Do you have any idea what the passage of this means?
Here's a clue...
Local officials are resigned to budget cuts Essential services may be left alone, but everything else will be on the table, they say.
By WILL VAN SANT, Times Staff Writer
Published January 31, 2008
Passage of Amendment 1 on Tuesday marks a reckoning for local governments in Pinellas County that spent recent years awash in property tax income.
The limits on governments' ability to tax property that voters made part of the state Constitution come on top of curbs mandated by state lawmakers that took effect this year.
As a result, the Pinellas County School District, the county and cities from Clearwater to St. Petersburg are looking at a dimmed spending outlook in the next fiscal year.
It's not a question of whether these taxing authorities will make service or compensation cuts, but where. Budgets are starting to be developed for next year, and specifics are months away. But everything is on the table.
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Northpinellas/Local_officials_are_r.shtml Cities honing budget axes Passage of Amendment 1 will mean drops in tax revenues throughout the county.
By MIKE DONILA, Times Staff Writer
Published January 31, 2008
Clearwater leaders again will look at shutting down libraries, canceling special events, slashing overtime pay and possibly cutting jobs.
And - after two years of reductions - they also could be looking at raising the tax rate. >snip<
Fast facts
Projected revenue loss from Amendment 1
Clearwater: $2.7-million
Largo: $3-million
Dunedin: $800,000-$1-million
Safety Harbor: $500,000
Tarpon Springs: Not available
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Northpinellas/Cities_honing_budget_.shtml City must cut $157,092 from slim budget The passage of Amendment 1 leaves Port Richey officials searching for ways to trim.
By CAMILLE C. SPENCER, Times Staff Writer
Published January 31, 2008
PORT RICHEY - The day after voters approved Amendment 1, city officials were left wondering how to cut $157,092 from an already slim budget.
That's the city's estimated loss of revenue from the doubling of the homestead exemption, a measure estimated to save taxpayers statewide $9.3-billion over five years by chopping from local governments and school budgets.
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Pasco/City_must_cut_157_092.shtml Cities try to calculate fallout from Amendment 1 Zephyrhills and Dade City officials think the newly approved property tax break will necessitate more slashing of city budgets.
By EBONY WINDOM and HELEN ANNE TRAVIS, Times Staff Writers
Published January 31, 2008
ZEPHYRHILLS - The approval of Amendment 1 could mean changes for Zephyrhills.
On Tuesday, Florida voters said yes to the amendment that offers a property tax break to homeowners. But, Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina says that could mean cutbacks on certain city projects.
"I don't think it's necessarily a good thing," Spina said about Amendment 1. "It'll be good for some homeowners."
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Pasco/Cities_try_to_calcula.shtml We got message, local leaders say In the wake of Amendment 1, school, city and county officials look for areas to cut budgets.
By LETITIA STEIN and BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writers
Published January 31, 2008
TAMPA - Local governments are bracing for tough decisions now that voters have demanded lower property tax bills.
For months, officials have warned that even modest tax reductions could spell doom and gloom to cherished services. But now that the people have spoken, officials are pledging to protect the things that matter most, while offering few specifics on what the future holds.
"We are going to have to make a lot of tough choices," Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said.
>snip<
"Nobody has told us they want less service," said Eric Johnson, director of management and budget for the county. "They simply have told us that they want to pay less for it. What we're trying to come up with now is a more thought-out plan."
In theory, at least, local governments could move to increase tax rates to offset some of the increases to homestead exemptions on residential property tax bills. Some local governments likely will, but Deputy County Administrator Wally Hill said he doesn't anticipate that happening in Hillsborough.
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Hillsborough/We_got_message__local.shtml School officials are wary of cuts With Amendment 1's passage comes fears about its affect on classrooms.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
Published January 31, 2008
LAND O'LAKES - Now that Amendment 1 has passed, Pasco school district officials want to see how lawmakers will keep their pledge to hold education harmless from the resulting property tax decrease.
"They promised us, of course, they will have no impact on the schools," School Board member Marge Whaley said Wednesday. "I see no way for them to do that. I really think we will be impacted, one way or the other."Before the vote, superintendent Heather Fiorentino circulated an "informational" slide show that highlighted the possible outcome if the amendment were to pass.
She noted that the district stood to lose $67.5-million over five years, adding that it could hurt any effort to maintain competitive salaries and keep up with construction needs.Fiorentino did not yet have a list of potential spending cuts. She and others have stressed in the past the district's frugality in making budget decisions, noting, for example, the six-week waiting period before filling job vacancies. Such efforts should lessen the immediate blow, they suggested.
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/31/Pasco/School_officials_are_.shtml Fasten your seatbelt, Shorty.
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