Per Brevard County Press Release:
Brevard County Manager Howard Tipton today submitted a budget proposal to the Board of County Commissioners for the 2012 fiscal year that focuses on maintaining current levels of county services to the public and is consistent with the Board’s vision and priorities.
The proposed budget of $924,464,135 is a 9.21% decrease from the previous year’s budget of $1,018,238,988. The proposed aggregate tax rate of 7.2394, or $7.24 for every $1,000 of taxable property value, is a decrease of 1.36% below the current aggregate roll-back rate.
In comparing this budget proposal to the current budget, there are significant decreases in general government operations (33.39%), Natural Resources Management Office (33.64%), Parks and Recreation (52.54%), and Utility Services (39%). Increased expenditures include three additional elections, information technology, fuel, and mandated court costs. There is also a one-time salary adjustment for County employees.
“In addition to not receiving raises or cost-of-living adjustments for five years, County employees have also taken on more work responsibilities, shouldered more insurance costs, and, this past year, experienced a 2.5% pay cut due to furloughs,” said Tipton. “We may not be in a position to make this one-time pay adjustment permanent, but it is important recognition for a dedicated and hard-working team of employees.”
The Brevard County vision is to be a community which excels and is recognized for…
•Providing for the health, safety, education and social needs of our community;
•Protecting the environment and conserving our valuable natural resources;
•Building a diverse, strong economic base with the needed infrastructure to support a quality lifestyle;
•Creating cooperative partnerships between government, business, community organizations and our residents; and
•Maximizing performance and communication to provide excellent service to our customers.
The Board of County Commissioners’ budget workshops will be held on July 19, 20 and 21.