--------- [Music] [Music] Hey. [Music] [Music] started stand blessing you over We come thanking for your goodness and your mercy. Lord, we asking your help
right now as we start to do what's best for our citizens. Thank you, Father. You brought us from where you too, Father. None of this is personal, but it is about business. We thank you again and we love you for how you're taking
care of us. Father, then we expect you to air us through this session that we all will be able to this was something we all be able to live with. And we thank you again. Father, bless all our people that work with us. Bless this country and bless those that standing
around the world that's protecting from all the harm. Lord, protect all our fish in a special way. Help us, Father, as we go from one good degree to another. and we'll be soever give you the praises
and the glory for as praises go up, blessings come down and we all stand in need of a blessing. Jesus name I pray. Amen. To the flag of the United States of America to the stands one nation
indivisible with liberty and justice for all. like to welcome everyone to our meeting. It's Thursday, July 17th, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. This is our second budget workshop for the fiscal year 2025 2026.
There's a conference line set up with a a number there is 1 1917 9001022. Access code is 32347 pound. This is not a toll-free number. You may be subject to long-distance charges according to your long-distance
plan. When the chairperson opens the meeting for public comment, please follow the below instruction. If you wish to speak, please dial star five. The moderator will unmute your line as your turn to speak and notify you by announcing the last four digits of your telephone number. Please announce your
name and address. You'll be allowed to speak for three minutes. Any person wishing to address the board regarding an agenda item will be given three minutes for comment. The commenter may only speak one time for each agenda item. With that said,
move on to item three. The board to whole budget workshops continue discussing all aspects of fiscal year 2025 2026 budget priorities. So yes, you know, I guess we're just going to continue our talks. We didn't
make any changes um you know, on Monday, but we still do still have the desk deficit in the general fund of 1913 and then in the MSTU is 238447.
There are two small changes we can make. Uh we can remove the rolloff truck from next year's 1 cent sales tax capital list. It is on the ground. It is on the ground now. So we'll use current funding for that um that the board already
approved. And the health department has agreed to reduce their budget request to $30,000. So they've agreed to reduce by $10,000. So the original last the current year's request is 50 and they're coming down to
30,000 [Music] total. Yes sir. So the 10,000's already reflected in this. So the new 10,000 within 181 375
and then the truck one cent sales tax. So I don't it won't change the um 1 cent budget. It'll increase the reserves but it won't change the amount but it will reduce the solid waste budget by that amount
the total overall that won't have any effect on the deficit fund. Wow. So, moving forward, I know we got the sheriff here, so you want to come on up and
I'm mounting right there today. I'm just going to give y'all an overview of, you know, I know that sheriff's budget is the largest budget you have. We understand that. We also understand that, you know, it's been said that we didn't do anything to
try to cut our budget or anything. Well, last year we submitted a $9.4 $4 million budget. We reduced that budget by 211,000 last year to help balance the budget. We also took a 5% decrease in the 1% sales tax where we buy our capital outlay of vehicles and things
like that. We can't keep going backwards. We got to pay the deputies. Those deputies are out there risking their life every day. This morning, we had a high-speed chase already. before 7:30 this morning. We're in a high-speed chase with a convicted felon with
warrants. Those are those are high-risk endeavors that we go to every single day. So having said that, you know, I understand, we all
understand that that we're in a crunch that we have to do other things, but you still got to pay the deputies and we got to pay the high-risisk retirement. So there was some question about our budget, the way we submitted it. So there were no
payraises. I will reiterate that again. There were no payraises other than what the board authorized at 50 cents per hour last year, but you didn't fund that in our budget. You actually subtracted it. That was part of that 211,000. We made up the
difference in the budget ourselves. We worked some other things around. We took about $100,000 hit to our um operating funds, personal services about 100,000 and that was reduced. and then about 12,000 in contractual services
that we absorbed the funding last year. So when John submitted the budget this year or we submitted the sheriff submitted the budget, he added that 211,000 back in plus and this is just this year alone the increase in the high-risisk retirement fund. 97,8386.
That's how much our retirement increased. The sheriff's department is the only department in the county, the office of the county that operates besides the fire department, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, all the holidays that everybody else gets to go home and enjoy. We do not. So [Music] these guys put their life on the line
every single day. Is it worth a dollar here or a dollar there? You guys ask for an officer every single meeting to protect you. We provide it. That's not part of our budget. That's an overtime item that's
not part of our budget that we buzz for. Every special event that you have and you ask for officers, we provide officers. When you call, we come. So, if you reduce the budget, the time that it takes us to come is going to be
longer because, as we've said before, the only way to really cut is in personnel. Now, that personnel can be deputies or that personnel can be correctional officers. But also remember that when we talk about lowhanging fruit and all the
things that we do for the county, all the mowing, all the inmate work crews that we provide, all that stuff, that's not part of our core mission. So if we got to cut, we're going to be cutting off of what's not our core mission. 24 hours a day, we have to have
correctional officers to watch inmates. You know that we've had a couple of escapes. We really need more people in jail, but we work with what we got. None of you have had to knock on the door at 2:00 in the morning to tell a parent that their child is dead from an
automobile accident or for somebody shooting them in a driveby. That we've had here in town, several drivebys. None of you have had to walk to the door and knock on it and tell the spouse that their husband is not coming home today because he was just shot in the line of
duty or he's been killed in the car crash in the line of duty. We've done that three times. It's a high-risisk job and unfortunately it takes money for that high-risisk job. Having said all that, John reworked some numbers and everything
and we can take off of our budget request because we added that 211 back in. We cannot continue to take that kind of cut. We'll take $100,000 off our general revenue request. We'll work some numbers some different way and we'll reduce our request from
the the one cent money bond another $50,000 to 350. We still have to buy equipment from these guys. We still have to buy cars, ballistic vests. Those have expiration dates. We have to replace those on a constant basis.
Fuel has not went down. The cost of supplies have not went down. So, I mean, the budget is what the budget is. I mean, the sheriff did go back and he's willing to cut that 100,000 from our
current request and the 50,000 from the 1 cent money that where we do our capital outlay stuff. So, if there's any questions, we'll try to answer them. If not, that's our presentation. Thank you.
We will start questions from I do. So, are are you are you telling the citizens of this county that you will reduce your law enforcement officers instead of reducing
administrative or non-essential workers? We don't have any non-essential workers. Okay, let's go back to reducing administrative. Instead, you're saying that the only thing I can do is reduce debuties and
that's pretty sensational. Instead of You say it's not. You want to come be a deputy? Our administrative staffs are all deputies except for our finance officer and our human resource director and our
civil clerk and the clerk at the jail. Every dispatcher works. That's an essential position. I can't cut those. Correctional officers are essential positions. I can't cut those. But everyone, the sheriff, myself, Buddy Lee that you consider administration, all of
us work the road. I was out in the chase this morning. So, no, we can't cut without cutting response to the citizens. That's exactly right. And it's not sensational. I'm try not trying to be sensational. I'm trying to
tell you I've done this for 36 years. I've given my life to the citizens of this county. I'm not trying to be sensational. None of you have taken this up on the opportunity to come ride and see what these guys do. Not a single one. So, if you think that's sensationalism, then it's
sensationalism. I haven't ever seen you. It might not have been in your time. So, but anyway, I I and I appreciate all that you do. I understand what it is to be a deputy, so to speak. Not quite to the depth that
you do, but that's your job. My job is my job and your job is your job. So, I understand. Yes, ma'am. I understand the risk that you take. What we're talking about here is trying to balance our budget. Yes, ma'am. I understand balancing the budget, but the statute also says that
you have to not may, not Mike might, not will. It says you have to adequately fund the sheriff. We gave you a budget that we can live within. That is the adequate funding for our department. Now, if you don't think so, you can go through and make your line item cuts and
then we'll just take it to where we have to. That's the only thing we can do. Wait, say that again. What did you just say? I just said if you don't think that we've done a good job and you want to cut something, you go cut it. And then if we need to take it to the governor, we'll take it to the governor. And I
think that we're in agreement with that. If you feel like you have to take it to the governor, then that's that's what you'll have to do. The board agrees to that. That's your option. And we'll see how that turns out. The governor may very well take your
side. I don't know. But we're at a point where we're trying to do our job here. Okay. We we were elected to do a job and this budget is part of that job and we're trying to do. So if if um if y'all
would put up page 273 of their budget because I still don't quite understand. I want you to look at page 273. I could ask a question while that's going on. Mr. Chairman, um I believe you said y'all were willing
to reduce 100,000 10,000 health department. Isn't that bringing us in general fund to $81,000? Yes. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed that part. Thank you,
Mr. Chair. Can I ask a question, Marty? You said you were willing to reduce $100,000. Yes. Is that is that just in your general operating or was that was that specific,
you know, reducing positions or That's just in general operating. So that would be with no reduction in service. Yeah. Okay. But that's off of our budget request, not off of what you funded last year. No, I understand. But you're you're saying you're willing to reduce $100,000
with no disruption in any service? In any service. That's correct. Okay. Can we not put 273 on the screen? Uh I don't have No, ma'am. It's not an electronic file. It's not.
No, we can't. It's not an electronic file. Electronic file. I just thought that you know I thought that Okay. So I still don't understand on the page 273 of your budget regular
salaries 2425 it was 2 million 402 now your request is 2 million 638 which is a differential of 236 382 help me
understand that yes ma'am there's no increases help me understand what you have given us so we have to pay for the new subsidy rate that the state just approved for the law enforcement officers that they get from the state of Florida. We have to fund that upfront. They reimburse us that later.
What is the subsidy rate? It's the money that the governor authorized to equalize the pay for local officers in uh physically constrained counties so that they're not leaving us and going to the state jobs all the time. Every physically constrained county gets an amount of money from the
state every year. Danielle, can you explain that process? Um, [Music] it's the quarter. It's the quarterly money, right? So, we get the quarterly money from the state and then I issue the sheriff's
office a check when we get it. The county gets it because we the board has to sign the agreement. And so it's issued to the county quarterly and then we issue the check to the sheriff's office once we get the money. So why is it included in this budget?
We have to fund it up front before we we have to pay those officers out of the budget before the money comes back in. Any money that's left over at the end of the year, you guys get back anyway. I mean, we've never not given any money back. We've always given us money back,
but it's through the stipulation. I want this to go to Christmas gifts to Christmas. I've never told you what to do before. Y'all have not. Y'all have said I want this money to go to Christmas bonuses. We can go back to the record. So when you gave that money
back specifically, I want this money to go to the employees for Christmas bonuses. That was the directive that we had. Realize we could give the board a directive. I'll say I've never gotten a directive on any of the returns funds as
to how they are expensed. I know we've been able to be generous and and certainly reflect that to our employees, but I have not ever gotten any suggestions or directives as to
either you were asleep or you weren't here. Well, I like to take naps and maybe you'd go take one. I don't remember that either. I've never been given any suggestions by any I give you one. I'm not. So I just reiterate if I may
in this reduction we're we're looking at $81,000 deficit in the general fund. Yes, sir. Yes. So I'll speak in in reference to talking
high risk. You know, we I think you're correct if I'm wrong. I think don't we have some high risk on the board side as well? We do. Firefighters. So, I'm just speaking general is we had some mandated high risk retirement that
increased, but we asked because we we've asked for reductions in budget. So that was a mandated increase, but staff still went in and found other areas to reduce cost to come up with what's the dollar amount
that we had again on that side? Um the percentage another dollar amount percentage dollar amount. Let me check how much their retirement was for for the fire department.
We decreased that budget by how much even Even in l of mandated legislative retirement increase, I'm simply saying people dug deep. They
didn't they didn't cut anybody's job out to my knowledge. No one job was cut out. The other four constitutional officers went in and bless her heart, supervisor relations cut over $100,000. Yeah.
And I feel like she worked pretty darn lean. She come in with over $100,000 reduction in her budget. And I'm just simply I mean I like all you guys. I don't have no problems. I know you guys.
You guys always answer phones. Always been very helpful. But simply just asked for assistance and no no increases. I mean, for for the budgets, no increases this year, to simply ask for a reduction to help us
balance the budget, to dig deep and bal help balance this budget. Knowing now, granted, we were we were blessed to get a $900,000 uh grant or whatever you want to call it to offset some of that loss that we were
going to have. But in lie of high risk, we do have high risk on the board side and and mandated legislative and said we had you know the clerk come up at 75,000 the the property appraised was 71,000.
So you know I understand that commissioner but he just gave you 100,000 back right there. He told you commissioner the last year you took 211. You didn't take that from everybody else. You took 211 out of our requested budget last year. We gave that back.
Okay. We can't keep going backwards. I can't We can't operate at the same level every year. Everything is going up. I'm sorry. It it it is what it is. And I understand you got eight or 10 high-risisk retirement employees at the fire department. We got about 60 sworn officers. We have
to play correctional officers high risk. And every road deputy, every certified law enforcement officer is a high-risisk retirement. Okay. I'm It's a It the numbers are different. Yes, they work 24 hours a day, but they don't respond to near the call volume
that we do. Our call volume is up every month. I'm not I understand. What I'm saying is is that we did give you money back. We gave you 211 last year. We had to put some of that back in. We We just gave 100 off the top of this budget plus 50
off the request for the 1 cent money. I we we've done what we can. Again, that's our submitted budget. That's all we can that's all we can do. That's all we can do to maintain. I tell you what, I wasn't going to say nothing, but I tell you what you do. You go
figure out what we spend on gas, what we spend on mowing and lawnmowing and the things we do with this county. We'll shut all that down. That's what I call low hanging fruit. Them inmates will not leave that jail and go do nothing. It'll be on that compound. You do your own mowing. You do your own cleaning. You take care of yourself. that would take
care of ours over there. John, you figure out what it is and then we'll give that money back. We get that back to you. You do your own load and you own cleaning. Okay? You're not going to defund law enforcement to the fact that I can't supply adequate law enforcement to this county and take care of these people.
I see you in Tallahassee, the governor, where we got together. Period. That's your stat. That's what I That's it. I ain't changing and I ain't saying nothing more about it. You either pay it. Don't ask me more about it. You go ask the governor. We may as well take that. Let's go. Ready.
We're not defunding law enforcement to the state of this this county. That's not really your budget cuz we're just going to shift it somewhere else. So, we're going to have to go do it. So, just fine. Have a problem with it. Get it done, son. Make it make it light
on yourself. This is the problem. You know, this should be a team effort. every elected official should be a member of the team and try to work together on these budget issues. We've never never been where we
are today before. So, and and everyone I think everyone should be held to the same standard. Just like you said, our supervisor, she cut 14%.
And I know that she has made she had to make sacrifices to do that. She even stood here the other day and she said, "I don't have overtime because if there's anything that needs to be done, I'm the one that steps in and does and
does the work instead of having having overtime." But this is just another example. When they don't get what they want, they show out and they threaten. They have threatened us with taking the the the
mowing crew away. That's fine. That's fine. We've been threatened with having the de the gel up on us. That's fine. But that doesn't reduce the overall budget. If if if the jail was given to us, fine. But that does not help this
bottom line. I think that's our point. The public has been threatened. Tell me what it cost to run. Hold on just a minute. Please don't interrupt me. But the the the public has been threatened. Well, you won't get anybody
to respond if you need law enforcement. That's not what we're saying, Commissioner. Now you're being dramatic. Threatened. Threatened. We're at the point now that we've got to make hard decisions. Again, Taylor County has never seen
times like this. I do appreciate what those deputies do. I think they're underpaid. I I am the first to say that. And I know they put their lives on the line every day that they walk out of their door. I understand that.
And I am not advocating that deputies be cut. Every organization can go through their budget and they can find places to cut. may not want to, but we can. And another thing, he says we keep giving
back every year, but this sheriff's office budget has never decreased. If you look across the line through all the years, that total budget increases every year. Every year.
So, there's a point where we have to quit spending and we've got to do what we have to do. I don't want to put it on the backs of our taxpayers who already some of them are living on a stream. They're they're barely making it
now. It would not be prudent and responsible to go into our reserves because as I said the other day, Taylor County, we have not hit the bottom yet and we could this county could go
bankrupt. So, we have to cut spending. I appreciate everybody, everybody that has gone and spent the midnight oil trying to cut their budgets and they've done a really good good job. So,
are you implying that we work on trying to if it goes to the governor, so be it. We've been threatened with that, too. I'm not afraid to go to the governor. I think we have a very good case. If you look at the revenue that we've lost and
where we are and the big spending, I'm not afraid to go to the governor. If the governor decides, hey, give him all he wants, then we know where to point the finger when we have to spend and go bankrupt.
One last thing, you guys, you have what? 96 employees total. And that's between the two. Yeah. And 16 of the 96 are going to be shift deputies. Correct. Actually, there's roughly 20 with the supervisors and stuff.
Yeah. Okay. There's 35. That's what roughly that. Yeah. I mean, I don't have an exact count. I can get you an exact count. Yeah. U anything else for the chair.
Well, I would say what we need to do is we need to first of all we need to reduce their budget. We do not need to grant any increases. We need to decrease that budget just like we have asked. If
it goes to the governor, it goes to the governor. We need to take all of the one sales tax back. We're at a time right now, at this time, the county needs this
revenue worse than the hospital or the sheriff's department. We We have some unknowns in our budget. We don't know what the property tax is going to come back and cost us. That's an unknown.
We don't know what the new ambulance service contract is going to cost because I am sure all of those are going to increase. We need that sales tax money. We need it more than anybody else right now. We need to take every dime of
it back. If the hospital has to have something, they can come and ask us. And if it's something that they absolutely have to have to operate that hospital, then come to us. Same thing with the sheriff's
office before we before we divided this tax up. And that was very generous of this board to give 50% of that one sales tax away. We gave 25%
to the hospital. We gave 25% to the sheriff. Never was it said that this is going to go on forever. That was never in the plan that it would go on forever. Before we had the cell
before we did that, they were able to manage. They bought their vehicles then. Okay. So, I don't we can do it again. You want to keep when y'all when y'all gave us that y'all we took a 3% cut too.
Don't forget about that. Okay. Y'all didn't never give back. You want to retain all the ones that money? Yes. Including the TCDA. We don't give the TCDA sir tax money. But you get 100,000
that comes out of the general. And why don't you bring up the TCDA? Well, if you're talking about retaining all the funding, you would explain it. That's petty. That's petty. You said that we need to retain all our funding and these folks can appear before this board. No, I didn't. That's what you said.
I said we need to be sure sales tax back. That's what I said. Words in my mouth. I'm I'm just want to be clear that what what I believe I understood you to say is that we needed to keep funding so that this board could make decisions.
And that's why I asked you that question. Okay. Let me answer you then, please. What I said, we need to take the one all of the one cent sales tax back. We give 25% to the hospital. We give 25%
to the sheriff. We don't give the TCDA part of that sir tax. So that's not that is not part of this discussion right now. Well, thank you. I wanted to be sure I didn't misunderstification please. It's 25%. We took a reduction
last year to 20%. Okay. And we offered a reduction this year 50,000. If I could bump that up a little bit more, but we still have to replace vehicles. These people have to have something to drive. I want to make one more clarification, Mr. Chairman, because Commissioner Feele has said that
we have an increase in budget every single year. If you go back and look at the budgets, the increase are for the dollar aisle raises that you guys gave andor insurance increases and high-risisk retirement increases or retirement increases. They weren't to
add additional funds to the sheriff's budget. Those were mandated items. If we had a health insurance increase, which we didn't, that's fine. or if we had property insurance, which we did have increases in, if we had high interest insurance increases in, plus the raises that the board gave, that's where the
budget was increased. Thank you. You mentioned the insurance and I'm going to go back and remind this board that they came over and we discussed the insurance plan and we said join our insurance plan. That saved them
money. Saved you money, too. if anybody here remembers that. So yeah, and reduce y'all come over as well having us come over with the younger demographic that I don't think it's you like I said
and Mr. figure, but I said Monday we were blessed to get a $900,000 grant one time. We might not get it next year. We got We might not get that next year.
We We got a ambulance bid service, EMS service coming up. We don't know what that's going to look like. I I'm not trying to hurt none of you guys and what you guys do. We appreciate everything that you do, but you know, we just got a budget in front of us. And
yes, you have a $9.2 billion, you know, budget and on the 1% money, it's not the way. I mean, I'm trying to plan for the future. Not really even just in the moment. I'm looking at next year and the year after that. Not saying we go spend
all that one money and we don't have to have a home for it. That that's not saying you guys can't come back and hey, I need to get this. Same with the hospital. Hey, I need we need we need this and the board approve it. You know, we don't like I said, we don't we make legislative appropriations to the state
every year and they don't just hand us money to the board and we just say, hey, this is things that we need. Can you approve? We may get get it approved and we may not. Sometimes it may be a no, you know. So, you know, it's it's the same scenario. Not saying you you guys
or the hospital DMA can't come ask get to request some of that funding for vehicles or whatever it may be, but I think it's in our best interest of the county to not allocate it to a home just
in case we need it and planning for next year and the year after because I can tell you right now this year didn't the roughest year. I feel like the next couple of years are going to be our roughest years ahead of us. And y'all y'all know that.
Mr. We understand that. Listen, we understand about the onescent money, too. I will remind you, though, that we don't just willy-nilly spend the money. We have to use the county's I'm not saying you do. Requirements. Everything has to be cleared through your finance department. I mean, it's not just we go up there and
say, "Okay, we're going to do this." I'm not saying you do, but I'm just again Well, I mean, it sounds like it from what's being said that we're not responsible that we just kind of willy-nilly do whatever. I I'm looking at
that is not how we do our budget. That's not how we do anything else. I'm looking at an overall kind of budget and looking into the future, not just the moment. I mean, everybody's looking at the moment think, "Oh, we're trying to hurt this one, hurt that one." But we're not. I'm looking at now and the
next couple of years. I mean, you know, hopefully we can land some industry that can help. Mr. We we we we took 100,000 off of what our request was. We took 50 off the request for the one money. It's not in the best interest of the
county to defund law enforcement either. I'm not trying to defund well and that's I mean we're just look everybody's emotions get running high and stuff like this but our our guys do on a daily basis. Commissioner Figgle was alluding that all the other
constitutional officers burn a bunch of midnight oil trying to prepare a budget. We burned a lot of midnight oil too. I burn midnight oil every night. I respond to calls until late in the night. My phone rings constantly. It's not like I'm a a administrator that sits on my tail in an office all day long. It's
it's not what happens. We're out doing law enforcement functions. And I and I take exception that you you think that we just sit around and do nothing and and we can cut from the administrative level or we can cut from here. We all do law enforcement. I don't care where you have to cut.
That's not my job to go figure that out. That's I understand. I understand. I just in lie of the in lie of the you can't defund law enforcement. Well, guess what? I can't defund. They reduce their budget. I can't defund public works either. I'm not defunding public works.
They work for the county and citizens of the county and they went and found money even in even in the fact that this high-risisk retirement come up. These guys, you don't have anybody works against highrisisk retirement. I say we got the fire department. That's
that falls under the board. is the same high-risisk retirement that you deal with. So, I'm just saying I can't defund this guy. But guess what? They went and found money. Clerk went and found money. The supervisor legends found money. The tax collector, property appraiser, they went and found money. I can't defund
those guys. I'm not asking to defund anyone. Just asking to help cut costs and balance the budget. Not looking for increases. We were looking for reductions in budgets. So, you know, we can do the same thing.
We can tell our citizens we're going to cut the fire department. That's that's the only way we can cut our budget is to cut our fire department. So, when you call and your house is on fire, I won't be able to respond. They work 24/7
and they work for nothing almost. I'm telling you. So you want to talk about willy-nilly when I look back at your travel expenses for instance and in 2020 23 24 you spent
$37,41 on travel. Yes ma'am. Is that not is that not super big spending? No ma'am because our officers have to have training,000. How can you now 15 last year? So you see there's fat in
this budget. They just don't want to admit it. They don't want to cut it. And they and here's the problem. They took a stance from the very first day. We are not going to cut our budget. That's where they are today. You can't tell me
that they just I think that's where we are. We just came over took $100,000 off the budget. cut their budget already. So, we're getting nowhere. Commissioner, you know, can you please not interrupt? I'm done. I mean, I really am.
I hope you are then because you know, it's very rude to interrupt a commissioner when they're trying to talk. It's very rude to interrupt the under sheriff when he's trying to talk. Have you done that, too? Come on, Mark. So, let's just
get nowhere. Let's go, sir. pay what you do what you got to do. We're going to do what we got to do. We're going to stand up for our people. Stand up for this county, too. We are standing up for the county. We ain't being mey mouth and two-faced about it either.
Why you call me on the phone one day and tell me, "Sheriff, I am not going to vote to cut your budget. I am a favor law enforaced about it and then get up here and say something different." I haven't told. Yes, you did, too. Now you're telling a lie. I have not told you that.
No, you have. You did, Pam. You called me on the phone. I did, but not this budget session. Not this budget session. You did. I did. In the past, when he asked me about the budget, I said, "I'm not going to cut your budget." Because at that
time, we were not in the situation that we're in now. And I said, "No, I'm not going to cut your budget. You can count on that." and I didn't vote to cut his budget, but this year Taylor County is
in a different situation. We are $1.9 million short. And just because they come here and show out and get mad, yeah, we still have a job
to do. I don't feel like really got anywhere in this discussion other than we do probably need to find out if that's their stance is to hand up. Now we pay for the work crews. So I mean we still going to have to have the work crew but like shar said
he said y'all go take your work crews and y'all figure it out. But if that's their stance, then I want to make sure this emergency management comes back to the county as well. That if these guys want to go be law enforcement, let them go be law enforcement. They have a duty
to this community even in emergency times to keep this community safe. So I just need to know if that's their stance that I want this board to look at emergency management should come back
to this board as well. So why is that question in my mind where they are? They've been there since day one. They said on the first day we are not going to cut our budget period. And so I think that where we are now and
and they're they're you know they keep bringing up going to the governor. I think that's what they want to do and that's fine. We can do that. I think that you know um I'm not worried about that at all.
I think that we may be okay. If we're not, then at least we can tell our citizens, this is why you're paying more taxes because the sheriff will not cut his budget to to a point that, you know, we can get
to where we need to be. They did cut some. He told out that he take $50,000 off this morning. They also said 100,000 the budget request, but Mr. Root, you
still got 180 thou $86,000 increase in there. We're not really looking for an increase. We got five government entities within this government, meaning the constitutional officers in our public works
that did decrease their budget some more than I would have ever thought. And I'm just saying we have a 9.2 million budget. They're not in the same shoes them folks are. I mean, they can cut, I think,
easier than for their amount of money they spend. They can cut some. I understand. I appreciate them. But he got a lot he got a lot more employees and a lot more stuff moving forward to that operation than any other group. We understand that. But I tell you what
he did today threw us a bomb. He threw us a little bone today. But that doesn't get us to where we need to be. We don't know exactly where we going to be. And that's true. And we might get worse. It might get better. I know we over $400,000
still. Well, over 300 now, I guess. 300. We don't know where we're going to be. We do know that right now. We're at 1.9. And And what we don't know is how much higher that deficit is going to go
because we've got property insurance and we've got the ambulance service. So, you're exactly right. We don't know where we're going to end up. I I suspect that it's going to be higher than where we are now. I would just rather when somebody calls
911, they can get somebody coming and do them. I don't want them to just act like some sheriff's departments do and other law enforcement do. Sometimes they just drag around. That bunch has performed and done their job. And they do. And they do. And I can see
you drink the Kool-Aid, too. But and I I appreciate what Kool-Aid. You don't need to start throwing rocks at me, Mr. P. You said don't don't go saying I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. Don't go throwing rocks at me. You keep that on that
part. I'm telling you. I could ask um Mr. Chairman, is it I mean I know we've talked about that the number really now it's is in the general fund is 81375 somewhere in that neighborhood. Is that true?
So isn't it possible to to in this volatile situation utilize the reserve fund to balance here? Is that out of bounds or not in the
discussion? If I may, I think you have a couple of options. Yes, you could fun with reserves. I'm just looking at an $81,000 in the in the general fund. You could fund with reserves.
Um you could obviously, you know, there are things you can do with the millillage. We've already talked about that. And you could fund with one cent sales tax reserves, right? And I I So the options are the same. Respect the option for the millillage. But if we didn't have to move that and
we could use um reserve funding in this situation um what then would we need to look at in respect to the MST? So the deficit in the MSTU is 238447
and I think the options are exactly the same. I see. Um there is Daniel was reserved. I'm sorry. I know we So you're looking at 2.3 million in the
reserves in the MSTU, which is not as healthy as the general fund, obviously. I see. So that that would be a different um greater percentage. Obviously, that would take you really down to $2 million in reserves there. Correct.
If that was the case, if it wasn't a millage, and again, our reserves and 1 cent sales tax are are healthy. How much is in the one sales? Hang on. It's 3.4 and then I'll be adding the 240
back in. So 3.4. [Music] All right. 3.7 is what you'll have in the 1 cent reserve. That's almost yesterday. How close are we to trying to
balance the budget? We won't really know. I mean, right now you're at a little over about $300,000 right now. But I mean,
still don't know that whenever these insurance numbers and stuff come back, you don't know that's going to leave. So, you still could end up being 500 to $600,000 short. Well, hopefully not. I would I would I mean the whole purpose of competitively
you know trying to competitively procure the other insurance lines was to out hope for a reduction. They could I wouldn't expect them to go up necessarily. It could we could stay the same. Don't you think Gary? I mean hopefully. Yeah. Hopefully. Well, I
mean, we budgeted we budgeted what we anticipated to be if we stayed with what we got what we have. So, that's in the budget. Hopefully, it'll be at least a reduction from what we budgeted, right? So, I wouldn't anticipate that to change our budget numbers. The only I
think unknown is for the ambulance service and I would and that could y'all can continue to fund 5050 from 1 cent sales tax and general fund or you the you could offset any increase from the 1
cent sales tax because the revenue from the 1 cent sales tax is budgeted at $2.6 million. So the current expenditures are 408516 for EMS and a little over 1.1 million
for capital because um DMH's 1 cent sales tax would not come out of the the new money. That leaves about $1.1 million just in next year's revenue in one in one cent sales tax
plus plus your reserves. How much we how much was EMS? Um how much? So um 816 700 or 87 817
817 and again half is funded from general fund half is funded from one cent sales tax I was coming from money at the Olympic I don't I was out on the commercial way
it scared I was there. I saw it. Jefferson County passed first and coming back to Mon. They was coming back to Paris. I was the only century I know that service and they creeping. They that that animal was
creeping and I told my brother I said that's a problem that now I don't have a problem. I know it's taken in this back we need to take back to do what we need to do from emergency management emergency wagon emergency EMS
or whatever we need to do. I do appreciate what we got and if we think we can do better to do that. I've heard a lot of talk and I do know there's something we can do to you know I believe in pulling
somebody from the reserve to help out but I also all and I appreciate the constitution also doing what they do and I appreciate that reduction they got that they could to help run this county
but I'm not ready yet to destroy everything we built But I think negotiation one of the best thing you can do and we have to be honest in our negotiation if we do what we can for everybody and get what we need to be
done. Another question Danielle in terms of our general fund reserves are they increasing every year? They have been. Okay. And and how how much?
I don't think it increased a whole lot this year. It didn't increase a whole lot. So for fiscal year 25 they were right at about 78%. For fiscal year 26 it'll be 81% and fiscal year 24 it was at 56%.
In fiscal year 23 it was 68%. So it was up and then down and then over the last couple years it's went back up. And what do you anticipate going forward? Depends. Again, it all depends. So for fiscal year 26,
they're going up. I mean, it's not a lot. It's onlyundred a little over $100,000. So I guess my point is that if we start dipping into our reserves, which is
basically our savings account, and if this county continues on the path that we're on, and I think that's going to that may be the case for a while. um hopefully with our uh TCDA group working
very hard and I know some things are maybe real close there but um we don't know there's no guarantees there but I know they're working at it but um I think it's very very
uh risky to start dipping into our reserves to balance a budget when you've got one entity that's not willing to do as much as possibly they could. Uh
again, this county may we may hit hit bottom worse than what we think we are now. And um I sure don't want to see this county go bankrupt because the five commissioners here
could not manage the budget. I'm not going. We asked across the board every budget within the county to make a reduction. And I'm not going to approve
a budget, an overall budget until I'm just one commissioner, but that's not going to get an approval from me. And I'm not willing to start living into reserves. I think the feel of the citizens, they
know that we're in a pretty rough situation. But I even think the feel of the citizens is they do want to see a reduction. They would love they want to see a reduction in this county across the board trying to save money.
And then if we had to make an increase, then make a slight increase. But just to throw the millage at 10 mil, max it out and or or go get it out of reserve, it's just
that's just that's just for me that's just being sloppy. I mean, at the end of the day, that's just slo that's just sloppy and poor management. Well, that's an easy way out, too. If you don't want to work at trying to
really reduce, then the easy way out is to say, "Raise the millage. Tell them I said it or dip into your reserves." That's not a responsible way to run this county. So, what are you what are you proposing?
Are you asking one more time for a reduction or are we at where we are where I think we are that we have to make decisions here and and see what happens because the sheriff's office is is very willing to go to the governor. I'm not afraid to go to the governor. Uh
I think that we could present a very good case here with everything that's happened to us of where we are financially here. So if if that's where we are, let's do it. I mean, if that's the the direction we
have to go, then yeah, I don't I shouldn't have to go and reduce what I consider business people. I shouldn't have to go do it for them. I shouldn't I mean, it's they should
have to do their due diligence and go do it. And it all it does whenever everybody gets like that is it creates a wedge between the entities that should be working together. And I'm not creating that wedge. I don't think we're not I'm not creating no one is creating that
wedge with no with with any of the government. So it's I don't feel like it's my job to go find their money. And I know that they can do it just as well as the other entities that have went out and done
such. But I mean that's almost turned into a I hate lack of a better term into a clown show when I just have to say, "Hey, I'm going to give you this amount of money and that's it." That's just don't make no sense to me. And that's you're exactly right. I mean,
that's just that makes zero sense to me that I would have to go in and just say, "Hey, I'm going to give you just say $9 million and budget is going to reduce by $200,000 and I just go I mean it's just not
the pressure is on and um and some people may think that if I show out enough or if I get mad enough or if I do this that the other they'll cave in because I'm a bit To be honest, I've been here a long time and up until
now, we've always tried to accommodate every constitutional officer. We have never been to this point. And mostly what they have asked us and what the sheriff has asked us, we've given it.
We've not said no. And that may be the problem because they're used to yes, yes, yes, and never a no. And now when you're at a point where you have to say no. And I don't like to have to say no.
But you know, but we're at a point where we need to say no. Well, that's not going over very well as you can see by the show today. So, I mean, yeah, I guess if for we have to just pull a number out of a
hat, I just I [Music] would never ask anybody to go run my business for me. The problem is, you know, they they come over here and and and and they're pumped up and they're ready for a big fight and
and maybe if the fight's big enough, they'll give in. And maybe if we sensationalize enough about the David is what a 100 miles an hour down the road or this or some of them not coming home at night. And I I
I don't take that lightly. I I I have relatives that are in law enforcement and I I know what they go through and I know what the family goes through when they leave every day not knowing if they're going to come back. I'm very sensitive to that and in no way do I
want the essential services like a deputy their jobs cut. I don't want that but we all know in every organization you can make cuts. You may not want to but I
feel like that since they've taken the stance that they have they're not going to back down. There's no need to try in my opinion to you know there's no need for any further negotiations because I don't think that's going to happen. And
I kind of knew that from day one way back months ago and it's played out just like I thought it was going to play out. So, you know, we have we have to do what we have to do. That's our responsibility to our citizens.
Mr. Chair, you know, I hear I hear all this, but I do know some of this stuff is abundance is not our fault. uh GP closes and three mill and three stone. That's not our fault. That's not
their fault either. I'm trying to see it from the perspective that I've lost a job. I've had to go elsewhere and find a job after the meal closed. Others have too. You do the best you can
do. And when you have to make cuts, there just certain thing you have to do. you just can't do no more. So, I think we uh board need to just say, "Okay, we'll take what we got. If we wanted if they said they was going
to give us $150,000 back, take another take another$100,000." Okay. And that'd be 250,000. That's where it was going at when you have to make these hard decision. you make these hard decision not and I appreciate believe it or not I
appreciate Lord cuz when you out there ask the people out there hurt you and if you didn't have Lord we' be hurt not only the law but all our constitution offices they work hard to
do what they need to do in order to keep us afloat and I appreciate not only that when we got here the working office work for us they do us Good job. But I think we with the 700 jobs we got out of this
county, the three storms, we are pretty close to where I think we ought to be. I know the sheriff said, "Wait, we give you 150,000 back." Well, sheriff, we got to have another 50, another 100,
$200,000. says, "Okay, if we that close, then we can fund from reserve, but I I don't have a problem. I've had to dip in my reserve and then you hope for the better for the
backs next year. You might not be able to do it all at one time. You do it sit in the face." Now, for the TCD, I do not want them cut. I can tell you that. For simple reason, they own shoed as it is. And if you go help this county, you
going to need to spend some money to help this county to bring people back or to find other uh jobs to come as well. We have a predicament and any in this predicament, any decision we make, we could be we could
either be rude crazy. I don't want your job or you do the best you can. We going to add those three categor's office when they said $100,000 with no disruption in service. I took that to
mean that they would still supply the two correctional officers. We currently fund them at 65,000 per officer. So, right Danielle, so it's 130,000 that is in their budget for the two correctional
officers, I believe. um 65,000 inmate work squad that started in fiscal year 20 and half of that is offset with secondary road and then I have um fiscal year 21 an additional work squad at 55,000
okay so it's 120 okay now um when the sheriff said they were going to stop the mowing and stop the inmates I don't I'm assuming I don't I'm assuming he was referring to
the additional squad that they have from from the jail that is not funded from the board, but I'm not absolutely sure. So, if what I don't know is if I need to add that money into the board side so we can
fund the correctional officers because our agreement is with the department of corrections, not with the jail. That's where we that's where we utilize the inmate labor. We they're picked up directly from the prison. Um so I don't know if I'm going to have to replace
those correctional officers or if he was just if he was referring to the additional work squad he has and they do they do a lot of cemetery mowing. Now of course if we're not going to continue mowing the cemeteries that's a midpoint.
So that doesn't affect setting the millillage or any of that. That's just something we have to work out. That's what I mean. That's what I heard is that really said all of them. I heard all of them. Take them all and they figure it out. So if it's $125,000
[Music] or $120,000 then you got if we're looking to set a number then you got n,253,000 budget.
You would have to deduct $120,000 off of that and then because I mean that's not reducing the budget if I may be that's going to shift it to you. Yeah. is what it's going to do. So then take the 130 away from your 9,253 and
then we still need a reduction so to speak. Yeah, that's right. Well, I think they offered 100,000 and then if we if they are not going to supply the correctional officers, that's an additional 120,000. Right. Am I
adding right? No, because I was just shifting it to you. Right. No, I was talking about the sheriff's office budget. That's all I'm That's all I'm saying. I get it. But it still takes it but the whole overall budget, right? Does it shifts it straight to you?
And yet every budget looks reduced. But it's not reduced. It's just throw that back in your face and say here you got to go figure it out. It don't change the overall. It does not change the overall budget.
So I'm that's where I'm saying again if you take 1320,000 off of your 9 million 253 and we're they're looking for a reduction that doesn't help that money over here
still. We got that money still going to be spent. So that's what I heard. But like I said, if we're talking about that's our stance to I didn't say it, he said it. That's our
stance to the way we going to run our business, then I feel like we should probably take emergency management also and drive that force as well. This is not the first that we've been
threatened with. Okay, I'm going to pull the work crew. This is this is old stuff. This has been going on. But like you say, that doesn't help the bottom line at all.
To get the same work done, somebody's going to have to pay for it. It's going to cost money. No matter who's putting out, somebody's got to do work. So it doesn't matter if you do it your left hand or your right hand. Money's got to come out one way or another. And they've
been doing it and doing a good job of it. I mean, well, we didn't tell him to stop doing. He said that was his way of giving money back, Jim. That's not giving money back. Well, he he didn't give somebody. Yeah. You still got aund
over You still got $186,000 even with the $100,000 given back. That's still an increased budget. So, we didn't ask for the mowing squad back and all that, but I mean, that was his stance. So given he's reducing his
budget, but in actuality reality that's not reducing the budget. Well, it's reducing him. Well, that's what you asked him to do. You told him, come on, y'all. I listen, I understand your principle, but I understand what
he's saying. You're asking me to cut all of hanging fruit. There there is part of that. Come on. So here or there, that's that's I believe what he's saying from his logic side. Is it take does that mean less tax dollars expense? No sir, it doesn't.
