Pasco County Facing Another Tight Budget

County commissioners will start their summer ritual of crafting a budget today amid a continuing decline in revenue and less money than the previous year.

With no tax increase, two of the county's major funds will have $3.3 million less in property taxes than the 2010-11 budget that ends Sept. 30.

Property tax values, a major source for county tax revenue, have fallen more than $11 billion in the last four years, an amount wiping out gains in new construction values amassed over the past 19 years.

One of the cuts in the proposed budget calls for shuttering pools at the and the Veteran’s Recreation Center.

The county administration is proposing no millage increase for the fiscal year running from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2012.

Commissioners will consider a millage of 6.36 mills for the county's main operating fund and 1.42 mills for the Municipal Fire Service Taxing Unit.

That would bring the total of those two major funds for most households in unincorporated Pasco to 7.68 mills. Schools, cities and the Southwest Florida Water Management District all can add millage to the tax bill. The New Port Richey City Council decided last week to to 8.3877, but tax bills should be the same as those received for the last tax cycle.

There is no millage proposed for the county’s road and bridge district.

Commissioners will on Tuesday consider the formal step of declaring the proposed millage that would set the maximum levy. It could be lowered before the commission finishes the spending plan but not raised.

Tuesday’s vote also calls for setting the budget’s first public hearing. The millage adopted at the meeting will be part of notices mailed to taxpayers.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value after any exemptions are removed.

The proposed budget calls for spending $1.14 billion.

That tally covers all constitutional officers, special districts and other expenses.

Despite a preliminary budget that continues suffering from eroding property values and stagnant growth, Commissioner Pat Mulieri sees a budget year slightly brighter than the past few.

But keeping the pools open will be tough, she wrote in an email response to questions. The pools cost about $329,000 to run and are used by about 20,000 people from a population of 478,000, she wrote.

Keeping the pools open would mean slicing some other park services, she added.

Still, overall, there was some help for the coming budget. Constitutional officials have cut their budgets or returned money that includes $1 million from the sheriff and $3 million in excess fees returned by the property appraiser.

Another savings comes from county employees on the Florida Retirement System who have to pay a portion of their retirement in the coming year, Mulieri wrote.

The legislative change will save taxpayers $5.6 million, the county’s budget proposal said.

And Mulieri said she would like to explore how to eliminate park fees, pay for more park workers or another Veterans Affairs employee or boosting the county’s economic incentive fund.

County Administrator John Gallagher has recommended the county’s first budget public hearing be 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 in Dade City.

The commission meets Tuesday starting at 10 a.m. at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Dr., New Port Richey.