What is the population of Highlands County?  Perhaps 100 thousand full time residents and another 50 thousand that live here part of the year?  How many county employees are there?  It would be interesting to see the number of county employees divided by the total county budget and the total population divided by the number of county employees.

How many county vehicles are out riding around, using fuel that cost $3.00 per gallon?  How many gallons of fuel does the county use per month?  If you can afford fuel for your own car, pick out a county vehicle one day and follow it around for 4-5 hours.  It might be enlightening.

I see vehicles with county tags parked at various places during normal business hours, such as auto part stores, Walmart, coffee shops, restaurants, paint stores and in front of personal residences.  I also see workers wearing uniforms identifying them as county employees all over the place, conducting what appears to be personal business during normal working hours.

Could it be that high taxes are not the problem?  The problem is actually high spending.

In 2000 the census showed 87,000 full time residents, including every man, woman, and child. Some estimates today are 100,000 full time residents in Highlands County, not counting snow birds. By comparison, Polk County has about 500,000 full time residents and Sarasota and Charlotte Counties some 300,000+ full time residents each.

The number of property taxpayers is much less than the number of total residents in each county.
County spending remains the primary issue. If you read the articles in the newspaper, the County recently adopted a plan to hire a new county administrator and four division directors at an estimated expense of 600,000+ dollars annual salaries.

New roads and new schools are extremely expensive. The property taxes collected from new home owners doesn’t pay for new infrastructure. The proposed economic stimulus package is an ill conceived, disatrous plan giving tax breaks to a few builders, a benefit to real estate professionals, at the expense of retirees, snow birds and other taxpayers.

There is no free lunch. Someone will pay for new roads and new schools, or else there will be a moratorium on all new construction.

http://www.hcbcc.net/PDFfiles/AdoptedExecutiveSummaryFY2007-2008.pdf

From the budget posted on line, they claim just over 96,000 residents.  A budget of $153 million.  If I am reading the report correctly the staffing calls for 861 employees and this does not appear to include the school system.

Pretty pricey for a small county?

Notice in that budget what was being cut- funding for library positions, social services, a fire fighter position eliminated- and what was getting an increase in funding- the county attorney’s office, the five sub-administrator positions (of which two have been filled and the rest are supposedly on hold). Lots of pork for the special interests.

What we have here, voiceoftruth, is a failure to cut spending. There is enough money for all needed projects. But the County Commissioners are wasting taxpayers money on consultants, committees, and surveys. Cut spending, lower property taxes, then talk about using what is remaining as surplus, to fund all the things that they want here.

Likely one of the biggest errors made lately is reorganizing the county government and creating four division directors to report to the county administrator. Such as structure would make sense if we had a population of more than 500,000, not the paltry 96,000 residents now. But, the County is always seeking ways to increase spending instead of cutting spending.

Elections are in November. Maybe some of the old guard will find themselves on the outside looking in, next year.

"Elections are in November. Maybe some of the old guard will find themselves on the outside looking in, next year.”

From your lips to Deity’s ears! Is there anyone running against the “Old Guard” candidates? I think Andy Jackson has a couple of challengers. I read that Maxcy is running for his fifth four year term. That would make a total of 20 years on the commission, which is too long. There should be term limits.

Where can a voter go on the internet to find a list of candidates for each of our local and State political and judicial offices?

wassup - 29 March 2008 07:47 PM

Where can a voter go on the internet to find a list of candidates for each of our local and State political and judicial offices?

I was wondering that myself.

I can certainly understand the concern of how our tax dollars are spent. I just wonder how many of you are making judgments based on all the facts.  Do you attend every county commission meeting? Do you have access to all the information?  Do you know what is mandated and what isn’t?  I have the same concerns as everyone, but I also realize many times our commissioners hands are tied due to state and federal mandates.  Perhaps the reason the county truck was at a paint store is that he paints county buildings and he was buying paint.  It is easy to judge, but I would estimate that more times than not there are valid explanations.

Welcome!

No, I don’t attend every meeting. I watch every meeting that is televised, though. I really am not concerned about state and federal mandates. My issues are as follows:

1. Economically, taxpayers are asked to support the so-called advisory committees. Including: Tourist Development, Economic Development, Historic Preservation, and more recently Recreation and Natural Resources.

What, if anything, are these people doing? I don’t need a committee wasting money on consultants to study recreation. A committee is supposed to be advising based on their staff work -not paying for someone else to do the work, then they rubber stamp it.

2. Commissioners have made some financially questionable decisions of late. a.) Restructure of county governement adding Division Directors, at an estimated cost of 600,000 dollars a year in salaraies. b.) starting an asphalt plant. I am not sure that we need an asphalt plant. The case to do this plant was more about personalities of employees, than a good business decision.

3. I’d like to see Commissioners more concerned about taxpayers and a little less about special interests. Bird-watcher museums, county parks, ball fields and tennis courts provide ABSOLUTELY no benefit to the thousands of taxpayers who are retired, elderly, ill, and living on a small income.

3. Finally, I respect and admire all of the County Commissioners. I just would like to see more thought given to requiring, yes, I said requiring staff to do their jobs, instead of hiring consultants as a way out of a dilemma.