But under the the guidance of the sheriff's office through his program, it is not a service. I I get it. I can't believe we even think about that. I mean, I'm sorry. I just can't even believe we even think like that. I mean, it don't even give
us a little bomb today. That's all. That don't reduce the overall budget that we're trying to do. I mean that we're trying to reduce the overall budget and that doesn't do it. So just to say that oh we gave you this squad back you still got to go ahead and spend
$120,000 on the board side then I don't know how we even think like that. So if county going to have to pay for it one way or another if they want it done and that's where I'm at with it. I mean
they been taking care of it. Who's just going to put pressure on Mr. One that have to make sure all that gets done? That's what's going to happen. I didn't ask for it back. He I know. He just he just use that as a crime. But the thing is it's going to put more pressure on their money to try to get
all that same work done. It's not me or you doing it. And it's going to cost the same amount of money for the taxpayers. Still not a reduced budget and they're taking care of it for the same amount of money. It's just another headache for her. Well, that's going to pull down. That's right.
Her place pretty much full now. I disagree, but I didn't ask for it back. You ain't got it back yet, but it'll be coming if you don't work with him on it. I'm sure I'm not trying to work with you, but I just I don't feel like really trying to
work with us. I mean, I mean, I like these guys. I have no problem with these guys. I think they're good clerks, but I mean at the end of the day, we have a job to do. And I mean, I just say the same amount of work that gets done that they do that he's trying
to give going to give back to you. It's going to put the pressure on one have to all that work and get it done and then it's going to cost more money when you have to change. Unfortunately, you you going to get a different color. I mean,
that's just where I'm at with it. Yeah. Well, we are where we are. Okay. They've said they want to give it back to us. Fine. We'll take it. It doesn't help us with the budget, but we can take it. That's That's fine. I'm tired of those threats anyway. Okay. Uh
and we haven't asked them to do any more than we ask every other constitutional officer and our county administrator. Everybody else has had a sincere put a sincere effort toward helping this
county balance this budget except for them. And again, they planted their foots in the ground and that's where it's going to be. So now I think the ball is in our court. We've got to decide what we're going to do.
So Daniel is 9,253 minus what is 120. Is that 9 million 133? Is that right? You're talking about the current request. I'm looking at the the budget from the
prior budget from last year that we're trying to 923. That's what 33 9 million 133 498. Yeah. We have to take that back then
we're at 9,133 which is so that's not necessarily reducing the overall budget is have a recommendation that we want to go at but
the chair's is that reflective of the 100,000 reduction that they offered he's doing it based off the year budget. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, that's just last year's budget that I'm looking at that we were asking for a reduction.
I'm just looking at if we take the the have to take the dead mate squad back that's $9,333,000 is what it goes to. So depth, I know you had mentioned maybe knocking $200,000. They did knock a h
100,000 off. Well, they knocked 100,000 off their request. I know you mentioned knocking $200,000 off of the prior budget. Make a recommendation that that's what we do. So you go 9 million number
9 million 133 to you know what was that 8 million 933. Well, you know, well, what what we talked about before is a percentage of the budget.
We ask him to cut his budget 15%. Do we want to still say cut your budget 15%. When Dana Dana, what is Dana's total budget? of the new request 2 million.
No, Dana's is 629,524 is her request for the new year. If you can take a small budget like that and cut 14%. Tell me you can't take a over $9 million
budget and and and cut it. She had a lady retire% just like she did. She had a lady retired. She's not going to replace her where a lot of that come from. She did, but she went and she cut a lot of other stuff, too.
Major part of that money that she got was from one employee retiring and she's not. She did. And I I appreciate that. But when I heard her talking right here about all the other things that she cut, it might not have been
um a big ticket item, but she still cut cut to the bone. And that's what I'm talking about. She earnestly did what she could do to help this county budget. We expect that from everyone. Everyone
needs to be treated the same. I'll say with that I feel pretty confident you going to see her standing at that podium asking for that money. a lot. I don't know, especially when election time comes around. But, you know, maybe maybe she can work through it, then that's great and my hats off to her. But, you
know, I'm not going to say that I'm going to sit here and say, "Hey, get 15% out of the sh." But I don't have a problem $200,000 from that
9,33,000 number. That's includes the hundred that he's already graciously given us. I'm taking that away. I'm working off of the budget from last year, the 9 million. I'm not worried about what they submitted. Okay? I'm not concerned about the 9.5 that
they submitted. I'm just talking the 9 million 253 that they had from last year, last year's budget. If we have to take those work squads back, then you got to pull
120 out of that. So you go to 9,133, but that don't reduce the overall budget. But then $200,000 less than that is going to be 8,933.
That's what that should be. understand they got a business to run and and employees but you know I said they over $9 million budget they can could cut I shouldn't we shouldn't have to do such as that that's ludicrous that
we even have to think and do such as that but in addition to taking back the one sales tax correct yeah sales tax besid we're talking about you holding on to that and the sheriff's department and DH if they
have a request and you know I think it's my understand the sheriff's department's got $75,000 carryover we're not looking to pull that back and DH has $528,000 carryover something like that we're not looking to pull that back but even if
they have a request from that those two you talking about those two last ones 58 $800,000 to the hospital got you leaving it that so they can't get it they Yeah, that that would be Yeah, that's the plan. If they the the one sent money
is if they need it and make a request that hey, I need air condition AC needs to be replaced or sheriff, hey, I need a couple cars, new vehicles and we approve it. Same we have to do with our legislative appropriations to the state of Florida. They don't hand us
$8 million and say here, not necessarily go do what you want with it, but I mean we have to request it and then they go through an approval process. Some things they approve and some things they don't approve. Correct. So, uh, just because you ask doesn't mean you're
always going to get it. Correct. So there's I mean that money is is didn't hold on to that money because I mean at the end of the day you may need it in the near future for operational cost and um I mean in the next couple of budget years you may need
that money for operational cost because we might not get this $900,000 likely won't get that $900. I don't know how we approve that this year but they were we were blessed to have gotten it so thankful to have gotten it. So I tell you if we hadn't got that, guess what?
We might be asking for more and more. Talking about we have to fund the ambulance service. Okay? We have to provide our county with an ambulance service. So that itself would come out
of the 1 cent sales tax. Okay? Whatever increases that we incur with that is still going to have to come out of the 1 cent sales tax. So to me that is the first priority is to take that out of the one set sales tax. Whatever is left
over keep it and then as you say if something critical if a critical need comes up then um we can address that then. Yeah. So if we're going to the sheriff's budget,
I want to wrap this up and I'll say down the road. Are we in agreeance? I mean, if we got to go come up with a number, you know, minus the work squad because that's what I heard today that
I threw in his budget $8,933,000 and then he if he agrees to continue the work squad, then add that $120,000 back to it. We I'm not agree with we're cutting it to that rate. those. I mean, I think if if
they're going to go look at those reductions, then we need to see what those look like in in the capacity that the sheriff's fin. We we've asked that. They didn't do it.
Well, he just he just said today he he stood up right there and told me to go back. I believe I heard him say so. Um, did y'all hear that? I think what what I understood was to to determine
what they expend um with their inmate work squad with the mowing and the things that they do which is outside of the correction say what he considered to be all low hanging fruit. Yes sir. I'm not sure exactly what all that entails. Well, that's really just that
way a fruit is going to be sending services back that we got to put in the water budget and do it there. So, I mean how you look at it, I mean there's the numbers not coming back to you unless you're going to do this for the
next four weeks. You got to come you got finalize something and move forward. Yeah. and and I I I'm okay with your proposal, but we still have a huge deficit and we're going to have to
figure out how are we going to how what are we going to do with that? $200,000 is $200,000 and it's a lot of money, but with this budget general fund and takes your MSTU fund to
[Music] 218. Still got 218 deficit left in the MSTU. All these years I've been on board a long time too like you have. They didn't never go up on the millage.
They went down when if anything because we had the mill carried. We don't have a mill anymore. Sooner or later, it's going to come right down to the point you going to have to go up on the middle. And now's the time to start that a little bit. We need to get it a little
bit because all them years that me that's not scaring us anymore. We got, you know, we got to we got to do something and it's going to be once reserve gone. Like you said, there you
are your micro. But reserve will car if we got something to replace it. And we going to have to go up on the millillage a little bit. I've talked to a lot of people in my district and if you went up on the millage a little bit, $200 to $300 a
household not going to break anybody. I mean, it might be tough, but it might it's not going to break them. What we would I I don't have a problem. We show the reductions in budgets across the board. I don't have a problem with a
slight increase in the building. To be quite honest about it, the the director household is probably not but 25 or $30. The bigger the bigger corporations and we all know I'm talking about is that's probably the one that it
might affect more than any. But as far as the regular households, it might be$25 or $30. So yeah, I said we show the community and the citizens that we're decreasing. Everyone's making budget reductions that we're going to
make a slight increase. You know, we got me closures and and and hurricanes is pretty well devastated our real estate. I can live with it. But let me ask you this. I did I me I took out $200,000.
That's from last year's budget. Correct. That will give us 8 8 million 933. Is that what it's supposed to? That's what it would be if we did a reduction. If you look on page 261, you can see the request from last year
and the request this year. You can see the difference there. On page 261, last year's budget we approved was 9,253,000. The request for this year was $9,539,000. I'm working off of what we're looking to
reduce the budget from the $9,253,000 from last year. I'm not looking to reduce the budget a submitted requested budget at 9.5. I'm looking to reduce what we already paid. So yes, that would be 8,933,000.
But if the sheriff's continued the work was then we keep that money in that budget. But somebody's got to got to confirm that. I mean what is uh what's
um it is a threeyear average and it's 53,830. 53,830 is the local match and that's on the board side. The board side I think they get two grants
to kind of wrap that part of it up. That's kind of where I'm at. [Music] So what uh next? So in our in the budget, I do mean to ask um how just moving forward u
where we at on minimum wage with our employees. So So I think in September of this year it goes up to $14. I think it's a very minimal impact. Yeah, there are some people that are going to
have to be moved up. I think it's like5 or $6,000 impact. It's um the general fund is 5,500 and solid waste is estimated at 14,000 and it's included already included. It is that gets everybody to 14 is not at 14
and then next year we'll have to get our that's our mandated. Do you anticipate it to be the same about the same numbers? The only thing that retirement rates and workers comp
pays plays a part in the amount. Wages is the reason we can't get and keep good employees. We need to figure out a way and I know it'll cost money, but we've got to go up on the wages employees or we we going to keep losing
more and losing quality employees. And that's the thing you've got to work towards and that's what everybody needs to think about. That's a whole another discussion that we need to it needs to be looked at wages that are paid and
what we may need to do. You compare the county to the city, the city pays their employees and does the same job a lot more money. And it's a shame, but it's that's the way it's bought out there. We've got to work on that. And the only way you going to do
that is is u just like in the city they pay over $100 more to get their trash picked up than we charge for. And that's another story too. They pay paid $100 more to get their trash picked up. They don't get
picked up once a week. Twice. Twice. Well, twice or whatever, you know. But it's, you know, we we have we're way behind the city as far as wages and and different things and every us on
something. It's like we should be getting the same thing for our dump truck, but we don't. We got to work on that. That's another thing we need to get ahead on. It's costing us money. Everything's going up. What else we got? You know, so
Yeah. So where are we that where does that leave us on the MST 447 I think that would leave us at 218 447 That's where we are at. That's all
right. In the MSTU, we're still at 238 447. Our deficit 238 44 if we've done a millage increase. How would that look
like to balance the pull down? So to balance um the current deficit in the MSTU, it would go from 1.2250 to 1.3960.
[Music] The roll back rate the roll back rate. No, that's not what the roll back rate's a little higher. The roll back rate is 1.43. Okay, that same last year.
So you don't need that much. [Music] 3960. It's 1710. So then where does that take overall? [Music]
It would go from it would go to a total of 8.6386 and right now the total is 8.4676. The what now? Right now it's 8.4676. Yes. And it would go to 8.6386.
and that would only affect folks in areas. So that still basically would just So I did a um I just did an example of someone that has like a $100,000 value and they pay on $50,000. It's an
increase of around $8.55 a year. But that still that really just kind of balances it out. That steel does not come back.
Well, that doesn't right. That doesn't affect the MST. You mean just overall EMS bid that we're doing. That's that's still we may have to increase that. Correct. But that could come out of the 1 cent sales tax. So instead of having a
5050 split, you could have 64 whatever the percentage is. So the balance could easily come out of the 1 cent sales tax revenue. Yeah, I think currently we're doing 50% out of the general fund and 50% out of the
sales tax. You know, I I'm sitting here thinking and listening that we're talking about increasing taxes and and I go back to what Commissioner Moody said. The city
uh we have a two day a week pickup for the garbage. Our roll offs are open seven days a week. seven days a week. So,
why don't we talk about maybe cutting back on that and and and you know, because I think that's an opportunity to to save some more money before we jump right off into increasing things. I
I I want to look at more opportunities. I see that because you know and and will we get a lot of calls? Yes, we will. We'll get a lot of calls, but if you if you raise their uh taxes, you're going
to get a lot of calls anyway. So, uh and it's what you get used to. Uh you know, if if and in town, we know our garbage is going to be picked up on Monday and Thursday where I
live. Okay. So, we prepare for that and I think that in the county we could do we could certainly cut back. I don't know part of it that I just wanted to put that number out there so it would be
understand. Yeah, I don't disagree with but when you do if we did end up cutting such it wouldn't affect the MST MST. I know the effect of solid waste the feed but it's still money to the county. It is
right and we can run those numbers and I think it would I mean it may help overall as far as some of the staffing issues that we have. Right. So what what funds will we look at that would
help balance the MST a lot. So again, you can use 1 cent sales tax revenue for operations or you can look at your millillage in the MSGU. Now all that being said,
we don't know, you know, different insurance is expensed to the MSTU, the MSTU departments. So if there's a reduction in some of our lines of insurance, it may have a positive effect, but that's just unknown. And for purposes of
setting the millillage, we're you're not going to know before you have to vote to set the millillage. But you can set the millillage and come down later if you need to. I really don't I mean I could be wrong,
but I don't think our insurance expenses are going to go up unless there's a change next year. Right. So in the way that property insurance, so if we have another storm as an example,
something is damaged, whatever is damaged, we have to in we have to make sure our property insurance covers whatever FEMA is going to reimburse. So say Marcia, you might be able to help me. Recycle
building for instance, totally destroyed, right? So if FEMA reimbures at X amount of money, they're then going to require insurance policy to be at least at that minimum amount moving
forward. So that's one of the reasons why our insurance increased so much is because everything that was destroyed for Idelia Pine, they came back and said, "Okay, we're reimbursing this." So now at a minimum, you have to have this
move forward. That makes sense. So every year our property insurance could, you know, depend on what happens. So with the uh with that FEMA reimbursement deal that say they give X amount of dollar. I'm just going through
some folks I talked to in these same situations that they FEMA was going to give them X amount of dollars, but then they were going to require all this insurance. So, they just declined the money. They declined the money because the cost
of the insurance was going to be outrageous. And they require you to have we have to give them our insurance policy, right? So, I mean, just generally speaking, when you look at it, do we even have to accept the money? If if if
the if it's going to be going to be a negative impact in the long run is what I I understand that particular building um it was a turnkey project. I just use that as an example, but the bid alone for the rebuild was over a million dollars. That
makes sense for what type of policy you would have just for one building. Well, I mean, it's like the airport, the hanger at the airport, the premium came in at that and I mean, it was the premium for that was what over $50,000.
I mean, it's crazy. Yeah, it's it's a lot. But so, but I understand what you're saying. So, that's something we can look at moving forward. And on the and you know just to add to some of the angst every three years I think they do a
survey and um so there were some things added to the policy that weren't there before and that increased the premium as well. But I you know I it's just it's just difficult to to be able to predict where those
premiums will come in at you know going through the procurement process. hopefully a reduction, but look like it would be need to be in the insurance. One thing that that might be helpful to look at if you have this one that
Danielle gave out Monday um that says Taylor County 2526 budget about three pages from the back is where the MST community fund overall starts. So you see the revenues there. One of the things that kind of makes sense is
building permit fees don't really cover the cost of the building department. I mean, I know it's not a lot and a lot of money, but it, you know, if you could increase the fees to at least cover those expenses. Um, that would, you know, get some money that would help. And then the next page
is the expenditure. So, you can see volunteer fire, county fire, code enforcement, building department, animal control. So, those are all the things that's funded out of that department there. So those are things that have to be decreased if you're going to do it or decrease anything. It has to be in those
department. So that's just easy what you can do there. But um and I think the city does reimburse us some for animal control. That probably won't change.
Animal control fees are only $200. what that is. And I don't know if if any of these new fire stations when they're projected to be completed or if they're going to be manned, then that's going to be a that's going to be an increase on the
extended when those get completed. All those guys got started. That was fine, but it's kind of a deal with some of the new ones that are going to be a couple of the new ones that's going to be that will be built [Music]
longterm idea, but I mean we just [Music] have fun or event that hey we get some industry comes into the community the next two or three years or five really I say
more realistically four to five years so right so MST fund you know we're at a $28,000 deficit you see MSTU
funding opportunities And like the clerk said, I mean one that your permit that be about your only option. So that'd be your only option to even gain
any ground in the MST. But I think well I know some of these other areas she's probably already been cut done some cuts. But we could um I mean we could certainly look at some other counties
and similar uh population and size and compare our our permit fees to other counties. And I think the last time the fees were changed was 2008. Yeah, they have not been increased in quite some time. And I know immediately
after the storm um you know was a sensitive time to bring it up but um we can we can bring those numbers back but for budget purposes we have that much time
[Music] back if [Music] Well, before the bud I mean before the budget is finalized certainly before the final budget hearings. That's something we can work through between now and now now and then. And
you there's the special meetings on the 29th to set the millillage, right? And that millage is what's advertised on the trim notices and then set that higher rate and then if the permit fees reduce that then it would be and the insurance reduce that then you can lower it if that's what you wish to
do. And and when is the final final? Um September. September. I got those dates if you need. Um so the first public hearing would be September the 8th.
[Music] Can we take a short break, Mr. Chair? Sure. Yeah. I just want to take I'm just saying goodbye. [Music]
All right. We wouldn't have any carrier. I don't know how I came up with a hammer. Whose [Music] problem that is? [Music]
I don't think you'll get that. [Music] [Music] I got another one on this one a while, jumped out there and got you. If you don't care, I need X-rays.
And we know that it's going to somebody [Music] Thanks. [Music] Right. was going to leave a bruise. That's serious stuff. Take the long way around.
Oh, he's got it on film, too, right? With that thing. Praise [Music] [Music] the Lord. [Music] That's coming.
[Music] [Music] Yeah, but if you got [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]
I wanted to keep looking for any little amounts that we can you know, recover. So, I had a call um the last week from someone that has
rental property at the beach and they were telling me that they gave their solid waste card to the renters and the renters didn't return that card.
