7/3/1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Bird was proud of his fellow Commissioners for the amount of homework done on all matters that come before this Board, especially at budget time, but we don't really know where all the problems lie and where the needs are, and we don't have the time or the expertise to find that out. Unfortunately, as fair and as equitable as we try to be in the budget hearings, it does become that the squeakiest wheel gets the most grease in many cases, and those agencies and programs that have the most political popularity sometimes get the lions' share of the funds. Perhaps a Children's Services Council with the right makeup of people with expertise in these matters could better determine these priorities and needs and better advise the Board at budget time. Commissioner Bowman suggested an ad hoc committee that would look into the Pinellas County program, set some guidelines, and come back in a month or so. Chairman Eggert had a philosophical problem -with an independent district, but she did like the idea of a special act dependent taxing district with a millage that isn't under the County's millage cap, which is presently at 10%. If we could achieve that, it would be the best of both worlds for accountability and the public being able to state whether they like it or not. Commissioner Wheeler felt the dependent taxing district as defined by Commissioner Scurlock is something we could pursue and liked the idea of an automatic 4 -year sunset provision. In the meantime, he would like to see the people who have worked on this form their board and start to do it in the private sector while we are waiting for the Legislature to hear it. He was concerned that the Legislature may be afraid of setting a precedent by taking the cap off. He felt there are enough people involved and interested in it that they could set up their board and committee and start working and get some direction from an organization 27 L_ JUL 31990 BOCK