- April 18, 2024
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Flagler County’s Constitutional officers presented their budgets to the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday, June 19, highlighting what amounts to a $1,116,785, or 4.39%, total reduction over last year’s budgets.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted the largest decrease, of $1 million, or 5.17% of its full budget. According to Linda Bolante, who presented to the board on behalf of Sheriff Donald Fleming, more than $216,000 was cut from salaries; more than $414,000 was cut from benefits; about $112,000 was cut from debt interest; and the rest came from insurance, travel and other areas.
Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston presented the budget with the second-largest cut, representing about $100,000, or 3.96% of her 2011 budget.
Johnston, who cut her budget last year by another $100,000-plus, told the board that the impact her department has on the county’s coffers is “positive.” One of the few government departments that can turn a profit, the tax office generated about $1 million last year, she added. This year, it has already brought in about $700,000.
“Just because someone’s budget is finished, you don’t stop looking at the numbers,” Johnston said. “I’m always looking … to see if there’s another way to do a process.”
That’s why Johnston will spend $20,000 this year for a machine to print, fold and package tax materials for mailing. She will also replace a current drivers test instructor with an employee with police training, in reaction to a student who Johnston said “went ballistic” behind the wheel recently after failing his road test.
Supervisor of Elections Kimberlee Weeks also presented a shrunken budget, having trimmed $34,967 off her previous year’s funding amount.
Cutting more than $18,244 in benefits and $22,902 from salaries, Weeks’ budget saw a 3.76% decrease.
Clerk of Courts Gail Wadsworth presented a slight reduction, as well, of about $1,000, or .07%.
Although Wadsworth slated about $40,000 to be spent on capital outlay equipment, $55,302 is also projected to be cut from personnel services, due to reduced retirement rates.
The final Constitutional presentation was from Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, whose budget, of $1,980,700 — which has been cut about 18% since 2007 — will stay relatively level next fiscal year.
Before closing his presentation, Gardner also addressed this year’s decrease in property values.
“Obviously we’re down about 6% in (property) values this year, which is truly good news,” Gardner told the board. “I know you don’t think of it as that, but it’s good news. Looking toward next year, we’re very hopeful that it’s not going to be a decrease.”