So they wanted to get another card and so and I don't know how many cards are floating around out there. There may be a few. There may be a lot but however many is out there
just gives the opportunity for someone to use the roll off that shouldn't be using the roll off. You see what I'm saying? So I was talking to wonder earlier about it and
I just like Russ to discuss on those cards we give out two to each property owner right annually and so um if they come back and say that
they've lost their card or the renter didn't give it back to them that we charge a pretty hefty fee for that for that extra card. That way, um, especially for someone that has rentals,
uh, they can, you know, if we charge them, I'm just going to throw a number out there. If we charge them $50 for another card, then they can get that deposit once they hand that that card to their renter, they can get a $50
deposit. So, if they if they return that card, give them the $50 back. If they don't, then they have to come buy another one. They've got the $50 to buy the extra card. So, that would eliminate, I think, maybe some misuse of
our roll offs. Anybody got any feelings about that? I didn't I hate to see even having cards. It needs to be stickers only as far as I'm concerned. I know it would interfere with the rentals because I had rentals too and all of them had cars in
them and they I had them hung on the board in the rental houses at the beach. But the thing is we are I talked to Gary Bold about it. He said, "We are actually probably getting $2 to $300,000 a year
extra stuff haul to the dump side to hold, you know, to to the waste that we shouldn't even be get. We're getting it from the city. We're getting it from contractors. These hurricanes are good example of that. at my dump
site down behind airport. I seen trailer loaders and trailer loaders contractors pulling in there and unloading. The other day I pull up there. Here's a contractor had a whole trailer full of sheetrock and he brought his tractor on another trailer and they were unloading
the trailer with his with with the front end loader into our dump. I mean it took all I could do to keep them saying, you know, go up there and say, "Whoa, wait a minute. I didn't." I told them employee there after they left I went back by there and I live right
below the dump there. I said y'all need to uh you know start looking in contractor doors on their truck said contractor they don't need to be dumping it. They charge the people that they work for waste fee to go to green you
know and and they need they need to be cared to green. We have got to get a hand on it. It's costing the taxpayers to have the county a world of money. Yeah. you know, if we had canisters like other counties instead of those big roll
off things, you know, that might help cuz and I've looked at at other counties, I, you know, as I go through and I I'll look at them and they don't have those roll offs. They don't and they'll run you off. You go to Madison or Madison Highway and try to dump TR over sheetrock. See what they
do. They'll feed you to the green. They will. I didn't try Greenville. He said, "You need to take that notice and go to Greenville." I just stopped there. I was I was going to Greenville. I said, "I'm going to go have some that lady told me." He said, "You got to go
somewhere else. You got to go." I said, "I understand." And that's what all around the county is doing, too. They're sending them there. I think that's how we get a handle on it is to eliminate these rolloffs and and go to the the canister and then we can you know we can
uh at at another time another meeting we can talk about you know what do the people that have the C and D what are they going to do with it? So I think dog would a little we got hor with the with the dumb business and we like you said we need to
do that in different conversation different time but I'm for that we have got to get a home it's called in taxpayers f county world I have people complain to me about it you know and we're paying for that and I I actually had
I actually had someone within the city recently that asked to use my car to take off a bunch of stuff where they had destroyed uh a building and I said I can't do that. I cannot do that. But um you know
we we need to schedule time and really seriously talk about changing this process. There's a lot of things we can cut and we need to talk about later on that can cut money and help and help the county. And what what do y'all think about, you
know, charging extra for that card if they So, you think the sticker is a better option? You think the sticker on the vehicle is a better option? I do because, you know, we'd have to do something different with the rentals, but most of the rentals now are taken
care of from realtors. They should work that out with a realtor that handles their rental houses and things like that. But the stickers and one lady told me said, "I don't want a sticker on the back of my car." I said, "All you got to do is just open your door, put it right down there. When you open your door to
dump the stickers blind you, you know, and and nobody else will see the sticker on your car." I said, "There's an easy way to do it, you know, instead of putting up on your windshield, put it just inside your door on your car, your truck, when you open the door. There it is. That's the way it is on my truck out
there, you know." And uh the sticker would be the the people at the dump sites have have told me over and over all the different sites I've stopped at and talked to people the attendance they even hate to ask somebody for a
card or you know but if they see a sticker you know they they know they they good to go I mean all in all it would really be better to have stickers and they can't pass them around like they pass the cards around there there's
gentleman that cleans up yards all over Taylor County trees right back here. I seen him one day when I left here. I went by there and he was loading a trailer right here in the house two houses down from the street back here. I went to the house and got something and headed back to town. And
when I headed back to town, he was at our dump site down there, you know, behind the airport. I'm pulling up. I said, "Where are you working?" He said, "I'm working for some people on Golf Course Road." I said, "Yeah, you sure are." I said, "I just seen you up there
behind her office, you know." And and you know, he laughed. I said, "You go ahead and unload it now." But I just, you know, it's happening with tons and tons of stuff this comes out the city that we're having the tax the countyy's
having for I mean, we that's we really need to have a special deal on that. something you want to say? Sir, I just want to say in reference to those stickers, I got one on my truck. It's on the front bumper and every time I go to the dump, they ask me for a card cuz
that sticker don't mean a thing to them. Yeah. I think the stickers are out anyway, right? We don't have anymore. When you pull up there to the dump, open that door, people just on the inside of your door, right down at the bottom. It's right there on the bumper. When I come drive in, they ought to be able to
see it. Yeah. He said it's on the front bumper and they don't ask for it. So let's schedule a workshop for this for later. Um yeah, but I got probably some other options on to look at that, but that's
not really for this budget stuff right now. And and Mr. Moody's right. A lot of stuff is coming out of the city. Every time I go, I see people I know live in the city down there using the dome. And if I know them live in the city, I know them people running off sites know it
too. You got sir, I don't roll off site. You told me not. How many roll off site do we have in the nine? Nine, right? We got nine. Okay.
So, uh, back to the MSTU, $238,000 deficit, see our options, and I guess is it like for the time being, we're either going to balance that,
if the options are going to be to balance it from the village increase that Daniel has mentioned, or 1 cent money. I mean, you can use MSTU reserves. That's an option. But
what reserve again? Right at 2 million 2.3. How much how much money does that MSTU increase each year? Do we even see much of an increase in that each year?
It's increasing quite a bit from this year to next year. Um, I would have to go back and look to see what it the trend. I didn't do the trend for MSTU. I only did it for general fund. I'd like to know that number also,
you know, maybe we had to do it one year, but I just I just cannot. Well, you have to remember that um we've been trying to build the MST reserves by using 1 cent sales tax for capital purchases, right?
So, that's helped. I I'd rather, you know, look at that one cent sales tax. I am just afraid to use a anything catastrophic could happen and there would be I'm just very very
cautious about that. And really I just don't want to get too confident in having to use the 1 cent sales tax one year then we may need to [Music]
just so do we have a suggestion for the board on this 238,000 what we want to do from the MSTU sir from the MSTU reserve you have a well you have a $238,000
uh deficit there. Okay. I mean your options are the increase that they are presented in the millillage uh or balance from the MSTU reserves or
balance from the one cent money. For me, I would I would probably refrain myself. I would refrain from trying to balance from the one the MSTU was theirs. Right. I for the 1 cent sales tax. Now
my question would be um to y'all financial people um with the one cent sales tax if we took it all back it would more than um take care of the MSTU
and the ambulance service. Yes. Expect an increase in that respect. Correct. doing this, taking out of one pocket and putting it in the other really because if they come up with a need, you're going to give them the money anyway and it's going to have to come
out of reserve. Maybe maybe not. It depends on what it is just cuz you got your hand out. But yeah, if it's something they got to have, I'm all for it. But I think there's been some purple spending in in some areas, but at least that would that
would be a fix. Um that would be the best use of that sales tax in my opinion. Use that instead of going up on the millillage for right now. Right now I thought we've said that we didn't really want to use those funds not
knowing unknown bids or expenses that it wasn't responsible to go into these reserves. So that's really eliminating some of those options of what we're going to be able to do. So I I think it's permissible
in this conversation to either look at the MSTU reserve or the one set reserve. Yes. Not just the one set monies for next year. Is that is that true? I would think so. I mean you'll have to
change your pass resolution for operating right just like we did with it. So even to use the one that reserves you have to pass resolution. Yes. What did he say? Eric we have to change we you would have to
adopt a resolution just like you did when we started using for the for EMS. So right now your only two options is going to be increase in the millillage or MST
reserves. No, I mean you have plenty of time. You have plenty of time. Yeah, you have plenty of time to pass a resolution to utilize your once in sales tax funds
to you know and again we don't know you know there are some unknowns but as far as time I think what's pressing right now is a decision about setting your millillage because you know you can set your mileage and then if these unknowns
you know things work out and you don't need as much then you can lower the millage or you can use your one sales tax. But we also talk about if if the building department if you change those fees between now and you really have to adopt a final decision, you may have a
number there budget for next year if that's something you do, right? But the path forward would be to set that at the 1.396 and then you would use that to cover if ne as you could. That would cover it. Worst case scenario, we covered the deficit, but
you could always reduce it if you found somewhere else to or if you decided to use reserves or whatever, you can always set another mill rate. And that's that hearing is in September. So you have between now and September to work out the details. Yeah. So the July 29th, you've got to
set that tenative millage, which would be the the one that the 1.33 or whatever it is 1.396 1.396. And then by the September meeting, you would you would have more numbers and a
better idea and you can reduce that. Leave it the same. Leave it at 1.22. You just can't go over it. Or we could at the next meeting we could pass a resolution. That's easy to do in one meeting. Yeah. You can do that before the September hearing meeting.
Yeah. And and that way now you have to probably prepare it and advertise it and all that. So, well, I mean time you can do it before September. We're going to do with that money keeping that money. We're going to do that anyway. So, correct.
[Music] I asked a lot of people about what would you rather see um you know cut funds on different departments and this and that and they told me say going up on the millage and this is more than one person told me this go up on the
millage a little bit instead of cutting yourself short and said you can always go down you can't go back up you know you can't keep going up but you can go up enough to cover everything and instead of pulling out of your reserves
and your one sales tax, the millillage um they said they'd rather see the millage go up and take care of business. They said a fire truck, a ambulance, a hospital, and a sheriff's department, something they want to have. They don't
they don't want to cut short on those sort of things. And it's just it's a no-brainer. You know, you you you're going need more money for the fire department. If you're ever going to give them a raise, you're going to need more money to give our employees raises.
You're going to have to go you're going to have things to tear up. You going to have to buy just like we bought the new dump truck the other day. I mean, the garbage hauling truck. We've got we've got somewhere. The money's got to come from somewhere. And
people I you know they said you may rather you go up on the millillage is what people told me you know and I asked a lot of people I I've been talking this for months you know to different people cuz I knew this was coming up and they just don't want services cut. We can
save some money on some of the services just like we did talk about this dump sites. There's a lot of ways we can save money but it just takes a little planning to do it. But the mill is what they want to make sure that we have services and really the only way we
going to keep keep our services up to par is is is go up on the millage a little bit. Yeah. What what my fear is is that we raised the millillage this year. Next year we're going to be in the same
situation. Then say for instance we raised that millillage again last year of next year. The first thing before you know it, we're going to be at 10 mills. That's it. That's it. And then what are
we going to do? What are we going to do then? We've already capped that off. So, uh, we're taxing everybody to the max. So, something one day something unless a pile of money comes in from somewhere,
one day we're going to run out of money. We can't raise that millillage no more. So I that's I'm just very very careful in wanting to raise the millillage. We've got that one cent
that that we can use. Um how long's it been since millage was raised? I'm not sure. I haven't he Yeah, I don't remember. MSTU was raised when um Commissioner Pers
to hire two firefighters at the beaches. Yeah. So, it's about five years ago. I think it was in 2018. 2018, I think. So, you'd be in favor of a minor a general fund. You're talking about a
millage rate for MSTU as well as expenses for general fund. What does what would that cost look like for some if we did the the MSDU but also for the general fund fall I would have to recalculate it. So for I
re I calculated what the M what the general fund mill would be at the deficit when we came in. That's what I'm asking for. Okay. So it would go um from 7.2426 2426 to 7.360.
Could you repeat that please ma'am? Um 7.2426 is the current millillage, right? It would go to 7.360 to cover the deficit we had on Monday. Yes, ma'am. And do you know what that annual increase would be on the same
values? Um it would be about $5.80 including the MS to you that'd be 13. Yes. So less than $14 a year on those values. Well, would that cover what we need to
keep going? That's that's on the budget that was put budget. But then again, pull up for next year. I'm not looking to go backwards in the reductions that we looked already discussed. I'm not looking to back up in the budget
discussion. Um, for me, we're still I think we have the general fund taken care of and we're still working on the MSTU
fund. I'm pretty flat as a wait, I don't really want to increase the mill or use the reserves, but we got to do one or the other. So, Uh but I'm not looking to back up to
balance the budget totally and we already made a plan with the general part. So me the discussion still stands at the MST fund deficit of $238,000
What do you want to do? I don't really I mean you got to do one or the other. That's all pretty flat. I don't really want to, you know, I don't I want to raise or go in those kind of reserves, but you know, I probably would be more in favor of the 1 cent money for
now. And then, you know, if we did raid anything, then you you balance the budget at the 1 cent money. And if you if we did increase the millillage, then how is that going to benefit us going
forward other than balance budget? Well, I think I think for the sake of coming to having to set a rate that we could then reduce from, if our needs are not that high, then absolutely we can always reduce that number. But I think
going towards um the special meeting that's coming up for me, these are the the numbers that we see we can come to. um that's that's just where it seems to be like and if we make a decision to offset that with a partial amount of
reserve funding or or different funding then we can but I think in looking at those amounts if I understood that right it's less than $14 a year increase I do agree with what commissioner Moody said with the folks
that I have spoken with I'm a taxpayer I don't want to pay higher taxes uh we've got these services that we've got to pay for and we certainly can continue to look and find ways to be creative and and being more efficient, but at the end of the day, we still have
to come to a point to set these rates and and understanding we can set those and reduce them if we have that option or opportunity. we have the option, but I don't think going into that session without having greater, you know, input
or data from a number of places, whether that be what the costs of the ambulance service are going to be or insurance or a number of unknowns. Um, for me, it seems the most um wise to
set those rates at what we realize we would have to have. And certainly we can look deeper into reducing that should we get that potential. Mr. Chair, you know, I I hear the words creative,
but I haven't heard anything creative so far except to raise the millage rate perhaps. And I want to go back to my suggestion earlier about um
maybe cutting some of the days with the roll off. So what I would really like to see is is uh Lwanda if you could come back with the next meeting Monday if that's possible. I don't know if it is and give us some options. Give us some
proposals of um cutting back on on the non rolloffs and see see what that um you know where that nets us and before we start blunk saying going to raise taxes,
let's look at those creative idea ways and see where we can cut versus spend. So just I just understand though talking about the what you're talking about the solid waste and the the hours of service
even if we did I mean to me that's probably a whole different discussion I guess because even if we even if you did I mean the the solid waste assessment is what it is right correct so that's not really going to reduce anything to the citizens it might put
you know more it may it may bring more revenue just you're just really just reducing the services so to speak, but it may put more in your solid waste reserves, but it's not going to reduce the taxpayers's solid waste assessment.
So, what your general cost if you cut the days and we we already have problems with um having enough employees for the rolloffs anyway. So, uh and you know, one of our biggest
expenses, if not the biggest, is salaries and benefits. So, um, you know, that would be one way that I think that it would reduce the cost. Yeah. But I just want to say that maybe I don't I don't disagree in having the
discussion, but I just think for budget purposes, it's probably not going to help. I mean, we can do that and even if it was in October, you can do it. You're still going to get the same results if you cut back, but it's not going to do anything to this particular budget. Well, and and I I I hear you. Uh but if
she comes back with some proposals that would be s somewhat significant then that wouldn't play a part into this budget. Not it's not going to play it's not going to play a part in reducing any
cost to the citizens because that is a the assessment is there and all it I mean in the solid waste budget yes it might just say if we cut services by just say I'm just using a third then
it may put a$100,000 additional dollar into the or may put $200,000 into the solid waste reserves But so yes, it I'm not I'm not saying it's not going to help the solid waste budget, but overall it's not in our
general and our MSTU fund. It's not going to do anything there that we're working on today. That's true. And the same tonnage is going to come the day after. If you collect it for two days, that third day, they going to bring the same amount of weight.
We have to save on employee cost right there. Yeah. But I'm not saying don't discuss it at all. I'm not saying not that it don't need to be discussed, but I'm just saying I go ahead, sir. I just want to say if you close the roll off sites for a couple days a week, which I personally think is a good idea,
you still going to have a problem with vandalism. People's going to cut the fence and go in there anyway. You already they're already doing that. You're going to have to spend money to keep people there to keep them from doing that. Yeah. So, you're defeating the purpose by doing it.
I disagree with the discussion, but maybe we can put that in the near future, maybe in an August meeting, and maybe it's something we can discuss. I I'm just trying to think outside the box. Oh, I disagree. What What can we do to save this county
some money? That's the only thing I'm doing. Yep. Well, I'm 100% with you. I'm 100% with you. So, do we have a recommendation for this MSTU fund, the $238,000 deficit?
I recommend going up on the mill. So, go from the 1.225 to the 1.360. Would that exact figure that that's the that's the MSTU fund,
right? Was I correct? 1.3 1.3960 1.3960. [Music] So it would go from 1.225 to 1.3960 and that would be
how much will how much will I bring in? Enough to balance. It will cover the deficit 238,00 Yeah. I recommend that we take it out of the one sales tax.
I'd be in agreement with the military. I would report the 1% sales tax at this time. And then if we did any kind of millage increase, I would like to see where is it going to benefit the business. What is this? Where's the where's it
going to benefit the business for the citizens? If we did an increase, it going to benefit with a mill increase. Hey, I'm get you charge you more money, but I'm going to give you extra firefighters or extra whatever. So, I for now I'd be
I'd be in favor of one money. I said I'm opposed to any budget increase, but I'd like to be able to tell the citizens you're not having to pay money to balance the budget, get this budget, but you're paying additional money to
this what you get, right? The sales tax comes from people from everywhere coming through here. It's not just local people in it. really need to go up on the the rate of
that, you know. I mean, sales tax could go up, too. I mean, but that would get everybody comes through here. Everybody buys gas. Everybody just at Walmart, you ride through Walmart park. You can't see the tag. It's all out of town people.
I agree with you. But the the problem that we've got right now is the governor has cut out a lot of sales tax on a lot of stuff. And it's not just seasonal, it's year round. And I don't know what kind of impact yet that's going to have on us, but I'm sure
it's going to have some kind of negative on us. So, you know, we raise, he lowers. I mean, that's a good reason not to not to cut you out of the sales tax because we don't know if we're gonna have that same sales tax next year, you know, with
these cuts we got coming. The same thing about property tax. Yeah. It it didn't it didn't make to the floor this year, but next year it's coming. Yeah. I still am in favor of using the sales
tax to balance the MSTU fund of 238,000 and 238,000. [Music] Yeah, Mr. D. What you think? What you thinking? I think one put in the other me. That's
about right. Yeah. Both them up with one fall push. Do a sales tax. Everybody pays it. You're saying, "Yeah, that money." Yeah. Let's make sure we do that resolution on
the next meeting. The next meeting, don't we? No, it have to be the first meeting. Yeah, next week's agenda's already gone out. I'm not sure what kind of does it require advertising. probably not a resolution I don't think but we'd have to ask Conrad to prepare it or I
mean I can ask Conrad to prepare and get it on the agenda. So maybe the next meeting that Tuesday's meeting not the one after that the one after that first meeting in August so uh
what next I guess I'm going back I just want to be clear on the gel emergency management and the mullet. Is that now going to be ours or is it
still undecided? I hear nothing about the jail. Well, okay. Well, whatever. I know that was mentioned at one time. I'm sure it'll be brought up after this meeting and all over. So, I guess a lot
of need to let us know what that what we need to do there. If the if the board is considering um changing your interlocal agreement with the sheriff's office, I would have to bring that um put that on an agenda
for the board to discuss. If you if you want to just you know however you want to change that you do or don't the um I'm sure I'll get clarification about the correctional officers
and um bring that back to the board. So we did calculate if you if the board does agree to cut the sheriff's budget to 8 million 33498 that would leave a Daniel 300 304669
would be an excess. Say that again. 304669, [Music] but you'd have an excess in the general fund. And so when we balance, I would roll it into reserves. Even um so the increase for the correctional officers,
the 120 would either go back to them if depending on what they said or we would budget in the county budget. I I allowed for the 120 also. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. [Music] Yeah. I calculated either way. What else?
All right. So I guess my question would be do we need to meet on Monday or since we kind of know where we're going. The next thing the special meeting is on the 29th and you are going to just set the um tenative millage and that millage will go on the trim notices.
We skip the 24th. That's what I'm asking. Not skipping the 24th and then the next budget meeting being the 29th. We have we have budget workshop scheduled for Monday the 21st and the 24th. So, um, I guess it depends on what you want
meet the 21st or the 24th, right? And then we would set the millillage at 5:30 on the 29th. Um, I mean, I guess we don't have anything else to discuss. Then we would just reconvene on the 29th.
Well, I I really think we're where we are. I mean, I don't know what else to do. Well, and I can update the board on the 22nd and then if we need a workshop after that, then that can be scheduled.
We would need to meet on the 24th. You can just leave them schedule and then cancel, right? So, you want to go ahead and cancel the 21st. wait on the 24th just in case there's something you need to further discuss
after the meeting on the 22nd. And so just to be clear because I think it says on the agenda is Thursday the 29th, but it's Tuesday the 29th. Oh, right. That's when the that's when we have a special hearing to set the tenative.
Yeah. Tuesday the 29th. And you have a workshop that night. It's not Monday the 21st council 24th Thursday still on that on Tuesday at our Tuesday meeting.
Okay. All right. So [Music] got any any items you want to I just wanted to let the board know that we had our mandatory EMS meeting yesterday and we had five companies
attend the meeting which is very encouraging. It is very positive meeting very informative and that's a mandatory pre-bid meeting. So um if companies did not attend that meeting they cannot submit a proposal. who who live in 10.
So, we have five different companies. I got a couple of things. I just want to just make sure that it's clear. Um the again, the sheriff accused me of lying to him and telling him that
I was not going to cut his budget. That conversation was la I think it was last budget session, not this, not this. and we talked and at that time I said no I don't have any intentions of cutting
you vote to cut your budget at that time because we were we were kind of okay you know so as far as this cycle that we're in now I have not said that I'm not I have not told him that I
wasn't going to cut his budget we have not discussed his budget for this cycle I just want to make make sure that that's that's very clear. Um the other thing I want to um publicly apologize to Commissioner
Moody. Um I have no intent of throwing rocks at you and um I I apologize uh for I apologize for that. And um
again, I really appreciate everybody that's worked so hard to try to make this budget work. And um Johnny, I want to thank you for your leadership. Um I really appreciate that.
