By DOTTY NIST
WALTON COUNTY, FLORIDA – No millage rate increase is envisioned for Walton County’s budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) held two budget workshops in early July, the first of those on July 7 at the Walton County Courthouse, the second on July 11 at the South Walton Annex. On both occasions county staff received direction from county commissioners for a budget based on the current fiscal year millage rate of 3.6363 mills for county government and 0.4921 mills for North Walton Mosquito Control.
One mill equals one dollar on each $1,000 of taxable property value.
Melissa Thomason, county finance manager, reported an 11-percent increase in taxable property values for the county, bringing that valuation a level similar to that of the 2008-09 fiscal year.
The current year millage rate is expected to provide approximately $54.1 million in ad valorem tax revenue for the new fiscal year as compared with $48.7 million collected for the current fiscal year.
The total budget amount for the new fiscal year was listed as slightly under $135.3 million in the draft budget, as compared with $127.2 million for the current fiscal year.
Thomason went over budget highlights with the commissioners, staff, and other workshop attendees.
The draft budget as presented by Thomason included a 3-percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) for county employees. This led to discussion on a number of other possibilities for an increase, including a 5-percent COLA, different COLAs based on salary level, and/or merit increase for county employees. Thomason pledged to develop different options and bring them before the BCC for consideration.
The draft budget provides for a 5.5-percent health insurance cost increase for county and constitutional officer employees to be fully absorbed by the county, although a similar increase for prescription drug coverage paid by employees is to be borne by employees.
The millage allocation to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is to be 1.9482 mill, the same as for the current fiscal year, with any pay increases for WCSO personnel to come from that allocation.
Other budget highlights include $100,000 for coastal dune lake monitoring and management, $250,000 for scanning documents for conversion to digital format, and $300,000 for new financial system software.
The draft budget provides for the addition 35.5 full-time employees. This includes seven for the WCSO—six deputies and one school resource officer—with the latter anticipated to be funded by the Walton County School District.
Walton County Planning and Development Services is proposed to get six new employees as previously approved by the BCC, including a development order inspector, a planning coordinator, two engineers, one planner and one senior planner.
Walton County Fire Rescue is to receive an additional five personnel, providing for two firefighters to be available to staff each engine.
Public Works is to add a staff/projects engineer position primarily devoted to stormwater and other infrastructure projects in south Walton County.
Administration is to add one position to assist with information technology needs.
A Council on Aging position for the BCC is to be eliminated due to it having been funded through a match-grant that has expired.
Of 16.5 positions requested in the draft budget for addition by the Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC), not all had received approval of the BCC. However, Thomason announced at the July 11 workshop that, at BCC request, the draft budget included the addition of five additional TDC code enforcement officers to the current year staff of five, bringing the total TDC code enforcement staff to 10 personnel.
At the request of District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows, a $12,938 amount was included for the new Coastal Seniors program, an amount matching that going to the Senior Center in DeFuniak Springs. The new program is focused on providing additional activities and services for seniors south of the bay.
Also, $130,000 in funding was provided for a new nonprofit volunteer group, Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles. The group’s purpose is to furnish educational information to the public, including children, about sea turtles and their preservation.
Receiving a good deal of discussion at both workshops was the South Walton Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program, through which a percentage of the increase in tax revenue resulting from increase in taxable values for properties in south Walton County is designated for stormwater and other infrastructure projects south of the bay. Due to property value increase in the TIF area over the past year, the TIF amount for the new fiscal year would be $10 million if the TIF percentage were set at 100 percent by the BCC.
As presented at the July 11 workshop, the TIF percentage would be set at a level that would provide $3 million for south Walton County infrastructure projects, with another $1 million to be added from reserves derived from BP funding to the TIF account for these projects.
Thomason indicated that the idea for this funding level was to provide for permitting and design of projects one year and then construction of projects the following year in order to keep the projects rolling and efficiently managed by staff.
In public comment at the workshop, Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) Executive Director Bob Hudson asked why the entire $4 million would not be provided through the TIF program by increasing the TIF percentage.
Jacquee Markel suggested that the TIF percentage be left at that for the current year, 58 percent, in order to provide for $5.8 million in the new fiscal year for projects. As had been discussed at the July 7 workshop, Markel emphasized that CR-30A is in bad shape in many areas and is likely to cost more to fix if the county road does not get attention soon.
Buddy Wright of Walton County Public Works responded that off-season plans and funding are in place for improvement of portions of CR-30A . He estimated that within three years the county road would be resurfaced in its entirety.
Meadows also commented that funding would be available from other sources for road paving and other infrastructure projects in the county, including $16 million from the state.
The Walton County Clerk of Courts had requested two additional internal auditors to be added to the existing two on their staff, but the positions had not been funded in the draft budget. Clerk of Courts Alex Alford and William Pennington, his finance director, spoke in favor of the two additional positions, with Pennington calling them “critical.” Hudson also commented, “I would love to see you add these two positions.”
Leigh Moore of the Scenic Corridor Foundation spoke to the need for road medians on the scenic corridors to be maintained at a higher level, especially during tourist season. Jay Tusa, TDC executive director, told the BCC that he would be meeting with Moore on the matter and would investigate whether the TDC would be able to assist with the endeavor.
The draft budget is available for viewing on the county website as part of the July 11 meeting agenda.
Public budget hearings are scheduled for September, including a 5:01 p.m. Sept. 12 tentative budget hearing at the South Walton Annex and a 5:01 p.m. Sept. 26 final budget hearing at the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs.