Around the state

County Budget Fight a Battle Royale NBC Miami By TODD WRIGHT With more than $444 million in deficits facing the county, everything and everyone will be a target going into tonight's final budget hearing ... Editorial: FYI, Martin County taxpayers; another proposed 'fee ... TCPalm The courts in Martin County, just like the courts in every other Florida county, are essentially state operations. The lion's share of the fines collected ... Collier school board votes to raise tax rates Naples Daily News The issue brought many questions from Collier County residents before the School Board held its finalbudget hearing Thursday evening. ... Miami-Dade County highest spender in lobbying US MiamiHerald.com The county's spending, though, may be cut back. The County Commission Thursday is prepared to pass a budget that caps the county's federal lobbying budget ... Clerk's office abolishing 44 positions Tampa Tribune BY CARL ORTH NEW PORT RICHEY - A budget upheaval continues to reshape the staff at the PascoCounty Office of Clerk and Comptroller, where 44 jobs will end ... Windfall restores county services for 2010 fiscal year Tampa Tribune County officials had already factored a $1.2 million rebate into the fiscal 2010 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1. The last-minute injection of $3 million ...

FGCU cuts - and Philly Library Shut

FGCU cuts spending in order to come in under budget
Naples Daily News
By LESLIE WILLIAMS LEE COUNTY — Budget directors braced for stormy financial seas at FloridaGulf Coast University are reporting smooth sailing so far early ...

In Philadelphia:

All Free Library of Philadelphia Branch, Regional and Central Libraries Closed Effective Close of Business October 2, 2009

All Free Library of Philadelphia Customers,

We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009. More...

Budget decisions, decisions

School board nixes millage increase
Daily Commercial
Still, the community was divided over whether to compromise the county's learning environment or its residents' ability to survive in one of Florida's ...

Fort Lauderdale's proposed budget Sun-Sentinel.com By Brittany Wallman South Florida Sun-Sentinel Operating budget: $327.5 million, for city services such as police, fire and parks. ...

Around the State

Fla. expected to face more financial woes
MiamiHerald.com
Florida's current budget of $66.5 billion is about $5 billion less than the one Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law two years ago. ...

Clerks of court deal with budget cuts
Bradenton Herald
By CARL MARIO NUDI - cnudi@bradenton.com MANATEE — Just as the other 66 Florida countyclerks of the court, Mana- tee County Clerk of the Court RB “Chips” ...

Tight budget, higher property tax rate for Broward schools
MiamiHerald.com
About 15 people attended the hearing, though only a few spoke -- mostly about the worst-case-scenario notices they received from the Broward County property ...

Commissioners to ask state to cut tax collector's budget
The Northwest Florida Daily News
Okaloosa County commissioners will send a letter detailing their objections to Tax Collector Chris Hughes' budget to the state Department of Revenue, ...

Brevard school budget OK'd
Florida Today
BY MEGAN DOWNS • FLORIDA TODAY • September 4, 2009 The Brevard County School Board approved an operating budget Thursday night that's down about 6 percent ...

Tax appeals coming

In Miami Dade: More than 4,100 people have visited the county property appraiser’s office to discuss their notices. An additional 10,600 calls have been logged with the county regarding preliminary tax notices. Property owners in Miami-Dade have until Sept. 18 to file appeals. Thousands appeal property taxes as budget hearings near Bizjournals.com In Broward County, which is facing a $23 million budget deficit, 5291 petitions for appeal have been filed with the value adjustment board. ... Cut, cut, cut MiamiHerald.com 24: Florida's jobless rate hit 8.1 percent in December, the highest since September 1992. Today, as the County Commission takes up Mr. Alvarez's budget Top 20 execs at Jackson to volunteer for pay cuts MiamiHerald.com Jackson leaders seek a solution to budget woes as county commissioners question why the hospital system needs more than 100 highly paid executives. ...

As Florida goes, so goes the Nation

States across the nation pinch their pennies to save athletics USA Today Nearby Loudoun County, with 10 high schools, instituted a $100 fee to play sports. Money is for general budget shortfall not specific to athletic budget. ... Behind Florida's Exodus: Rising Taxes, Political Ineptitude TIME One thing, for instance, would be to give a dozen top aides hefty raises while urging a rise in property taxes, as the Mayor of Miami-Dade County recently ... Schools look to teacher furloughs to trim budgets The Associated Press But furloughs are happening in individual districts in states such as New Mexico,Florida and California, said Ed Muir, deputy director of research and ... License and registration, PLEASE! Ocala Higher tag fees, raised by the Florida Legislature to address a budget deficit, take effect today. The Associated Press TALLAHASSEE - Driver license, ...

Music Programs Cut

The three-week June music festival will be on hiatus in 2010 "as we re-evaluate its mission, format and structure in light of the current economy," Orchestra Board Chairman Virginia Toulmin said in a statement.

The 45-year-old Sarasota Music Festival has temporarily fallen victim to the economy as its parent organization, the Sarasota Orchestra, looks for ways to cut costs while protecting its core programming and local educational outreach.

The suspension of the festival is one of several cost-cutting measures announced Monday by the orchestra. More...

Sarasota Orchestra cuts popular programs, salaries to stay afloat

With the economy squeezing grants, government funding and corporate and individual gifts, the orchestra had to rely on almost half of its emergency reserves — a total of $515,000 — just to get through last season, McKenna said. This has been the first time during his nearly nine years with the organization that he’s had to tap into reserves.

Cascading impacts

In affluent Naples:

More hungry students could be starting school Monday

In Sarasota:

Sarasota County schools cut $40 million from this year's budget. In the past two years Manatee has cut $43 million in spending. Fewer data and reading coaches, assistant principals and media specialists means more work for teachers and less help for students. link

Breaking a condominium death spiral

Few of the Southwest Florida’s condominiums are untouched by the housing bust, with experts claiming anywhere from a single unit to 40 percent of any given building’s units abandoned, in foreclosure or having residents who can no longer afford to pay their association dues.

In Osceola:

Fire Rescue station and library hours could be among county budget cuts

"Taking matters into their own hands"

Citizens in Coral Gables, Miami take on budget woes

Property owners, upset about budget woes at the city, county and school board levels, meet to try to tackle the government budgets themselves.

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Coral Gables leaders want more budget updates

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In Gables, balancing budget a painful puzzle

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Coral Gables residents go on e-mail blitz over taxes

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Longtime homeowners face big tax hikes

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Letter: Newly elected official facing witch hunt

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

EDEVALLE@GMAIL.COM

More than a dozen concerned -- some downright angry -- taxpayers met last week to discuss the different budgets proposed by Miami-Dade County, the school board and the cities of Miami and Coral Gables.

And they are taking matters into their own hands.

The residents -- young and old, Democrats and Republicans -- said they want to pore over the upcoming budgets of the city of Coral Gables, the city of Miami, the school board and the county to target wasteful spending amid declining income. South Florida municipalities are cutting services and raising taxes to contend with decreased property tax revenues from the economic downturn.

Orlando and Miami look at Tight Budget Choices

Will cutbacks make Orlando 'The City Shabby'?
Orlando Sentinel
The year before he took office, the annual maintenance budget was nearly $1.9 million. This year, it's about $970000. As of Oct. 1, it will drop to $732000, ...

Miami-Dade District 12 budget meeting draws county-wide interest MiamiHerald.com A District 12 meeting about Miami-Dade County's proposed budget drew interest from activists and residents who live elsewhere. ...

Schools pinched in Sarasota

In Sarasota, hundreds of educators will have to adapt to teaching new grade levels and subjects, or groups of students with special needs, after budget cuts forced the district to move about 280 teachers into new positions for the school year that starts Monday.

from:

The first day of school, and already there's a test

Children's protections suffer in Seminole

Guardian program low on help after state cuts

SEMINOLE COUNTY - The volunteer organization that represents abused, neglected or abandoned children in court is looking for more volunteers in the county.

The Guardian ad Litem program emerged from the state's budget cycle with a $2.81 million cut, which, while significant, was far less than the Florida House of Representative's proposed $7.6 million.

But the cuts caused a shift in volunteers, leaving a hole that needs to be filled with 80 volunteers in total, and 40 for a training session that starts in October.

Arund the state

Most Palm Beach County cities will raise their tax rates for next year

Falling property values mean less revenue for city coffers; higher rates means fewer service cuts, officials say

Get ready homeowners: County and most cities in Broward propose tax hikes

FORT LAUDERDALE - Twenty-six of 31 cities, as well as Broward County government, both hospital districts and the local children services agency, are looking at raising tax rates and fees on property owners this year.

Cuts threaten responders

Cities plead with county not to trim $1.4 million to offset program cost

Residential taxes going up in area

Some homeowners in for unpleasant surprise

Already hit by the biggest drop in property values in the state's history, many full-time residents will get another dose of bad news this week: Their property tax bills are actually going up, some significantly.