Anyone else? All right, there's nothing further. Meeting is adjourned. Line muting. Part: 2
Hey. started stand blessing you over We come thanking for your goodness and your mercy. Lord, we asking your help right now as we start to do what's best for our citizens. Thank you, Father. You
brought us from where you too, Father. None of this is personal, but it is about business. We thank you again and we love you for how you're taking care of us. Father, then we expect you to air us through this session that we all will be able to this was something
we all be able to live with. And we thank you again. Father, bless all our people that work with us. Bless this country and bless those that standing around the world that's protecting from all the harm. Lord, protect all our fish in a special
way. Help us, Father, as we go from one good degree to another. and we'll be soever give you the praises and the glory for as praises go up, blessings come down and we all stand in need of a blessing. Jesus name I pray.
Amen. To the flag of the United States of America to the stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. like to welcome everyone to our meeting.
It's Thursday, July 17th, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. This is our second budget workshop for the fiscal year 2025 2026. There's a conference line set up with a a number there is 1 1917 9001022.
Access code is 32347 pound. This is not a toll-free number. You may be subject to long-distance charges according to your long-distance plan. When the chairperson opens the meeting for public comment, please follow the below instruction. If you wish to speak, please dial star five.
The moderator will unmute your line as your turn to speak and notify you by announcing the last four digits of your telephone number. Please announce your name and address. You'll be allowed to speak for three minutes. Any person wishing to address the board regarding an agenda item will be given three
minutes for comment. The commenter may only speak one time for each agenda item. With that said, move on to item three. The board to whole budget workshops continue discussing all aspects of fiscal year
2025 2026 budget priorities. So yes, you know, I guess we're just going to continue our talks. We didn't make any changes um you know, on Monday, but we still do still have the desk deficit in the
general fund of 1913 and then in the MSTU is 238447. There are two small changes we can make. Uh we can remove the rolloff truck from next year's 1 cent sales tax capital
list. It is on the ground. It is on the ground now. So we'll use current funding for that um that the board already approved. And the health department has agreed to reduce their budget request to $30,000. So they've agreed to reduce by
$10,000. So the original last the current year's request is 50 and they're coming down to 30,000 total. Yes sir. So the 10,000's already reflected in this. So the new 10,000 within
181 375 and then the truck one cent sales tax. So I don't it won't change the um 1 cent budget. It'll increase the reserves but it won't change the amount but it will reduce the solid waste
budget by that amount the total overall that won't have any effect on the deficit fund. Wow. So, moving forward, I know we got the sheriff here, so you want to come on up
and I'm mounting right there today. I'm just going to give y'all an overview of, you know, I know that sheriff's budget is the largest budget you have. We understand that.
We also understand that, you know, it's been said that we didn't do anything to try to cut our budget or anything. Well, last year we submitted a $9.4 $4 million budget. We reduced that budget by 211,000 last year to help balance the budget. We also took a 5% decrease in
the 1% sales tax where we buy our capital outlay of vehicles and things like that. We can't keep going backwards. We got to pay the deputies. Those deputies are out there risking their life every day. This morning, we had a high-speed chase already. before 7:30
this morning. We're in a high-speed chase with a convicted felon with warrants. Those are those are high-risk endeavors that we go to every single day. So having said that,
you know, I understand, we all understand that that we're in a crunch that we have to do other things, but you still got to pay the deputies and we got to pay the high-risisk retirement. So there was some question about our budget, the way
we submitted it. So there were no payraises. I will reiterate that again. There were no payraises other than what the board authorized at 50 cents per hour last year, but you didn't fund that in our budget. You actually subtracted it. That was
part of that 211,000. We made up the difference in the budget ourselves. We worked some other things around. We took about $100,000 hit to our um operating funds, personal services about 100,000 and that was reduced. and then
about 12,000 in contractual services that we absorbed the funding last year. So when John submitted the budget this year or we submitted the sheriff submitted the budget, he added that 211,000 back in plus and this is just this year alone the increase in the
high-risisk retirement fund. 97,8386. That's how much our retirement increased. The sheriff's department is the only department in the county, the office of the county that operates besides the fire department, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, all the holidays that everybody else gets to go home and enjoy. We do not. So these guys put their life on the line every single day. Is it worth a dollar
here or a dollar there? You guys ask for an officer every single meeting to protect you. We provide it. That's not part of our budget. That's an overtime item that's not part of our budget that we buzz for.
Every special event that you have and you ask for officers, we provide officers. When you call, we come. So, if you reduce the budget, the time that it takes us to come is going to be longer because, as we've said before,
the only way to really cut is in personnel. Now, that personnel can be deputies or that personnel can be correctional officers. But also remember that when we talk about lowhanging fruit and all the things that we do for the county, all
the mowing, all the inmate work crews that we provide, all that stuff, that's not part of our core mission. So if we got to cut, we're going to be cutting off of what's not our core mission. 24 hours a day, we have to have correctional officers to watch inmates.
You know that we've had a couple of escapes. We really need more people in jail, but we work with what we got. None of you have had to knock on the door at 2:00 in the morning to tell a parent that their child is dead from an automobile accident or for somebody
shooting them in a driveby. That we've had here in town, several drivebys. None of you have had to walk to the door and knock on it and tell the spouse that their husband is not coming home today because he was just shot in the line of duty or he's been killed in the car
crash in the line of duty. We've done that three times. It's a high-risisk job and unfortunately it takes money for that high-risisk job. Having said all that, John reworked some numbers and everything and we can take off of our budget
request because we added that 211 back in. We cannot continue to take that kind of cut. We'll take $100,000 off our general revenue request. We'll work some numbers some different way and we'll reduce our request from the the one cent money bond another
$50,000 to 350. We still have to buy equipment from these guys. We still have to buy cars, ballistic vests. Those have expiration dates. We have to replace those on a constant basis. Fuel has not went down. The cost of
supplies have not went down. So, I mean, the budget is what the budget is. I mean, the sheriff did go back and he's willing to cut that 100,000 from our current request and the 50,000 from the
1 cent money that where we do our capital outlay stuff. So, if there's any questions, we'll try to answer them. If not, that's our presentation. Thank you. We will start questions from
I do. So, are are you are you telling the citizens of this county that you will reduce your law enforcement officers instead of reducing administrative or non-essential
workers? We don't have any non-essential workers. Okay, let's go back to reducing administrative. Instead, you're saying that the only thing I can do is reduce debuties and that's pretty sensational.
Instead of You say it's not. You want to come be a deputy? Our administrative staffs are all deputies except for our finance officer and our human resource director and our civil clerk and the clerk at the jail.
Every dispatcher works. That's an essential position. I can't cut those. Correctional officers are essential positions. I can't cut those. But everyone, the sheriff, myself, Buddy Lee that you consider administration, all of us work the road. I was out in the chase
this morning. So, no, we can't cut without cutting response to the citizens. That's exactly right. And it's not sensational. I'm try not trying to be sensational. I'm trying to tell you I've done this for 36 years.
I've given my life to the citizens of this county. I'm not trying to be sensational. None of you have taken this up on the opportunity to come ride and see what these guys do. Not a single one. So, if you think that's sensationalism, then it's sensationalism.
I haven't ever seen you. It might not have been in your time. So, but anyway, I I and I appreciate all that you do. I understand what it is to be a deputy, so to speak. Not quite to the depth that
you do, but that's your job. My job is my job and your job is your job. So, I understand. Yes, ma'am. I understand the risk that you take. What we're talking about here is trying to balance our budget. Yes, ma'am. I understand balancing the budget, but the statute also says that
you have to not may, not Mike might, not will. It says you have to adequately fund the sheriff. We gave you a budget that we can live within. That is the adequate funding for our department. Now, if you don't think so, you can go through and make your line item cuts and
then we'll just take it to where we have to. That's the only thing we can do. Wait, say that again. What did you just say? I just said if you don't think that we've done a good job and you want to cut something, you go cut it. And then if we need to take it to the governor, we'll take it to the governor. And I
think that we're in agreement with that. If you feel like you have to take it to the governor, then that's that's what you'll have to do. The board agrees to that. That's your option. And we'll see how that turns out. The governor may very well take your
side. I don't know. But we're at a point where we're trying to do our job here. Okay. We we were elected to do a job and this budget is part of that job and we're trying to do. So if if um if y'all
would put up page 273 of their budget because I still don't quite understand. I want you to look at page 273. I could ask a question while that's going on. Mr. Chairman, um I believe you said y'all were willing
to reduce 100,000 10,000 health department. Isn't that bringing us in general fund to $81,000? Yes. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed that part. Thank you,
Mr. Chair. Can I ask a question, Marty? You said you were willing to reduce $100,000. Yes. Is that is that just in your general operating or was that was that specific,
you know, reducing positions or That's just in general operating. So that would be with no reduction in service. Yeah. Okay. But that's off of our budget request, not off of what you funded last year. No, I understand. But you're you're saying you're willing to reduce $100,000
with no disruption in any service? In any service. That's correct. Okay. Can we not put 273 on the screen? Uh I don't have No, ma'am. It's not an electronic file. It's not.
No, we can't. It's not an electronic file. Electronic file. I just thought that you know I thought that Okay. So I still don't understand on the page 273 of your budget regular
salaries 2425 it was 2 million 402 now your request is 2 million 638 which is a differential of 236 382 help me
understand that yes ma'am there's no increases help me understand what you have given us so we have to pay for the new subsidy rate that the state just approved for the law enforcement officers that they get from the state of Florida. We have to fund that upfront. They reimburse us that later.
What is the subsidy rate? It's the money that the governor authorized to equalize the pay for local officers in uh physically constrained counties so that they're not leaving us and going to the state jobs all the time. Every physically constrained county gets an amount of money from the
state every year. Danielle, can you explain that process? Um, it's the quarter. It's the quarterly money, right? So, we get the quarterly money from the state and then I issue the sheriff's
office a check when we get it. The county gets it because we the board has to sign the agreement. And so it's issued to the county quarterly and then we issue the check to the sheriff's office once we get the money. So why is it included in this budget?
We have to fund it up front before we we have to pay those officers out of the budget before the money comes back in. Any money that's left over at the end of the year, you guys get back anyway. I mean, we've never not given any money back. We've always given us money back,
but it's through the stipulation. I want this to go to Christmas gifts to Christmas. I've never told you what to do before. Y'all have not. Y'all have said I want this money to go to Christmas bonuses. We can go back to the record. So when you gave that money
back specifically, I want this money to go to the employees for Christmas bonuses. That was the directive that we had. Realize we could give the board a directive. I'll say I've never gotten a directive on any of the returns funds as
to how they are expensed. I know we've been able to be generous and and certainly reflect that to our employees, but I have not ever gotten any suggestions or directives as to
either you were asleep or you weren't here. Well, I like to take naps and maybe you'd go take one. I don't remember that either. I've never been given any suggestions by any I give you one. I'm not. So I just reiterate if I may
in this reduction we're we're looking at $81,000 deficit in the general fund. Yes, sir. Yes. So I'll speak in in reference to talking
high risk. You know, we I think you're correct if I'm wrong. I think don't we have some high risk on the board side as well? We do. Firefighters. So, I'm just speaking general is we had some mandated high risk retirement that
increased, but we asked because we we've asked for reductions in budget. So that was a mandated increase, but staff still went in and found other areas to reduce cost to come up with what's the dollar amount
that we had again on that side? Um the percentage another dollar amount percentage dollar amount. Let me check how much their retirement was for for the fire department.
We decreased that budget by how much even Even in l of mandated legislative retirement increase, I'm simply saying people dug deep. They
didn't they didn't cut anybody's job out to my knowledge. No one job was cut out. The other four constitutional officers went in and bless her heart, supervisor relations cut over $100,000. Yeah.
And I feel like she worked pretty darn lean. She come in with over $100,000 reduction in her budget. And I'm just simply I mean I like all you guys. I don't have no problems. I know you guys.
You guys always answer phones. Always been very helpful. But simply just asked for assistance and no no increases. I mean, for for the budgets, no increases this year, to simply ask for a reduction to help us
balance the budget, to dig deep and bal help balance this budget. Knowing now, granted, we were we were blessed to get a $900,000 uh grant or whatever you want to call it to offset some of that loss that we were
going to have. But in lie of high risk, we do have high risk on the board side and and mandated legislative and said we had you know the clerk come up at 75,000 the the property appraised was 71,000.
So you know I understand that commissioner but he just gave you 100,000 back right there. He told you commissioner the last year you took 211. You didn't take that from everybody else. You took 211 out of our requested budget last year. We gave that back.
Okay. We can't keep going backwards. I can't We can't operate at the same level every year. Everything is going up. I'm sorry. It it it is what it is. And I understand you got eight or 10 high-risisk retirement employees at the fire department. We got about 60 sworn officers. We have
to play correctional officers high risk. And every road deputy, every certified law enforcement officer is a high-risisk retirement. Okay. I'm It's a It the numbers are different. Yes, they work 24 hours a day, but they don't respond to near the call volume
that we do. Our call volume is up every month. I'm not I understand. What I'm saying is is that we did give you money back. We gave you 211 last year. We had to put some of that back in. We We just gave 100 off the top of this budget plus 50
off the request for the 1 cent money. I we we've done what we can. Again, that's our submitted budget. That's all we can that's all we can do. That's all we can do to maintain. I tell you what, I wasn't going to say nothing, but I tell you what you do. You go
figure out what we spend on gas, what we spend on mowing and lawnmowing and the things we do with this county. We'll shut all that down. That's what I call low hanging fruit. Them inmates will not leave that jail and go do nothing. It'll be on that compound. You do your own mowing. You do your own cleaning. You take care of yourself. that would take
care of ours over there. John, you figure out what it is and then we'll give that money back. We get that back to you. You do your own load and you own cleaning. Okay? You're not going to defund law enforcement to the fact that I can't supply adequate law enforcement to this county and take care of these people.
I see you in Tallahassee, the governor, where we got together. Period. That's your stat. That's what I That's it. I ain't changing and I ain't saying nothing more about it. You either pay it. Don't ask me more about it. You go ask the governor. We may as well take that. Let's go. Ready.
We're not defunding law enforcement to the state of this this county. That's not really your budget cuz we're just going to shift it somewhere else. So, we're going to have to go do it. So, just fine. Have a problem with it. Get it done, son. Make it make it light
on yourself. This is the problem. You know, this should be a team effort. every elected official should be a member of the team and try to work together on these budget issues. We've never never been where we
are today before. So, and and everyone I think everyone should be held to the same standard. Just like you said, our supervisor, she cut 14%.
And I know that she has made she had to make sacrifices to do that. She even stood here the other day and she said, "I don't have overtime because if there's anything that needs to be done, I'm the one that steps in and does and
does the work instead of having having overtime." But this is just another example. When they don't get what they want, they show out and they threaten. They have threatened us with taking the the the
mowing crew away. That's fine. That's fine. We've been threatened with having the de the gel up on us. That's fine. But that doesn't reduce the overall budget. If if if the jail was given to us, fine. But that does not help this
bottom line. I think that's our point. The public has been threatened. Tell me what it cost to run. Hold on just a minute. Please don't interrupt me. But the the the public has been threatened. Well, you won't get anybody
to respond if you need law enforcement. That's not what we're saying, Commissioner. Now you're being dramatic. Threatened. Threatened. We're at the point now that we've got to make hard decisions. Again, Taylor County has never seen
times like this. I do appreciate what those deputies do. I think they're underpaid. I I am the first to say that. And I know they put their lives on the line every day that they walk out of their door. I understand that.
And I am not advocating that deputies be cut. Every organization can go through their budget and they can find places to cut. may not want to, but we can. And another thing, he says we keep giving
back every year, but this sheriff's office budget has never decreased. If you look across the line through all the years, that total budget increases every year. Every year.
So, there's a point where we have to quit spending and we've got to do what we have to do. I don't want to put it on the backs of our taxpayers who already some of them are living on a stream. They're they're barely making it
now. It would not be prudent and responsible to go into our reserves because as I said the other day, Taylor County, we have not hit the bottom yet and we could this county could go
bankrupt. So, we have to cut spending. I appreciate everybody, everybody that has gone and spent the midnight oil trying to cut their budgets and they've done a really good good job. So,
are you implying that we work on trying to if it goes to the governor, so be it. We've been threatened with that, too. I'm not afraid to go to the governor. I think we have a very good case. If you look at the revenue that we've lost and
where we are and the big spending, I'm not afraid to go to the governor. If the governor decides, hey, give him all he wants, then we know where to point the finger when we have to spend and go bankrupt.
One last thing, you guys, you have what? 96 employees total. And that's between the two. Yeah. And 16 of the 96 are going to be shift deputies. Correct. Actually, there's roughly 20 with the supervisors and stuff.
Yeah. Okay. There's 35. That's what roughly that. Yeah. I mean, I don't have an exact count. I can get you an exact count. Yeah. U anything else for the chair.
Well, I would say what we need to do is we need to first of all we need to reduce their budget. We do not need to grant any increases. We need to decrease that budget just like we have asked. If
it goes to the governor, it goes to the governor. We need to take all of the one sales tax back. We're at a time right now, at this time, the county needs this
revenue worse than the hospital or the sheriff's department. We We have some unknowns in our budget. We don't know what the property tax is going to come back and cost us. That's an unknown.
We don't know what the new ambulance service contract is going to cost because I am sure all of those are going to increase. We need that sales tax money. We need it more than anybody else right now. We need to take every dime of
it back. If the hospital has to have something, they can come and ask us. And if it's something that they absolutely have to have to operate that hospital, then come to us. Same thing with the sheriff's
office before we before we divided this tax up. And that was very generous of this board to give 50% of that one sales tax away. We gave 25%
to the hospital. We gave 25% to the sheriff. Never was it said that this is going to go on forever. That was never in the plan that it would go on forever. Before we had the cell
before we did that, they were able to manage. They bought their vehicles then. Okay. So, I don't we can do it again. You want to keep when y'all when y'all gave us that y'all we took a 3% cut too.
Don't forget about that. Okay. Y'all didn't never give back. You want to retain all the ones that money? Yes. Including the TCDA. We don't give the TCDA sir tax money. But you get 100,000
that comes out of the general. And why don't you bring up the TCDA? Well, if you're talking about retaining all the funding, you would explain it. That's petty. That's petty. You said that we need to retain all our funding and these folks can appear before this board. No, I didn't. That's what you said.
I said we need to be sure sales tax back. That's what I said. Words in my mouth. I'm I'm just want to be clear that what what I believe I understood you to say is that we needed to keep funding so that this board could make decisions.
And that's why I asked you that question. Okay. Let me answer you then, please. What I said, we need to take the one all of the one cent sales tax back. We give 25% to the hospital. We give 25%
to the sheriff. We don't give the TCDA part of that sir tax. So that's not that is not part of this discussion right now. Well, thank you. I wanted to be sure I didn't misunderstification please. It's 25%. We took a reduction
last year to 20%. Okay. And we offered a reduction this year 50,000. If I could bump that up a little bit more, but we still have to replace vehicles. These people have to have something to drive. I want to make one more clarification, Mr. Chairman, because Commissioner Feele has said that
we have an increase in budget every single year. If you go back and look at the budgets, the increase are for the dollar aisle raises that you guys gave andor insurance increases and high-risisk retirement increases or retirement increases. They weren't to
add additional funds to the sheriff's budget. Those were mandated items. If we had a health insurance increase, which we didn't, that's fine. or if we had property insurance, which we did have increases in, if we had high interest insurance increases in, plus the raises that the board gave, that's where the
budget was increased. Thank you. You mentioned the insurance and I'm going to go back and remind this board that they came over and we discussed the insurance plan and we said join our insurance plan. That saved them
money. Saved you money, too. if anybody here remembers that. So yeah, and reduce y'all come over as well having us come over with the younger demographic that I don't think it's you like I said
and Mr. figure, but I said Monday we were blessed to get a $900,000 grant one time. We might not get it next year. We got We might not get that next year.
We We got a ambulance bid service, EMS service coming up. We don't know what that's going to look like. I I'm not trying to hurt none of you guys and what you guys do. We appreciate everything that you do, but you know, we just got a budget in front of us. And
yes, you have a $9.2 billion, you know, budget and on the 1% money, it's not the way. I mean, I'm trying to plan for the future. Not really even just in the moment. I'm looking at next year and the year after that. Not saying we go spend
all that one money and we don't have to have a home for it. That that's not saying you guys can't come back and hey, I need to get this. Same with the hospital. Hey, I need we need we need this and the board approve it. You know, we don't like I said, we don't we make legislative appropriations to the state
every year and they don't just hand us money to the board and we just say, hey, this is things that we need. Can you approve? We may get get it approved and we may not. Sometimes it may be a no, you know. So, you know, it's it's the same scenario. Not saying you you guys
or the hospital DMA can't come ask get to request some of that funding for vehicles or whatever it may be, but I think it's in our best interest of the county to not allocate it to a home just
in case we need it and planning for next year and the year after because I can tell you right now this year didn't the roughest year. I feel like the next couple of years are going to be our roughest years ahead of us. And y'all y'all know that.
