Revenue woes force belt tightening

THE ISSUE:
County government’s recent restructuring.
OUR OPINION:
Budget constraints prompt necessary staffing changes.

Since the bottom of the local housing market dropped out four years ago, county government has struggled with the challenge of sustaining the level of core services that residents have come to expect with significantly less revenue.
 

Faced with doing more with less, county officials have correctly decided to cut operational costs rather than raise local taxes to bridge revenue shortfalls. This decision, however, has caused officials to make staffing changes that have resulted in the elimination of more than 100 county positions during the past several years.
 

Nonetheless, with property values still declining, county officials recently opted to tighten its fiscal belt a little more by further restructuring county government, which prompted additional staffing decisions.
 

With a projected savings of $300,000, the restructuring of the Department of Development Services had the greatest staffing impact since it resulted in the elimination of five positions. While the loss of five experienced staff members is regrettable, county officials made the tough decision given the stagnant construction climate and a budget environment plagued by recurring revenue shortfalls.
 

The other staffing change was County Administrator Brad Thorpe’s decision not to fill the deputy administrator position vacated last June by the departure of Eber Brown. Instead, Thorpe tapped the directors of Public Works and Community Services to take on assistant county administrator duties at an estimated savings of $30,000.
 

Although the staffing changes further tighten the county’s budget, some members of the Citrus County Council watchdog group expressed concern over the long-term efficacy of the changes and the county’s decision not to publicly disclose the names of the five Development Services employees whose positions were eliminated.
Only time will determine the restructuring’s long-term benefit. However, the short-term benefit of the staffing changes helping to bridge yet another revenue shortfall appears to be necessary for sustaining the county’s level of core services.
 

As for not publicly disclosing the names of the five Development Services employees, Thorpe was correct in respecting their privacy, as was done for the 103 county positions previously eliminated.
Given budget cuts totaling $53 million over the past several years and a $4 million shortfall projected for the coming budget year, county government is in a fiscal survival mode. Accordingly, more tough and possibly unpopular choices may have to be made.