...the implosion of the housing market and the lingering recession have meant sagging revenues for local governments, many of which have responded by raising property taxes.

That, combined with an exemption designed to ease the burden on full-time residents, is turning Florida's much-criticized tax system on its head, with much of the load shifting back to those year-round residents.

The shift will become apparent this week as tax bills for 647,000 parcels in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties begin arriving in the mail. More...

Share and merge government services

Governing with less

Cash-strapped cities and counties should consider merging services

Published: Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 14, 2009 at 4:14 p.m.

Local governments across Florida are facing some of the most challenging times in memory as they prepare budgets for the 2010 fiscal year.

Tax revenues have declined as property values have plummeted in the wake of the housing bust, and those revenues are expected to continue to fall in the near future.

The dismal prospects call for fresh consideration of how to provide the government services that the public demands in the most cost-efficient way possible. That way may be through expanded cooperation among county and city governments.

...

But more cooperation and combination of efforts should also be explored by city and county governments. Ultimately, citizens must decide on the level of government services they need and, perhaps, on which government should provide those services.

Health, Safety and Budget Cuts

Broward County cutting school nurses as flu expected to reemerge
Sun-Sentinel.com
By Bob LaMendola and Kathy Bushouse South Florida Sun-Sentinel Although H1N1 flu is expected reappear bigger and stronger after children return to classes, ...

Clay Sheriff Says Budget Cuts May Affect Public Safety
First Coast News
GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL -- The Clay County Sheriff says fewer officers on the streets could soon be a reality for residents. For the first time in 20 years, ...

Few new projects in Lee

Lean budget means fewer new projects expected for county

Lee capital improvement funds drop in last 2 years

By DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@breezenewspapers.com

POSTED: August 12, 2009

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Lee County is looking at just under $93 million in capital improvement projects for the 2009-10 fiscal year, a number that is lower than any seen this decade.

The CIP budget shrunk compared to the $123 million for this fiscal year, and fell dramatically compared to the 2007-08 fiscal year when it sat at just over $243 million.

Daily Breeze

The future might be dimmer still

The heavy lifting has just begun on Pasco County's 2009-10 budget, but commissioners are already thinking about the budget year that comes next.

That budget could have a shortfall equal to or larger than the $36 million deficit commissioners are confronting now. Given the cuts and tax increases on the agenda for 2010, commissioners are already wondering how they will make up another large deficit in 2011.

from:

2011 budget an issue

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Broward and Palm Beach counties are taking different paths to deal with similar budget crunches blamed on the struggling economy.

While both plan spending cuts, Palm Beach County also proposes raising property tax rates as much as 15 percent to limit layoffs and save valued government services.

Broward County, on the other hand, is considering forgoing a potential tax rate increase in favor of requiring deeper spending cuts by the Sheriff's Office.

from:

Palm Beach County proposes raising property taxes as much as 15 percent

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Benderson decided to put University Town Center — featuring Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Macy’s — on hold until the economy turns around. #$

"The well has run dry"

Imperiled South Florida arts groups fight over funding

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez has proposed eliminating nearly all grants for cultural groups next year. Arts leaders have launched a campaign to save their funding. more...

Parents pitch in for schools - inequities arise

As South Florida school budgets shrink, parents step in

As school budgets dwindle, South Florida parents are contributing for classroom supplies and educational programs.

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Today's evolved dad follows NFL, leads PTA

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Students' 'Rally in Tally' is close-up lesson in political reality

BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY

KMCGRORY@MIAMIHERALD.COM

When the teachers at Herbert A. Ammons Middle School needed supplies, the parents delivered.

Cameras for the art department.

Books for the library.

Flamenco dresses for the Spanish club.

The parents bought thousands of dollars worth of classroom goodies for the southwest Miami-Dade school.

``In this economy, you don't want to ask parents for money,'' outgoing PTA President Liz Smith said. ``But that's what we've had to do.''

As budget cuts hammer South Florida schools, more and more parents are pitching in for classroom expenses. Some are spending the summer organizing fundraisers. Others are cutting the checks themselves. ...

``This will exacerbate the differences in the education that children receive,'' said Julian Weissglass, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a national expert on equity in education.

``Affluent families will be able to subsidize their schools. The less affluent families won't.'' ...

The Miami-Dade district recently cut about $166 million from its budget. Broward had a $158 million shortfall.

more...