Mr. We understand that. Listen, we understand about the onescent money, too. I will remind you, though, that we don't just willy-nilly spend the money. We have to use the county's I'm not saying you do. Requirements. Everything has to be cleared through your finance department. I mean, it's not just we go up there and
say, "Okay, we're going to do this." I'm not saying you do, but I'm just again Well, I mean, it sounds like it from what's being said that we're not responsible that we just kind of willy-nilly do whatever. I I'm looking at
that is not how we do our budget. That's not how we do anything else. I'm looking at an overall kind of budget and looking into the future, not just the moment. I mean, everybody's looking at the moment think, "Oh, we're trying to hurt this one, hurt that one." But we're not. I'm looking at now and the
next couple of years. I mean, you know, hopefully we can land some industry that can help. Mr. We we we we took 100,000 off of what our request was. We took 50 off the request for the one money. It's not in the best interest of the
county to defund law enforcement either. I'm not trying to defund well and that's I mean we're just look everybody's emotions get running high and stuff like this but our our guys do on a daily basis. Commissioner Figgle was alluding that all the other
constitutional officers burn a bunch of midnight oil trying to prepare a budget. We burned a lot of midnight oil too. I burn midnight oil every night. I respond to calls until late in the night. My phone rings constantly. It's not like I'm a a administrator that sits on my tail in an office all day long. It's
it's not what happens. We're out doing law enforcement functions. And I and I take exception that you you think that we just sit around and do nothing and and we can cut from the administrative level or we can cut from here. We all do law enforcement. I don't care where you have to cut.
That's not my job to go figure that out. That's I understand. I understand. I just in lie of the in lie of the you can't defund law enforcement. Well, guess what? I can't defund. They reduce their budget. I can't defund public works either. I'm not defunding public works.
They work for the county and citizens of the county and they went and found money even in even in the fact that this high-risisk retirement come up. These guys, you don't have anybody works against highrisisk retirement. I say we got the fire department. That's
that falls under the board. is the same high-risisk retirement that you deal with. So, I'm just saying I can't defund this guy. But guess what? They went and found money. Clerk went and found money. The supervisor legends found money. The tax collector, property appraiser, they went and found money. I can't defund
those guys. I'm not asking to defund anyone. Just asking to help cut costs and balance the budget. Not looking for increases. We were looking for reductions in budgets. So, you know, we can do the same thing.
We can tell our citizens we're going to cut the fire department. That's that's the only way we can cut our budget is to cut our fire department. So, when you call and your house is on fire, I won't be able to respond. They work 24/7
and they work for nothing almost. I'm telling you. So you want to talk about willy-nilly when I look back at your travel expenses for instance and in 2020 23 24 you spent
$37,41 on travel. Yes ma'am. Is that not is that not super big spending? No ma'am because our officers have to have training,000. How can you now 15 last year? So you see there's fat in
this budget. They just don't want to admit it. They don't want to cut it. And they and here's the problem. They took a stance from the very first day. We are not going to cut our budget. That's where they are today. You can't tell me
that they just I think that's where we are. We just came over took $100,000 off the budget. cut their budget already. So, we're getting nowhere. Commissioner, you know, can you please not interrupt? I'm done. I mean, I really am.
I hope you are then because you know, it's very rude to interrupt a commissioner when they're trying to talk. It's very rude to interrupt the under sheriff when he's trying to talk. Have you done that, too? Come on, Mark. So, let's just
get nowhere. Let's go, sir. pay what you do what you got to do. We're going to do what we got to do. We're going to stand up for our people. Stand up for this county, too. We are standing up for the county. We ain't being mey mouth and two-faced about it either.
Why you call me on the phone one day and tell me, "Sheriff, I am not going to vote to cut your budget. I am a favor law enforaced about it and then get up here and say something different." I haven't told. Yes, you did, too. Now you're telling a lie. I have not told you that.
No, you have. You did, Pam. You called me on the phone. I did, but not this budget session. Not this budget session. You did. I did. In the past, when he asked me about the budget, I said, "I'm not going to cut your budget." Because at that
time, we were not in the situation that we're in now. And I said, "No, I'm not going to cut your budget. You can count on that." and I didn't vote to cut his budget, but this year Taylor County is
in a different situation. We are $1.9 million short. And just because they come here and show out and get mad, yeah, we still have a job
to do. I don't feel like really got anywhere in this discussion other than we do probably need to find out if that's their stance is to hand up. Now we pay for the work crews. So I mean we still going to have to have the work crew but like shar said
he said y'all go take your work crews and y'all figure it out. But if that's their stance, then I want to make sure this emergency management comes back to the county as well. That if these guys want to go be law enforcement, let them go be law enforcement. They have a duty
to this community even in emergency times to keep this community safe. So I just need to know if that's their stance that I want this board to look at emergency management should come back
to this board as well. So why is that question in my mind where they are? They've been there since day one. They said on the first day we are not going to cut our budget period. And so I think that where we are now and
and they're they're you know they keep bringing up going to the governor. I think that's what they want to do and that's fine. We can do that. I think that you know um I'm not worried about that at all.
I think that we may be okay. If we're not, then at least we can tell our citizens, this is why you're paying more taxes because the sheriff will not cut his budget to to a point that, you know, we can get
to where we need to be. They did cut some. He told out that he take $50,000 off this morning. They also said 100,000 the budget request, but Mr. Root, you
still got 180 thou $86,000 increase in there. We're not really looking for an increase. We got five government entities within this government, meaning the constitutional officers in our public works
that did decrease their budget some more than I would have ever thought. And I'm just saying we have a 9.2 million budget. They're not in the same shoes them folks are. I mean, they can cut, I think,
easier than for their amount of money they spend. They can cut some. I understand. I appreciate them. But he got a lot he got a lot more employees and a lot more stuff moving forward to that operation than any other group. We understand that. But I tell you what
he did today threw us a bomb. He threw us a little bone today. But that doesn't get us to where we need to be. We don't know exactly where we going to be. And that's true. And we might get worse. It might get better. I know we over $400,000
still. Well, over 300 now, I guess. 300. We don't know where we're going to be. We do know that right now. We're at 1.9. And And what we don't know is how much higher that deficit is going to go
because we've got property insurance and we've got the ambulance service. So, you're exactly right. We don't know where we're going to end up. I I suspect that it's going to be higher than where we are now. I would just rather when somebody calls
911, they can get somebody coming and do them. I don't want them to just act like some sheriff's departments do and other law enforcement do. Sometimes they just drag around. That bunch has performed and done their job. And they do. And they do. And I can see
you drink the Kool-Aid, too. But and I I appreciate what Kool-Aid. You don't need to start throwing rocks at me, Mr. P. You said don't don't go saying I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. Don't go throwing rocks at me. You keep that on that
part. I'm telling you. I could ask um Mr. Chairman, is it I mean I know we've talked about that the number really now it's is in the general fund is 81375 somewhere in that neighborhood. Is that true?
So isn't it possible to to in this volatile situation utilize the reserve fund to balance here? Is that out of bounds or not in the
discussion? If I may, I think you have a couple of options. Yes, you could fun with reserves. I'm just looking at an $81,000 in the in the general fund. You could fund with reserves.
Um you could obviously, you know, there are things you can do with the millillage. We've already talked about that. And you could fund with one cent sales tax reserves, right? And I I So the options are the same. Respect the option for the millillage. But if we didn't have to move that and
we could use um reserve funding in this situation um what then would we need to look at in respect to the MST? So the deficit in the MSTU is 238447
and I think the options are exactly the same. I see. Um there is Daniel was reserved. I'm sorry. I know we So you're looking at 2.3 million in the
reserves in the MSTU, which is not as healthy as the general fund, obviously. I see. So that that would be a different um greater percentage. Obviously, that would take you really down to $2 million in reserves there. Correct.
If that was the case, if it wasn't a millage, and again, our reserves and 1 cent sales tax are are healthy. How much is in the one sales? Hang on. It's 3.4 and then I'll be adding the 240
back in. So 3.4. All right. 3.7 is what you'll have in the 1 cent reserve. That's almost yesterday. How close are we to trying to balance the budget?
We won't really know. I mean, right now you're at a little over about $300,000 right now. But I mean, still don't know that whenever these
insurance numbers and stuff come back, you don't know that's going to leave. So, you still could end up being 500 to $600,000 short. Well, hopefully not. I would I would I mean the whole purpose of competitively
you know trying to competitively procure the other insurance lines was to out hope for a reduction. They could I wouldn't expect them to go up necessarily. It could we could stay the same. Don't you think Gary? I mean hopefully. Yeah. Hopefully. Well, I
mean, we budgeted we budgeted what we anticipated to be if we stayed with what we got what we have. So, that's in the budget. Hopefully, it'll be at least a reduction from what we budgeted, right? So, I wouldn't anticipate that to change our budget numbers. The only I
think unknown is for the ambulance service and I would and that could y'all can continue to fund 5050 from 1 cent sales tax and general fund or you the you could offset any increase from the 1
cent sales tax because the revenue from the 1 cent sales tax is budgeted at $2.6 million. So the current expenditures are 408516 for EMS and a little over 1.1 million
for capital because um DMH's 1 cent sales tax would not come out of the the new money. That leaves about $1.1 million just in next year's revenue in one in one cent sales tax
plus plus your reserves. How much we how much was EMS? Um how much? So um 816 700 or 87 817
817 and again half is funded from general fund half is funded from one cent sales tax I was coming from money at the Olympic I don't I was out on the commercial way
it scared I was there. I saw it. Jefferson County passed first and coming back to Mon. They was coming back to Paris. I was the only century I know that service and they creeping. They that that animal was
creeping and I told my brother I said that's a problem that now I don't have a problem. I know it's taken in this back we need to take back to do what we need to do from emergency management emergency wagon emergency EMS
or whatever we need to do. I do appreciate what we got and if we think we can do better to do that. I've heard a lot of talk and I do know there's something we can do to you know I believe in pulling
somebody from the reserve to help out but I also all and I appreciate the constitution also doing what they do and I appreciate that reduction they got that they could to help run this county
but I'm not ready yet to destroy everything we built But I think negotiation one of the best thing you can do and we have to be honest in our negotiation if we do what we can for everybody and get what we need to be
done. Another question Danielle in terms of our general fund reserves are they increasing every year? They have been. Okay. And and how how much?
I don't think it increased a whole lot this year. It didn't increase a whole lot. So for fiscal year 25 they were right at about 78%. For fiscal year 26 it'll be 81% and fiscal year 24 it was at 56%.
In fiscal year 23 it was 68%. So it was up and then down and then over the last couple years it's went back up. And what do you anticipate going forward? Depends. Again, it all depends. So for fiscal year 26,
they're going up. I mean, it's not a lot. It's onlyundred a little over $100,000. So I guess my point is that if we start dipping into our reserves, which is
basically our savings account, and if this county continues on the path that we're on, and I think that's going to that may be the case for a while. um hopefully with our uh TCDA group working
very hard and I know some things are maybe real close there but um we don't know there's no guarantees there but I know they're working at it but um I think it's very very
uh risky to start dipping into our reserves to balance a budget when you've got one entity that's not willing to do as much as possibly they could. Uh
again, this county may we may hit hit bottom worse than what we think we are now. And um I sure don't want to see this county go bankrupt because the five commissioners here
could not manage the budget. I'm not going. We asked across the board every budget within the county to make a reduction. And I'm not going to approve
a budget, an overall budget until I'm just one commissioner, but that's not going to get an approval from me. And I'm not willing to start living into reserves. I think the feel of the citizens, they
know that we're in a pretty rough situation. But I even think the feel of the citizens is they do want to see a reduction. They would love they want to see a reduction in this county across the board trying to save money.
And then if we had to make an increase, then make a slight increase. But just to throw the millage at 10 mil, max it out and or or go get it out of reserve, it's just
that's just that's just for me that's just being sloppy. I mean, at the end of the day, that's just slo that's just sloppy and poor management. Well, that's an easy way out, too. If you don't want to work at trying to
really reduce, then the easy way out is to say, "Raise the millage. Tell them I said it or dip into your reserves." That's not a responsible way to run this county. So, what are you what are you proposing?
Are you asking one more time for a reduction or are we at where we are where I think we are that we have to make decisions here and and see what happens because the sheriff's office is is very willing to go to the governor. I'm not afraid to go to the governor. Uh
I think that we could present a very good case here with everything that's happened to us of where we are financially here. So if if that's where we are, let's do it. I mean, if that's the the direction we
have to go, then yeah, I don't I shouldn't have to go and reduce what I consider business people. I shouldn't have to go do it for them. I shouldn't I mean, it's they should
have to do their due diligence and go do it. And it all it does whenever everybody gets like that is it creates a wedge between the entities that should be working together. And I'm not creating that wedge. I don't think we're not I'm not creating no one is creating that
wedge with no with with any of the government. So it's I don't feel like it's my job to go find their money. And I know that they can do it just as well as the other entities that have went out and done
such. But I mean that's almost turned into a I hate lack of a better term into a clown show when I just have to say, "Hey, I'm going to give you this amount of money and that's it." That's just don't make no sense to me. And that's you're exactly right. I mean,
that's just that makes zero sense to me that I would have to go in and just say, "Hey, I'm going to give you just say $9 million and budget is going to reduce by $200,000 and I just go I mean it's just not
the pressure is on and um and some people may think that if I show out enough or if I get mad enough or if I do this that the other they'll cave in because I'm a bit To be honest, I've been here a long time and up until
now, we've always tried to accommodate every constitutional officer. We have never been to this point. And mostly what they have asked us and what the sheriff has asked us, we've given it.
We've not said no. And that may be the problem because they're used to yes, yes, yes, and never a no. And now when you're at a point where you have to say no. And I don't like to have to say no.
But you know, but we're at a point where we need to say no. Well, that's not going over very well as you can see by the show today. So, I mean, yeah, I guess if for we have to just pull a number out of a
hat, I just I would never ask anybody to go run my business for me. The problem is, you know, they they come over here and and and and they're pumped up and they're ready for a big fight and
and maybe if the fight's big enough, they'll give in. And maybe if we sensationalize enough about the David is what a 100 miles an hour down the road or this or some of them not coming home at night. And I I
I don't take that lightly. I I I have relatives that are in law enforcement and I I know what they go through and I know what the family goes through when they leave every day not knowing if they're going to come back. I'm very sensitive to that and in no way do I
want the essential services like a deputy their jobs cut. I don't want that but we all know in every organization you can make cuts. You may not want to but I
feel like that since they've taken the stance that they have they're not going to back down. There's no need to try in my opinion to you know there's no need for any further negotiations because I don't think that's going to happen. And
I kind of knew that from day one way back months ago and it's played out just like I thought it was going to play out. So, you know, we have we have to do what we have to do. That's our responsibility to our citizens.
Mr. Chair, you know, I hear I hear all this, but I do know some of this stuff is abundance is not our fault. uh GP closes and three mill and three stone. That's not our fault. That's not
their fault either. I'm trying to see it from the perspective that I've lost a job. I've had to go elsewhere and find a job after the meal closed. Others have too. You do the best you can
do. And when you have to make cuts, there just certain thing you have to do. you just can't do no more. So, I think we uh board need to just say, "Okay, we'll take what we got. If we wanted if they said they was going
to give us $150,000 back, take another take another$100,000." Okay. And that'd be 250,000. That's where it was going at when you have to make these hard decision. you make these hard decision not and I appreciate believe it or not I
appreciate Lord cuz when you out there ask the people out there hurt you and if you didn't have Lord we' be hurt not only the law but all our constitution offices they work hard to
do what they need to do in order to keep us afloat and I appreciate not only that when we got here the working office work for us they do us Good job. But I think we with the 700 jobs we got out of this
county, the three storms, we are pretty close to where I think we ought to be. I know the sheriff said, "Wait, we give you 150,000 back." Well, sheriff, we got to have another 50, another 100,
$200,000. says, "Okay, if we that close, then we can fund from reserve, but I I don't have a problem. I've had to dip in my reserve and then you hope for the better for the
backs next year. You might not be able to do it all at one time. You do it sit in the face." Now, for the TCD, I do not want them cut. I can tell you that. For simple reason, they own shoed as it is. And if you go help this county, you
going to need to spend some money to help this county to bring people back or to find other uh jobs to come as well. We have a predicament and any in this predicament, any decision we make, we could be we could
either be rude crazy. I don't want your job or you do the best you can. We going to add those three categor's office when they said $100,000 with no disruption in service. I took that to
mean that they would still supply the two correctional officers. We currently fund them at 65,000 per officer. So, right Danielle, so it's 130,000 that is in their budget for the two correctional
officers, I believe. um 65,000 inmate work squad that started in fiscal year 20 and half of that is offset with secondary road and then I have um fiscal year 21 an additional work squad at 55,000
okay so it's 120 okay now um when the sheriff said they were going to stop the mowing and stop the inmates I don't I'm assuming I don't I'm assuming he was referring to
the additional squad that they have from from the jail that is not funded from the board, but I'm not absolutely sure. So, if what I don't know is if I need to add that money into the board side so we can
fund the correctional officers because our agreement is with the department of corrections, not with the jail. That's where we that's where we utilize the inmate labor. We they're picked up directly from the prison. Um so I don't know if I'm going to have to replace
those correctional officers or if he was just if he was referring to the additional work squad he has and they do they do a lot of cemetery mowing. Now of course if we're not going to continue mowing the cemeteries that's a midpoint.
So that doesn't affect setting the millillage or any of that. That's just something we have to work out. That's what I mean. That's what I heard is that really said all of them. I heard all of them. Take them all and they figure it out.
So if it's $125,000 or $120,000 then you got if we're looking to set a number then you got n,253,000 budget. You would have to deduct $120,000 off of
that and then because I mean that's not reducing the budget if I may be that's going to shift it to you. Yeah. is what it's going to do. So then take the 130 away from your 9,253 and then we still need a reduction so to
speak. Yeah, that's right. Well, I think they offered 100,000 and then if we if they are not going to supply the correctional officers, that's an additional 120,000. Right. Am I adding right? No, because I was just shifting it to
you. Right. No, I was talking about the sheriff's office budget. That's all I'm That's all I'm saying. I get it. But it still takes it but the whole overall budget, right? Does it shifts it straight to you? And yet every budget looks reduced. But
it's not reduced. It's just throw that back in your face and say here you got to go figure it out. It don't change the overall. It does not change the overall budget.
So I'm that's where I'm saying again if you take 1320,000 off of your 9 million 253 and we're they're looking for a reduction that doesn't help that money over here
still. We got that money still going to be spent. So that's what I heard. But like I said, if we're talking about that's our stance to I didn't say it, he said it. That's our
stance to the way we going to run our business, then I feel like we should probably take emergency management also and drive that force as well. This is not the first that we've been
threatened with. Okay, I'm going to pull the work crew. This is this is old stuff. This has been going on. But like you say, that doesn't help the bottom line at all.
To get the same work done, somebody's going to have to pay for it. It's going to cost money. No matter who's putting out, somebody's got to do work. So it doesn't matter if you do it your left hand or your right hand. Money's got to come out one way or another. And they've
been doing it and doing a good job of it. I mean, well, we didn't tell him to stop doing. He said that was his way of giving money back, Jim. That's not giving money back. Well, he he didn't give somebody. Yeah. You still got aund
over You still got $186,000 even with the $100,000 given back. That's still an increased budget. So, we didn't ask for the mowing squad back and all that, but I mean, that was his stance. So given he's reducing his
budget, but in actuality reality that's not reducing the budget. Well, it's reducing him. Well, that's what you asked him to do. You told him, come on, y'all. I listen, I understand your principle, but I understand what
he's saying. You're asking me to cut all of hanging fruit. There there is part of that. Come on. So here or there, that's that's I believe what he's saying from his logic side. Is it take does that mean less tax dollars expense? No sir, it doesn't.
But under the the guidance of the sheriff's office through his program, it is not a service. I I get it. I can't believe we even think about that. I mean, I'm sorry. I just can't even believe we even think like that. I mean, it don't even give
us a little bomb today. That's all. That don't reduce the overall budget that we're trying to do. I mean that we're trying to reduce the overall budget and that doesn't do it. So just to say that oh we gave you this squad back you still got to go ahead and spend
$120,000 on the board side then I don't know how we even think like that. So if county going to have to pay for it one way or another if they want it done and that's where I'm at with it. I mean
they been taking care of it. Who's just going to put pressure on Mr. One that have to make sure all that gets done? That's what's going to happen. I didn't ask for it back. He I know. He just he just use that as a crime. But the thing is it's going to put more pressure on their money to try to get
all that same work done. It's not me or you doing it. And it's going to cost the same amount of money for the taxpayers. Still not a reduced budget and they're taking care of it for the same amount of money. It's just another headache for her. Well, that's going to pull down. That's right.
Her place pretty much full now. I disagree, but I didn't ask for it back. You ain't got it back yet, but it'll be coming if you don't work with him on it. I'm sure I'm not trying to work with you, but I just I don't feel like really trying to
work with us. I mean, I mean, I like these guys. I have no problem with these guys. I think they're good clerks, but I mean at the end of the day, we have a job to do. And I mean, I just say the same amount of work that gets done that they do that he's trying
to give going to give back to you. It's going to put the pressure on one have to all that work and get it done and then it's going to cost more money when you have to change. Unfortunately, you you going to get a different color. I mean,
that's just where I'm at with it. Yeah. Well, we are where we are. Okay. They've said they want to give it back to us. Fine. We'll take it. It doesn't help us with the budget, but we can take it. That's That's fine. I'm tired of those threats anyway. Okay. Uh
and we haven't asked them to do any more than we ask every other constitutional officer and our county administrator. Everybody else has had a sincere put a sincere effort toward helping this
county balance this budget except for them. And again, they planted their foots in the ground and that's where it's going to be. So now I think the ball is in our court. We've got to decide what we're going to do.
So Daniel is 9,253 minus what is 120. Is that 9 million 133? Is that right? You're talking about the current request. I'm looking at the the budget from the
prior budget from last year that we're trying to 923. That's what 33 9 million 133 498. Yeah. We have to take that back then
we're at 9,133 which is so that's not necessarily reducing the overall budget is have a recommendation that we want to go at but
the chair's is that reflective of the 100,000 reduction that they offered he's doing it based off the year budget. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, that's just last year's budget that I'm looking at that we were asking for a reduction.
I'm just looking at if we take the the have to take the dead mate squad back that's $9,333,000 is what it goes to. So depth, I know you had mentioned maybe knocking $200,000. They did knock a h
100,000 off. Well, they knocked 100,000 off their request. I know you mentioned knocking $200,000 off of the prior budget. Make a recommendation that that's what we do. So you go 9 million number
9 million 133 to you know what was that 8 million 933. Well, you know, well, what what we talked about before is a percentage of the budget.
We ask him to cut his budget 15%. Do we want to still say cut your budget 15%. When Dana Dana, what is Dana's total budget? of the new request 2 million.
No, Dana's is 629,524 is her request for the new year. If you can take a small budget like that and cut 14%. Tell me you can't take a over $9 million
budget and and and cut it. She had a lady retire% just like she did. She had a lady retired. She's not going to replace her where a lot of that come from. She did, but she went and she cut a lot of other stuff, too.
Major part of that money that she got was from one employee retiring and she's not. She did. And I I appreciate that. But when I heard her talking right here about all the other things that she cut, it might not have been
um a big ticket item, but she still cut cut to the bone. And that's what I'm talking about. She earnestly did what she could do to help this county budget. We expect that from everyone. Everyone
needs to be treated the same. I'll say with that I feel pretty confident you going to see her standing at that podium asking for that money. a lot. I don't know, especially when election time comes around. But, you know, maybe maybe she can work through it, then that's great and my hats off to her. But, you
know, I'm not going to say that I'm going to sit here and say, "Hey, get 15% out of the sh." But I don't have a problem $200,000 from that
9,33,000 number. That's includes the hundred that he's already graciously given us. I'm taking that away. I'm working off of the budget from last year, the 9 million. I'm not worried about what they submitted. Okay? I'm not concerned about the 9.5 that
they submitted. I'm just talking the 9 million 253 that they had from last year, last year's budget. If we have to take those work squads back, then you got to pull
120 out of that. So you go to 9,133, but that don't reduce the overall budget. But then $200,000 less than that is going to be 8,933.
That's what that should be. understand they got a business to run and and employees but you know I said they over $9 million budget they can could cut I shouldn't we shouldn't have to do such as that that's ludicrous that
we even have to think and do such as that but in addition to taking back the one sales tax correct yeah sales tax besid we're talking about you holding on to that and the sheriff's department and DH if they
have a request and you know I think it's my understand the sheriff's department's got $75,000 carryover we're not looking to pull that back and DH has $528,000 carryover something like that we're not looking to pull that back but even if
they have a request from that those two you talking about those two last ones 58 $800,000 to the hospital got you leaving it that so they can't get it they Yeah, that that would be Yeah, that's the plan. If they the the one sent money
is if they need it and make a request that hey, I need air condition AC needs to be replaced or sheriff, hey, I need a couple cars, new vehicles and we approve it. Same we have to do with our legislative appropriations to the state of Florida. They don't hand us
$8 million and say here, not necessarily go do what you want with it, but I mean we have to request it and then they go through an approval process. Some things they approve and some things they don't approve. Correct. So, uh, just because you ask doesn't mean you're
always going to get it. Correct. So there's I mean that money is is didn't hold on to that money because I mean at the end of the day you may need it in the near future for operational cost and um I mean in the next couple of budget years you may need
that money for operational cost because we might not get this $900,000 likely won't get that $900. I don't know how we approve that this year but they were we were blessed to have gotten it so thankful to have gotten it. So I tell you if we hadn't got that, guess what?
We might be asking for more and more. Talking about we have to fund the ambulance service. Okay? We have to provide our county with an ambulance service. So that itself would come out
of the 1 cent sales tax. Okay? Whatever increases that we incur with that is still going to have to come out of the 1 cent sales tax. So to me that is the first priority is to take that out of the one set sales tax. Whatever is left
over keep it and then as you say if something critical if a critical need comes up then um we can address that then. Yeah. So if we're going to the sheriff's budget,
I want to wrap this up and I'll say down the road. Are we in agreeance? I mean, if we got to go come up with a number, you know, minus the work squad because that's what I heard today that
I threw in his budget $8,933,000 and then he if he agrees to continue the work squad, then add that $120,000 back to it. We I'm not agree with we're cutting it to that rate. those. I mean, I think if if
they're going to go look at those reductions, then we need to see what those look like in in the capacity that the sheriff's fin. We we've asked that. They didn't do it.
Well, he just he just said today he he stood up right there and told me to go back. I believe I heard him say so. Um, did y'all hear that? I think what what I understood was to to determine
what they expend um with their inmate work squad with the mowing and the things that they do which is outside of the correction say what he considered to be all low hanging fruit. Yes sir. I'm not sure exactly what all that entails. Well, that's really just that
way a fruit is going to be sending services back that we got to put in the water budget and do it there. So, I mean how you look at it, I mean there's the numbers not coming back to you unless you're going to do this for the
next four weeks. You got to come you got finalize something and move forward. Yeah. and and I I I'm okay with your proposal, but we still have a huge deficit and we're going to have to
figure out how are we going to how what are we going to do with that? $200,000 is $200,000 and it's a lot of money, but with this budget general fund and takes your MSTU fund to
218. Still got 218 deficit left in the MSTU. All these years I've been on board a long time too like you have. They didn't never go up on the millage. They went down when if anything because
we had the mill carried. We don't have a mill anymore. Sooner or later, it's going to come right down to the point you going to have to go up on the middle. And now's the time to start that a little bit. We need to get it a little bit because all them years that me
that's not scaring us anymore. We got, you know, we got to we got to do something and it's going to be once reserve gone. Like you said, there you are your micro. But reserve will car if we got something to replace it. And we
going to have to go up on the millillage a little bit. I've talked to a lot of people in my district and if you went up on the millage a little bit, $200 to $300 a household not going to break anybody.
I mean, it might be tough, but it might it's not going to break them. What we would I I don't have a problem. We show the reductions in budgets across the board. I don't have a problem with a slight increase in the building. To be quite honest about it, the the director
household is probably not but 25 or $30. The bigger the bigger corporations and we all know I'm talking about is that's probably the one that it might affect more than any. But as far as the regular households, it might
be$25 or $30. So yeah, I said we show the community and the citizens that we're decreasing. Everyone's making budget reductions that we're going to make a slight increase. You know, we got me closures and and and hurricanes is
pretty well devastated our real estate. I can live with it. But let me ask you this. I did I me I took out $200,000. That's from last year's budget. Correct. That will give us 8 8 million
933. Is that what it's supposed to? That's what it would be if we did a reduction. If you look on page 261, you can see the request from last year and the request this year. You can see the difference there. On page 261,
last year's budget we approved was 9,253,000. The request for this year was $9,539,000. I'm working off of what we're looking to reduce the budget from the $9,253,000 from last year.
I'm not looking to reduce the budget a submitted requested budget at 9.5. I'm looking to reduce what we already paid. So yes, that would be 8,933,000. But if the sheriff's continued the work
was then we keep that money in that budget. But somebody's got to got to confirm that. I mean what is uh what's um it is
a threeyear average and it's 53,830. 53,830 is the local match and that's on the board side. The board side I think they get two grants to kind of wrap that part of it up. That's kind of where I'm at.
So what uh next? So in our in the budget, I do mean to ask um how just moving forward u where we at on minimum wage with our employees.
So So I think in September of this year it goes up to $14. I think it's a very minimal impact. Yeah, there are some people that are going to have to be moved up. I think it's like5 or $6,000 impact. It's um the general fund is 5,500 and solid waste is
estimated at 14,000 and it's included already included. It is that gets everybody to 14 is not at 14 and then next year we'll have to get our that's our mandated.
Do you anticipate it to be the same about the same numbers? The only thing that retirement rates and workers comp pays plays a part in the amount. Wages is the reason we can't get and
keep good employees. We need to figure out a way and I know it'll cost money, but we've got to go up on the wages employees or we we going to keep losing more and losing quality employees. And that's the thing you've got to work
towards and that's what everybody needs to think about. That's a whole another discussion that we need to it needs to be looked at wages that are paid and what we may need to do. You compare the county to the city, the
city pays their employees and does the same job a lot more money. And it's a shame, but it's that's the way it's bought out there. We've got to work on that. And the only way you going to do that is is u
just like in the city they pay over $100 more to get their trash picked up than we charge for. And that's another story too. They pay paid $100 more to get their trash picked up. They don't get picked up once a week. Twice. Twice.
Well, twice or whatever, you know. But it's, you know, we we have we're way behind the city as far as wages and and different things and every us on something. It's like we should be getting the same thing for our dump truck, but we don't. We got to work on
that. That's another thing we need to get ahead on. It's costing us money. Everything's going up. What else we got? You know, so Yeah. So where are we
that where does that leave us on the MST 447 I think that would leave us at 218 447 That's where we are at. That's all right. In the MSTU, we're still at 238 447. Our
deficit 238 44 if we've done a millage increase. How would that look like to balance the pull down? So to balance
um the current deficit in the MSTU, it would go from 1.2250 to 1.3960. The roll back rate the roll back rate. No, that's not what
the roll back rate's a little higher. The roll back rate is 1.43. Okay, that same last year. So you don't need that much. 3960. It's 1710. So then where does that take overall?
It would go from it would go to a total of 8.6386 and right now the total is 8.4676. The what now? Right now it's 8.4676. Yes. And it would go to 8.6386.
and that would only affect folks in areas. So that still basically would just So I did a um I just did an example of someone that has like a $100,000 value and they pay on $50,000. It's an
increase of around $8.55 a year. But that still that really just kind of balances it out. That steel does not come back.
Well, that doesn't right. That doesn't affect the MST. You mean just overall EMS bid that we're doing. That's that's still we may have to increase that. Correct. But that could come out of the 1 cent sales tax. So instead of having a
5050 split, you could have 64 whatever the percentage is. So the balance could easily come out of the 1 cent sales tax revenue. Yeah, I think currently we're doing 50% out of the general fund and 50% out of the
sales tax. You know, I I'm sitting here thinking and listening that we're talking about increasing taxes and and I go back to what Commissioner Moody said. The city
uh we have a two day a week pickup for the garbage. Our roll offs are open seven days a week. seven days a week. So,
why don't we talk about maybe cutting back on that and and and you know, because I think that's an opportunity to to save some more money before we jump right off into increasing things. I
I I want to look at more opportunities. I see that because you know and and will we get a lot of calls? Yes, we will. We'll get a lot of calls, but if you if you raise their uh taxes, you're going
to get a lot of calls anyway. So, uh and it's what you get used to. Uh you know, if if and in town, we know our garbage is going to be picked up on Monday and Thursday where I
live. Okay. So, we prepare for that and I think that in the county we could do we could certainly cut back. I don't know part of it that I just wanted to put that number out there so it would be
understand. Yeah, I don't disagree with but when you do if we did end up cutting such it wouldn't affect the MST MST. I know the effect of solid waste the feed but it's still money to the county. It is
right and we can run those numbers and I think it would I mean it may help overall as far as some of the staffing issues that we have. Right. So what what funds will we look at that would
help balance the MST a lot. So again, you can use 1 cent sales tax revenue for operations or you can look at your millillage in the MSGU. Now all that being said,
we don't know, you know, different insurance is expensed to the MSTU, the MSTU departments. So if there's a reduction in some of our lines of insurance, it may have a positive effect, but that's just unknown. And for purposes of
setting the millillage, we're you're not going to know before you have to vote to set the millillage. But you can set the millillage and come down later if you need to. I really don't I mean I could be wrong,
but I don't think our insurance expenses are going to go up unless there's a change next year. Right. So in the way that property insurance, so if we have another storm as an example,
something is damaged, whatever is damaged, we have to in we have to make sure our property insurance covers whatever FEMA is going to reimburse. So say Marcia, you might be able to help me. Recycle
building for instance, totally destroyed, right? So if FEMA reimbures at X amount of money, they're then going to require insurance policy to be at least at that minimum amount moving
forward. So that's one of the reasons why our insurance increased so much is because everything that was destroyed for Idelia Pine, they came back and said, "Okay, we're reimbursing this." So now at a minimum, you have to have this
move forward. That makes sense. So every year our property insurance could, you know, depend on what happens. So with the uh with that FEMA reimbursement deal that say they give X amount of dollar. I'm just going through
some folks I talked to in these same situations that they FEMA was going to give them X amount of dollars, but then they were going to require all this insurance. So, they just declined the money. They declined the money because the cost
of the insurance was going to be outrageous. And they require you to have we have to give them our insurance policy, right? So, I mean, just generally speaking, when you look at it, do we even have to accept the money? If if if
the if it's going to be going to be a negative impact in the long run is what I I understand that particular building um it was a turnkey project. I just use that as an example, but the bid alone for the rebuild was over a million dollars. That
makes sense for what type of policy you would have just for one building. Well, I mean, it's like the airport, the hanger at the airport, the premium came in at that and I mean, it was the premium for that was what over $50,000.
I mean, it's crazy. Yeah, it's it's a lot. But so, but I understand what you're saying. So, that's something we can look at moving forward. And on the and you know just to add to some of the angst every three years I think they do a
survey and um so there were some things added to the policy that weren't there before and that increased the premium as well. But I you know I it's just it's just difficult to to be able to predict where those
premiums will come in at you know going through the procurement process. hopefully a reduction, but look like it would be need to be in the insurance. One thing that that might be helpful to look at if you have this one that
Danielle gave out Monday um that says Taylor County 2526 budget about three pages from the back is where the MST community fund overall starts. So you see the revenues there. One of the things that kind of makes sense is
building permit fees don't really cover the cost of the building department. I mean, I know it's not a lot and a lot of money, but it, you know, if you could increase the fees to at least cover those expenses. Um, that would, you know, get some money that would help. And then the next page
is the expenditure. So, you can see volunteer fire, county fire, code enforcement, building department, animal control. So, those are all the things that's funded out of that department there. So those are things that have to be decreased if you're going to do it or decrease anything. It has to be in those
department. So that's just easy what you can do there. But um and I think the city does reimburse us some for animal control. That probably won't change.
Animal control fees are only $200. what that is. And I don't know if if any of these new fire stations when they're projected to be completed or if they're going to be manned, then that's going to be a that's going to be an increase on the
extended when those get completed. All those guys got started. That was fine, but it's kind of a deal with some of the new ones that are going to be a couple of the new ones that's going to be that will be built
longterm idea, but I mean we just have fun or event that hey we get some industry comes into the community the next two or three years or five really I say more realistically four to five years
so right so MST fund you know we're at a $28,000 deficit you see MSTU funding opportunities And like the clerk
said, I mean one that your permit that be about your only option. So that'd be your only option to even gain any ground in the MST. But I think well I know some of these other areas she's probably already been
cut done some cuts. But we could um I mean we could certainly look at some other counties and similar uh population and size and compare our our permit fees to other
counties. And I think the last time the fees were changed was 2008. Yeah, they have not been increased in quite some time. And I know immediately after the storm um you know was a sensitive time to bring it up but um we
can we can bring those numbers back but for budget purposes we have that much time back if Well, before the bud I mean before the budget is finalized certainly before the final budget hearings. That's something
we can work through between now and now now and then. And you there's the special meetings on the 29th to set the millillage, right? And that millage is what's advertised on the trim notices and then set that higher rate and then if the permit fees reduce that then it would be
and the insurance reduce that then you can lower it if that's what you wish to do. And and when is the final final? Um September. September. I got those dates if you need. Um so the first public hearing would be
September the 8th. Can we take a short break, Mr. Chair? Sure. Yeah. I just want to take I'm just saying goodbye. All right. We wouldn't have any carrier. I don't
know how I came up with a hammer. Whose problem that is? I don't think you'll get that. I got another one on this one a while, jumped out there and got you. If you
don't care, I need X-rays. And we know that it's going to somebody Thanks. Right. was going to leave a bruise. That's serious stuff. Take the long way
around. Oh, he's got it on film, too, right? With that thing. Praise the Lord. That's coming. Yeah, but if you got I wanted to
keep looking for any little amounts that we can you know, recover. So, I had a call um the last week from someone that has rental property at the beach and
they were telling me that they gave their solid waste card to the renters and the renters didn't return that card. So they wanted to get another card and
so and I don't know how many cards are floating around out there. There may be a few. There may be a lot but however many is out there just gives the opportunity for someone
to use the roll off that shouldn't be using the roll off. You see what I'm saying? So I was talking to wonder earlier about it and I just like Russ to discuss on those
cards we give out two to each property owner right annually and so um if they come back and say that they've lost their card or the renter didn't give it back to them that we
charge a pretty hefty fee for that for that extra card. That way, um, especially for someone that has rentals, uh, they can, you know, if we charge them, I'm just going to throw a number out there. If we charge them $50 for
another card, then they can get that deposit once they hand that that card to their renter, they can get a $50 deposit. So, if they if they return that card, give them the $50 back. If they don't, then they have to come buy
another one. They've got the $50 to buy the extra card. So, that would eliminate, I think, maybe some misuse of our roll offs. Anybody got any feelings about that? I didn't I hate to see even having
cards. It needs to be stickers only as far as I'm concerned. I know it would interfere with the rentals because I had rentals too and all of them had cars in them and they I had them hung on the board in the rental houses at the beach. But the thing is we are I talked to Gary
Bold about it. He said, "We are actually probably getting $2 to $300,000 a year extra stuff haul to the dump side to hold, you know, to to the waste
that we shouldn't even be get. We're getting it from the city. We're getting it from contractors. These hurricanes are good example of that. at my dump site down behind airport. I seen trailer loaders and trailer loaders contractors pulling in there and unloading. The
other day I pull up there. Here's a contractor had a whole trailer full of sheetrock and he brought his tractor on another trailer and they were unloading the trailer with his with with the front end loader into our dump. I mean it took all I could do to keep
them saying, you know, go up there and say, "Whoa, wait a minute. I didn't." I told them employee there after they left I went back by there and I live right below the dump there. I said y'all need to uh you know start looking in contractor doors on their truck said
contractor they don't need to be dumping it. They charge the people that they work for waste fee to go to green you know and and they need they need to be cared to green. We have got to get a hand on it. It's costing the taxpayers to have the county a world of money.
Yeah. you know, if we had canisters like other counties instead of those big roll off things, you know, that might help cuz and I've looked at at other counties, I, you know, as I go through and I I'll look at them and they don't
have those roll offs. They don't and they'll run you off. You go to Madison or Madison Highway and try to dump TR over sheetrock. See what they do. They'll feed you to the green. They will. I didn't try Greenville.
He said, "You need to take that notice and go to Greenville." I just stopped there. I was I was going to Greenville. I said, "I'm going to go have some that lady told me." He said, "You got to go somewhere else. You got to go." I said, "I understand." And that's what all around the county is doing, too. They're
sending them there. I think that's how we get a handle on it is to eliminate these rolloffs and and go to the the canister and then we can you know we can uh at at another time another meeting we can talk about you know what do the
people that have the C and D what are they going to do with it? So I think dog would a little we got hor with the with the dumb business and we like you said we need to do that in different conversation different time but I'm for that we have got to get a home it's called in
taxpayers f county world I have people complain to me about it you know and we're paying for that and I I actually had I actually had someone within the city recently that asked to use my car to take off a bunch of stuff where they had
destroyed uh a building and I said I can't do that. I cannot do that. But um you know we we need to schedule time and really seriously talk about changing this process.
There's a lot of things we can cut and we need to talk about later on that can cut money and help and help the county. And what what do y'all think about, you know, charging extra for that card if they So, you think the sticker is a better
option? You think the sticker on the vehicle is a better option? I do because, you know, we'd have to do something different with the rentals, but most of the rentals now are taken care of from realtors. They should work that out with a realtor that handles their rental houses and things like
that. But the stickers and one lady told me said, "I don't want a sticker on the back of my car." I said, "All you got to do is just open your door, put it right down there. When you open your door to dump the stickers blind you, you know, and and nobody else will see the sticker on your car." I said, "There's an easy
way to do it, you know, instead of putting up on your windshield, put it just inside your door on your car, your truck, when you open the door. There it is. That's the way it is on my truck out there, you know." And uh the sticker would be the the people at the dump sites have
have told me over and over all the different sites I've stopped at and talked to people the attendance they even hate to ask somebody for a card or you know but if they see a sticker you know they they know they they good to go I mean all in all it
would really be better to have stickers and they can't pass them around like they pass the cards around there there's gentleman that cleans up yards all over Taylor County trees right back here. I seen him one day when
I left here. I went by there and he was loading a trailer right here in the house two houses down from the street back here. I went to the house and got something and headed back to town. And when I headed back to town, he was at our dump site down there, you know, behind the airport. I'm pulling up. I
said, "Where are you working?" He said, "I'm working for some people on Golf Course Road." I said, "Yeah, you sure are." I said, "I just seen you up there behind her office, you know." And and you know, he laughed. I said, "You go ahead and unload it now." But I just,
you know, it's happening with tons and tons of stuff this comes out the city that we're having the tax the countyy's having for I mean, we that's we really need to have a special deal on that. something you want to say? Sir,
I just want to say in reference to those stickers, I got one on my truck. It's on the front bumper and every time I go to the dump, they ask me for a card cuz that sticker don't mean a thing to them. Yeah. I think the stickers are out anyway, right?
We don't have anymore. When you pull up there to the dump, open that door, people just on the inside of your door, right down at the bottom. It's right there on the bumper. When I come drive in, they ought to be able to see it. Yeah. He said it's on the front bumper and they don't ask for it. So let's schedule a workshop for this for
later. Um yeah, but I got probably some other options on to look at that, but that's not really for this budget stuff right now. And and Mr. Moody's right. A lot of stuff is coming out of the city. Every
time I go, I see people I know live in the city down there using the dome. And if I know them live in the city, I know them people running off sites know it too. You got sir,
I don't roll off site. You told me not. How many roll off site do we have in the nine? Nine, right? We got nine. Okay. So, uh, back to the MSTU,
$238,000 deficit, see our options, and I guess is it like for the time being, we're either going to balance that, if the options are going to be to balance it from
the village increase that Daniel has mentioned, or 1 cent money. I mean, you can use MSTU reserves. That's an option. But what reserve again? Right at 2 million 2.3.
How much how much money does that MSTU increase each year? Do we even see much of an increase in that each year? It's increasing quite a bit from this year to next year. Um, I would have to go back and look to see what it the
trend. I didn't do the trend for MSTU. I only did it for general fund. I'd like to know that number also, you know, maybe we had to do it one year, but I just I just cannot. Well, you have to remember that um we've been
trying to build the MST reserves by using 1 cent sales tax for capital purchases, right? So, that's helped. I I'd rather, you know, look at that one cent sales tax. I am just afraid to use
a anything catastrophic could happen and there would be I'm just very very cautious about that. And really I just don't want to get too confident in
having to use the 1 cent sales tax one year then we may need to just so do we have a suggestion for the board on this 238,000 what we want to do
from the MSTU sir from the MSTU reserve you have a well you have a $238,000 uh deficit there. Okay. I mean your options are the increase that they are presented in the
millillage uh or balance from the MSTU reserves or balance from the one cent money. For me, I would I would probably refrain myself. I would refrain from trying to
balance from the one the MSTU was theirs. Right. I for the 1 cent sales tax. Now my question would be um to y'all financial people um with the one cent sales tax if we took it all
back it would more than um take care of the MSTU and the ambulance service. Yes. Expect an increase in that respect. Correct.
doing this, taking out of one pocket and putting it in the other really because if they come up with a need, you're going to give them the money anyway and it's going to have to come out of reserve. Maybe maybe not. It depends on what it is just cuz you got your hand out. But yeah, if it's something they got to have, I'm all for it. But I think
there's been some purple spending in in some areas, but at least that would that would be a fix. Um that would be the best use of that sales tax in my opinion. Use that instead of going up on the
millillage for right now. Right now I thought we've said that we didn't really want to use those funds not knowing unknown bids or expenses that it wasn't responsible to go into
these reserves. So that's really eliminating some of those options of what we're going to be able to do. So I I think it's permissible in this conversation to either look at the MSTU reserve or the one set reserve.
Yes. Not just the one set monies for next year. Is that is that true? I would think so. I mean you'll have to change your pass resolution for operating right just like we did with it. So even
to use the one that reserves you have to pass resolution. Yes. What did he say? Eric we have to change we you would have to adopt a resolution just like you did when we started using for the for EMS. So right now your only two options is
going to be increase in the millillage or MST reserves. No, I mean you have plenty of time. You have plenty of time. Yeah, you have
plenty of time to pass a resolution to utilize your once in sales tax funds to you know and again we don't know you know there are some unknowns but as far as time I think what's pressing right
now is a decision about setting your millillage because you know you can set your mileage and then if these unknowns you know things work out and you don't need as much then you can lower the millage or you can use your one sales tax.
But we also talk about if if the building department if you change those fees between now and you really have to adopt a final decision, you may have a number there budget for next year if that's something you do, right? But the path forward would be to set
that at the 1.396 and then you would use that to cover if ne as you could. That would cover it. Worst case scenario, we covered the deficit, but you could always reduce it if you found somewhere else to or if you decided to use reserves or whatever, you can always
set another mill rate. And that's that hearing is in September. So you have between now and September to work out the details. Yeah. So the July 29th, you've got to set that tenative millage, which would be the the one that the 1.33 or whatever
it is 1.396 1.396. And then by the September meeting, you would you would have more numbers and a better idea and you can reduce that. Leave it the same. Leave it at 1.22. You just can't go over it.
Or we could at the next meeting we could pass a resolution. That's easy to do in one meeting. Yeah. You can do that before the September hearing meeting. Yeah. And and that way now you have to probably prepare it and advertise it and all that. So,
well, I mean time you can do it before September. We're going to do with that money keeping that money. We're going to do that anyway. So, correct. I asked a lot of people about what would you rather see um you know
cut funds on different departments and this and that and they told me say going up on the millage and this is more than one person told me this go up on the millage a little bit instead of cutting yourself short and said you can always
go down you can't go back up you know you can't keep going up but you can go up enough to cover everything and instead of pulling out of your reserves and your one sales tax, the millillage um they said they'd rather see the
millage go up and take care of business. They said a fire truck, a ambulance, a hospital, and a sheriff's department, something they want to have. They don't they don't want to cut short on those sort of things. And it's just it's a no-brainer. You know, you you you're
going need more money for the fire department. If you're ever going to give them a raise, you're going to need more money to give our employees raises. You're going to have to go you're going to have things to tear up. You going to have to buy just like we bought the new dump truck the other day. I mean, the
garbage hauling truck. We've got we've got somewhere. The money's got to come from somewhere. And people I you know they said you may rather you go up on the millillage is what people told me you know and I asked a lot of people I I've been talking this
for months you know to different people cuz I knew this was coming up and they just don't want services cut. We can save some money on some of the services just like we did talk about this dump sites. There's a lot of ways we can save money but it just takes a little
planning to do it. But the mill is what they want to make sure that we have services and really the only way we going to keep keep our services up to par is is is go up on the millage a little bit. Yeah. What what my fear is is that we
raised the millillage this year. Next year we're going to be in the same situation. Then say for instance we raised that millillage again last year of next year. The first thing before you know it, we're going to be at 10 mills.
That's it. That's it. And then what are we going to do? What are we going to do then? We've already capped that off. So, uh, we're taxing everybody to the max. So, something one day something unless a
pile of money comes in from somewhere, one day we're going to run out of money. We can't raise that millillage no more. So I that's I'm just very very careful in wanting to raise the millillage. We've got that one cent
that that we can use. Um how long's it been since millage was raised? I'm not sure. I haven't he Yeah, I don't remember. MSTU was raised when um Commissioner Pers
to hire two firefighters at the beaches. Yeah. So, it's about five years ago. I think it was in 2018. 2018, I think. So, you'd be in favor of a minor a general fund. You're talking about a
millage rate for MSTU as well as expenses for general fund. What does what would that cost look like for some if we did the the MSDU but also for the general fund fall I would have to recalculate it. So for I
re I calculated what the M what the general fund mill would be at the deficit when we came in. That's what I'm asking for. Okay. So it would go um from 7.2426 2426 to 7.360.
Could you repeat that please ma'am? Um 7.2426 is the current millillage, right? It would go to 7.360 to cover the deficit we had on Monday. Yes, ma'am. And do you know what that annual increase would be on the same
values? Um it would be about $5.80 including the MS to you that'd be 13. Yes. So less than $14 a year on those values. Well, would that cover what we need to
keep going? That's that's on the budget that was put budget. But then again, pull up for next year. I'm not looking to go backwards in the reductions that we looked already discussed. I'm not looking to back up in the budget
discussion. Um, for me, we're still I think we have the general fund taken care of and we're still working on the MSTU
fund. I'm pretty flat as a wait, I don't really want to increase the mill or use the reserves, but we got to do one or the other. So, Uh but I'm not looking to back up to
balance the budget totally and we already made a plan with the general part. So me the discussion still stands at the MST fund deficit of $238,000
What do you want to do? I don't really I mean you got to do one or the other. That's all pretty flat. I don't really want to, you know, I don't I want to raise or go in those kind of reserves, but you know, I probably would be more in favor of the 1 cent money for
now. And then, you know, if we did raid anything, then you you balance the budget at the 1 cent money. And if you if we did increase the millillage, then how is that going to benefit us going
forward other than balance budget? Well, I think I think for the sake of coming to having to set a rate that we could then reduce from, if our needs are not that high, then absolutely we can always reduce that number. But I think
going towards um the special meeting that's coming up for me, these are the the numbers that we see we can come to. um that's that's just where it seems to be like and if we make a decision to offset that with a partial amount of
reserve funding or or different funding then we can but I think in looking at those amounts if I understood that right it's less than $14 a year increase I do agree with what commissioner Moody said with the folks
that I have spoken with I'm a taxpayer I don't want to pay higher taxes uh we've got these services that we've got to pay for and we certainly can continue to look and find ways to be creative and and being more efficient, but at the end of the day, we still have
to come to a point to set these rates and and understanding we can set those and reduce them if we have that option or opportunity. we have the option, but I don't think going into that session without having greater, you know, input
or data from a number of places, whether that be what the costs of the ambulance service are going to be or insurance or a number of unknowns. Um, for me, it seems the most um wise to
set those rates at what we realize we would have to have. And certainly we can look deeper into reducing that should we get that potential. Mr. Chair, you know, I I hear the words creative,
but I haven't heard anything creative so far except to raise the millage rate perhaps. And I want to go back to my suggestion earlier about um
maybe cutting some of the days with the roll off. So what I would really like to see is is uh Lwanda if you could come back with the next meeting Monday if that's possible. I don't know if it is and give us some options. Give us some
proposals of um cutting back on on the non rolloffs and see see what that um you know where that nets us and before we start blunk saying going to raise taxes,
let's look at those creative idea ways and see where we can cut versus spend. So just I just understand though talking about the what you're talking about the solid waste and the the hours of service
even if we did I mean to me that's probably a whole different discussion I guess because even if we even if you did I mean the the solid waste assessment is what it is right correct so that's not really going to reduce anything to the citizens it might put
you know more it may it may bring more revenue just you're just really just reducing the services so to speak, but it may put more in your solid waste reserves, but it's not going to reduce the taxpayers's solid waste assessment.
So, what your general cost if you cut the days and we we already have problems with um having enough employees for the rolloffs anyway. So, uh and you know, one of our biggest
expenses, if not the biggest, is salaries and benefits. So, um, you know, that would be one way that I think that it would reduce the cost. Yeah. But I just want to say that maybe I don't I don't disagree in having the
discussion, but I just think for budget purposes, it's probably not going to help. I mean, we can do that and even if it was in October, you can do it. You're still going to get the same results if you cut back, but it's not going to do anything to this particular budget. Well, and and I I I hear you. Uh but if
she comes back with some proposals that would be s somewhat significant then that wouldn't play a part into this budget. Not it's not going to play it's not going to play a part in reducing any
cost to the citizens because that is a the assessment is there and all it I mean in the solid waste budget yes it might just say if we cut services by just say I'm just using a third then
it may put a$100,000 additional dollar into the or may put $200,000 into the solid waste reserves But so yes, it I'm not I'm not saying it's not going to help the solid waste budget, but overall it's not in our
general and our MSTU fund. It's not going to do anything there that we're working on today. That's true. And the same tonnage is going to come the day after. If you collect it for two days, that third day, they going to bring the same amount of weight.
We have to save on employee cost right there. Yeah. But I'm not saying don't discuss it at all. I'm not saying not that it don't need to be discussed, but I'm just saying I go ahead, sir. I just want to say if you close the roll off sites for a couple days a week, which I personally think is a good idea,
you still going to have a problem with vandalism. People's going to cut the fence and go in there anyway. You already they're already doing that. You're going to have to spend money to keep people there to keep them from doing that. Yeah. So, you're defeating the purpose by doing it.
I disagree with the discussion, but maybe we can put that in the near future, maybe in an August meeting, and maybe it's something we can discuss. I I'm just trying to think outside the box. Oh, I disagree. What What can we do to save this county
some money? That's the only thing I'm doing. Yep. Well, I'm 100% with you. I'm 100% with you. So, do we have a recommendation for this MSTU fund, the $238,000 deficit?
I recommend going up on the mill. So, go from the 1.225 to the 1.360. Would that exact figure that that's the that's the MSTU fund,
right? Was I correct? 1.3 1.3960 1.3960. So it would go from 1.225 to 1.3960 and that would be how much will how much will I bring in?
Enough to balance. It will cover the deficit 238,00 Yeah. I recommend that we take it out of the one sales tax. I'd be in agreement with the military.
I would report the 1% sales tax at this time. And then if we did any kind of millage increase, I would like to see where is it going to benefit the business. What is this? Where's the where's it going to benefit the business for the citizens?
If we did an increase, it going to benefit with a mill increase. Hey, I'm get you charge you more money, but I'm going to give you extra firefighters or extra whatever. So, I for now I'd be
I'd be in favor of one money. I said I'm opposed to any budget increase, but I'd like to be able to tell the citizens you're not having to pay money to balance the budget, get this budget, but you're paying additional money to
this what you get, right? The sales tax comes from people from everywhere coming through here. It's not just local people in it. really need to go up on the the rate of
that, you know. I mean, sales tax could go up, too. I mean, but that would get everybody comes through here. Everybody buys gas. Everybody just at Walmart, you ride through Walmart park. You can't see the tag. It's all out of town people.
I agree with you. But the the problem that we've got right now is the governor has cut out a lot of sales tax on a lot of stuff. And it's not just seasonal, it's year round. And I don't know what kind of impact yet that's going to have on us, but I'm sure
it's going to have some kind of negative on us. So, you know, we raise, he lowers. I mean, that's a good reason not to not to cut you out of the sales tax because we don't know if we're gonna have that same sales tax next year, you know, with
these cuts we got coming. The same thing about property tax. Yeah. It it didn't it didn't make to the floor this year, but next year it's coming. Yeah. I still am in favor of using the sales
tax to balance the MSTU fund of 238,000 and 238,000. Yeah, Mr. D. What you think? What you thinking? I think one put in the other me. That's
about right. Yeah. Both them up with one fall push. Do a sales tax. Everybody pays it. You're saying, "Yeah, that money." Yeah. Let's make sure we do that resolution on
the next meeting. The next meeting, don't we? No, it have to be the first meeting. Yeah, next week's agenda's already gone out. I'm not sure what kind of does it require advertising. probably not a resolution I don't think but we'd have to ask Conrad to prepare it or I
mean I can ask Conrad to prepare and get it on the agenda. So maybe the next meeting that Tuesday's meeting not the one after that the one after that first meeting in August so uh
what next I guess I'm going back I just want to be clear on the gel emergency management and the mullet. Is that now going to be ours or is it
still undecided? I hear nothing about the jail. Well, okay. Well, whatever. I know that was mentioned at one time. I'm sure it'll be brought up after this meeting and all over. So, I guess a lot
of need to let us know what that what we need to do there. If the if the board is considering um changing your interlocal agreement with the sheriff's office, I would have to bring that um put that on an agenda
for the board to discuss. If you if you want to just you know however you want to change that you do or don't the um I'm sure I'll get clarification about the correctional officers
and um bring that back to the board. So we did calculate if you if the board does agree to cut the sheriff's budget to 8 million 33498 that would leave a Daniel 300 304669
would be an excess. Say that again. 304669, but you'd have an excess in the general fund. And so when we balance, I would roll it into reserves. Even um so the increase for the correctional officers,
the 120 would either go back to them if depending on what they said or we would budget in the county budget. I I allowed for the 120 also. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. I calculated either way. What else? All right.
So I guess my question would be do we need to meet on Monday or since we kind of know where we're going. The next thing the special meeting is on the 29th and you are going to just set the um tenative millage and that millage will go on the trim notices. We skip the 24th.
That's what I'm asking. Not skipping the 24th and then the next budget meeting being the 29th. We have we have budget workshop scheduled for Monday the 21st and the 24th. So, um, I guess it depends on what you want
meet the 21st or the 24th, right? And then we would set the millillage at 5:30 on the 29th. Um, I mean, I guess we don't have anything else to discuss. Then we would just reconvene on the 29th.
Well, I I really think we're where we are. I mean, I don't know what else to do. Well, and I can update the board on the 22nd and then if we need a workshop after that, then that can be scheduled.
We would need to meet on the 24th. You can just leave them schedule and then cancel, right? So, you want to go ahead and cancel the 21st. wait on the 24th just in case there's something you need to further discuss
after the meeting on the 22nd. And so just to be clear because I think it says on the agenda is Thursday the 29th, but it's Tuesday the 29th. Oh, right. That's when the that's when we have a special hearing to set the tenative.
Yeah. Tuesday the 29th. And you have a workshop that night. It's not Monday the 21st council 24th Thursday still on that on Tuesday at our Tuesday meeting.
Okay. All right. So got any any items you want to I just wanted to let the board know that we had our mandatory EMS meeting yesterday and we had five companies
attend the meeting which is very encouraging. It is very positive meeting very informative and that's a mandatory pre-bid meeting. So um if companies did not attend that meeting they cannot submit a proposal. who who live in 10.
So, we have five different companies. I got a couple of things. I just want to just make sure that it's clear. Um the again, the sheriff accused me of lying to him and telling him that
I was not going to cut his budget. That conversation was la I think it was last budget session, not this, not this. and we talked and at that time I said no I don't have any intentions of cutting
you vote to cut your budget at that time because we were we were kind of okay you know so as far as this cycle that we're in now I have not said that I'm not I have not told him that I
wasn't going to cut his budget we have not discussed his budget for this cycle I just want to make make sure that that's that's very clear. Um the other thing I want to um publicly apologize to Commissioner
Moody. Um I have no intent of throwing rocks at you and um I I apologize uh for I apologize for that. And um
again, I really appreciate everybody that's worked so hard to try to make this budget work. And um Johnny, I want to thank you for your leadership. Um I really appreciate that.
Anyone else? All right, there's nothing further. Meeting is adjourned. Line muting.