by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Last year’s budget hearings were a relatively long drawn- out process. Most of the sessions extended to the next session and days were added. Eventually, the City Council Finance Committee — which analyzes the proposed budget department-by-department — recommended and approved that 2 percent of the entire budget be put below-the-line for further dissection.
Then-Finance Chair Art Shad created an ad hoc committee charged with working with the Council Auditor’s Office to examine the budget line-by-line in an effort to determine how much of each department’s 2 percent would be restored.
Current Finance Chair Michael Corrigan is convinced the work of the ad hoc committee is what helped this year’s budget hearings proceed so well. In fact, if Tropical Storm Fay hadn’t passed through the area, Corrigan and his committee would have wound up discussing Mayor John Peyton’s $972 million budget Tuesday instead of yesterday.
“We had a similar number of meetings (to last year) and I though the process was very good,” said Corrigan. “I am very impressed with the outside research the committee members did.”
A few years ago when Corrigan was Council president, one of the things he asked the Finance chair to do during the budget hearings was limit the amount of time devoted to presentations by the various department heads. That, he said, would permit more time for the Finance Committee to delve into the specific budgets. As Finance chair, Corrigan was able to control that process even better than as Council president.
“There were more direct questions and answers and it was a much better process,” he said, adding he’s never been opposed to a lengthy discussion over a particular budget, provided that discussion stays focused.
Corrigan is also sure the ad hoc committee played a major role in assuring the various department heads came to the table with tight, fiscally responsible budgets. Over several months in the late winter and spring, ad hoc members Stephen Joost and Jack Webb repeatedly grilled department heads about their respective budgets. They particularly focused on those City departments in which there appeared to be more positions budgeted than the department head ever intended to fill. Both Joost and Webb saw this as a way to cover operating expenses with personnel expenses and often didn’t restore much of the funding they viewed as “cushions” for operating cost overruns.
Corrigan said the ad hoc committee has been formed, but this time it will examine a budget they didn’t examine previously, probably the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office budget. He also said there was no reason to put 2 percent below the line again for two reasons:
“One, it was not part of what was required. Last year was a one-year ask,” he said, adding the department heads presented much tighter budgets, knowing the kind of scrutiny they may face. “They were more in-tune because of the 2 percent and this aided the mayor. The department heads brought the best budgets they could give.
“Our job is to ensure the budget presented to the committee and City Council is the proper budget for the entire community.”
Highlights from Thursday’s budget hearing include:
• According to Council Auditor Kirk Sherman, the City would like to see its emergency reserve fund hit the $70 million mark within the next several years. Currently, there is $37 million in the account and the goal is a 5 percent to 7 percent increase annually.
“We are trying to get it where it’s plain to the public we are trying to build it up,” said Sherman.
• Director of Finance Mickey Miller said it will likely cost $12 million to $14 million to clean up the damage caused locally by Tropical Storm Fay. Miller said the City is eligible for federal grants that will cover upwards of 90 percent of those costs and the rest can be paid for out of the general fund and not the City’s emergency reserve fund.
“Obviously, we will write the checks long before we get reimbursed,” said Miller.
• Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland presented his budget to the Finance Committee. With only one election during the 2008-09 fiscal year, the biggest new item on Holland’s budget is the addition of a call center in time for the November general election.
The Finance Committee did vote to make sure Holland’s budget includes $52,200 for return postage on absentee ballots. Holland said the other 66 counties in the state don’t pay for such postage. But, they do pay for the difference in what postage the voter puts on the envelope and the actual mailing cost. The committee originally wanted to follow the recommendation of the Auditor’s Office and reduce Holland’s budget by $52,200. However, Holland said it would be costly to reprint the return envelopes, advertise the change and educate the voters.
“My concern is making any change between the primary and the general election,” said Holland. “You will have thousands of ballots returned and upset voters.”
Committee member Warren Jones agreed.
“This is not the time to make that particular change,” said Jones. “Education is critically important. We — Florida and Jacksonville — have been bashed (in the past). We all want to cut costs, but now is not the time to cut that cost.”
Corrigan, who has served on the elections canvassing board and has seen firsthand how involved voting can be, also supported the funding.
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