By DOTTY NIST
As determined in Walton County’s Sept. 14 preliminary budget hearing, there is to be no millage rate increase for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
The hearing took place on Sept. 14 at the South Walton Annex.
Previously county commissioners had envisioned a millage rate increase to fund a number of priorities, among those long-needed stormwater improvements and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for county employees. At a July 14 special meeting on the budget, they had given staff direction to use the millage rate of 3.9746 mills in preparing the preliminary budget. This rate represented an increase over the current year millage rate, which is 3.6363 mills.
One mill represents one dollar on each $1,000 of taxable property value.
At the Sept. 14 hearing, Melissa Thomason, county finance manager, commented that since the July special meeting staff had worked to incorporate the important items requested by the BCC to be included in the budget. She announced that staff had determined that it should be possible to operate efficiently and fund those important items while staying at the current year millage rate of 3.6363 mills for the new fiscal year.
This millage rate would provide, Thomason continued, $500,000 to get started on a new landfill facility, a 3-percent COLA for employees earning $60,000 per year or less, a 2-percent COLA for employees earning over $60,0000 per year, a 1.5-percent COLA for new hires still in probationary status, the addition of an environmental planner and an additional full-time employee for the Office of the County Attorney, and $3 million for the South Walton Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District trust fund.
Updated projections, Thomason told the commissioners, also show an additional $480,000 that can be allocated to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) from the Fine and Forfeiture Fund for vehicle purchases in 2016.
Thomason explained that keeping the current millage rate would require a change in the millage allocation from the current year, with the 0.08 mill currently in the infrastructure fund to no longer be separated into a capital projects fund.
The 0.08 mill infrastructure fund was initiated for the 2014-15 fiscal year budget to pay for infrastructure improvements countywide, including stormwater improvements, with the 0.08 mill generating approximately $1 million per year.
New fiscal year funding for the five stormwater projects begun by the county during the current fiscal year would shift to the South Walton TIF fund, Thomason explained, resulting in the allocation of $1 million to these projects, with $2 million remaining in that fund for additional projects in the new fiscal year.
At the 3.9746 mills previously directed by the BCC, Thomason noted, $4.2 million would have been included in the South Walton TIF fund, and $1 million would have been included in the infrastructure fund, with an additional $2 million remaining.
Thomason added that a change from the 3.9746 mills directed by the BCC at the July special meeting would change the TIF amount. Previously she had stated that that amount could not be changed after being set at the special meeting, but she said that staff had since learned that it could be changed.
The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) had requested the addition of new positions for the 2015-16 fiscal year, including an administrative assistant, a public information officer, a content curator, an assistant project manager, two seasonal code enforcement officers, an additional full-time beach specialist, and a temporary beach specialist to work during the beach season.
Thomason told the commissioners that the TDC budget had been included for their consideration at the full amount requested. Staff’s recommendation was for the funding of the requested positions but that new full-time employees not be authorized pending further analysis and decisions on possible reorganization and/or privatization of the TDC. The TDC budget is funded through the bed tax paid by tourists.
No millage rate increase was recommended for North Walton Mosquito Control.
The commissioners opted to implement the staff recommendations, voting unanimously to set the county’s tentative millage rate for the new fiscal year at the current year rate of 3.6363 mills, with the North Walton Mosquito Control budget also to remain at the current level. Per the recommendations, the South Walton TIF percentage was also adjusted from the previously-approved 75 percent to 58.2 percent.
A tentative budget of $127,229,944 was approved for county government, $603,511 of which is for funding of North Walton Mosquito Control.
The millage rate set at the preliminary budget hearing may be lowered but not raised. The final county budget hearing is set for 5:01 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs.
As determined in Walton County’s Sept. 14 preliminary budget hearing, there is to be no millage rate increase for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
The hearing took place on Sept. 14 at the South Walton Annex.
Previously county commissioners had envisioned a millage rate increase to fund a number of priorities, among those long-needed stormwater improvements and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for county employees. At a July 14 special meeting on the budget, they had given staff direction to use the millage rate of 3.9746 mills in preparing the preliminary budget. This rate represented an increase over the current year millage rate, which is 3.6363 mills.
One mill represents one dollar on each $1,000 of taxable property value.
At the Sept. 14 hearing, Melissa Thomason, county finance manager, commented that since the July special meeting staff had worked to incorporate the important items requested by the BCC to be included in the budget. She announced that staff had determined that it should be possible to operate efficiently and fund those important items while staying at the current year millage rate of 3.6363 mills for the new fiscal year.
This millage rate would provide, Thomason continued, $500,000 to get started on a new landfill facility, a 3-percent COLA for employees earning $60,000 per year or less, a 2-percent COLA for employees earning over $60,0000 per year, a 1.5-percent COLA for new hires still in probationary status, the addition of an environmental planner and an additional full-time employee for the Office of the County Attorney, and $3 million for the South Walton Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District trust fund.
Updated projections, Thomason told the commissioners, also show an additional $480,000 that can be allocated to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) from the Fine and Forfeiture Fund for vehicle purchases in 2016.
Thomason explained that keeping the current millage rate would require a change in the millage allocation from the current year, with the 0.08 mill currently in the infrastructure fund to no longer be separated into a capital projects fund.
The 0.08 mill infrastructure fund was initiated for the 2014-15 fiscal year budget to pay for infrastructure improvements countywide, including stormwater improvements, with the 0.08 mill generating approximately $1 million per year.
New fiscal year funding for the five stormwater projects begun by the county during the current fiscal year would shift to the South Walton TIF fund, Thomason explained, resulting in the allocation of $1 million to these projects, with $2 million remaining in that fund for additional projects in the new fiscal year.
At the 3.9746 mills previously directed by the BCC, Thomason noted, $4.2 million would have been included in the South Walton TIF fund, and $1 million would have been included in the infrastructure fund, with an additional $2 million remaining.
Thomason added that a change from the 3.9746 mills directed by the BCC at the July special meeting would change the TIF amount. Previously she had stated that that amount could not be changed after being set at the special meeting, but she said that staff had since learned that it could be changed.
The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) had requested the addition of new positions for the 2015-16 fiscal year, including an administrative assistant, a public information officer, a content curator, an assistant project manager, two seasonal code enforcement officers, an additional full-time beach specialist, and a temporary beach specialist to work during the beach season.
Thomason told the commissioners that the TDC budget had been included for their consideration at the full amount requested. Staff’s recommendation was for the funding of the requested positions but that new full-time employees not be authorized pending further analysis and decisions on possible reorganization and/or privatization of the TDC. The TDC budget is funded through the bed tax paid by tourists.
No millage rate increase was recommended for North Walton Mosquito Control.
The commissioners opted to implement the staff recommendations, voting unanimously to set the county’s tentative millage rate for the new fiscal year at the current year rate of 3.6363 mills, with the North Walton Mosquito Control budget also to remain at the current level. Per the recommendations, the South Walton TIF percentage was also adjusted from the previously-approved 75 percent to 58.2 percent.
A tentative budget of $127,229,944 was approved for county government, $603,511 of which is for funding of North Walton Mosquito Control.
The millage rate set at the preliminary budget hearing may be lowered but not raised. The final county budget hearing is set for 5:01 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs.