope of that.

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