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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />180127th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960-3388 <br />• <br />Office of Management & Budget <br />Telephone: (772) 226-1214 <br />July 7, 2017 <br />Board of County Commissioners <br />Indian River County <br />1801 27th Street <br />Vero Beach, FL 32960 <br />Dear Commissioners: <br />As required by Florida Statutes, transmitted with this message is the recommended budget for Fiscal <br />Year 2017/2018 (FY17/18). <br />The proposed budget represents the general operating framework for providing all County services for the <br />forthcoming year. As presented, it reflects the County Administrator's plan of implementing and funding <br />the recommended service levels. The budget has been developed with a combination of guidelines <br />provided by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) throughout the year, critical input from all <br />Itimpartments, Budget Department guidance, the Administrator's perception of needs, responses from the <br />ommunity, and the Constitutional Officers' budgets. <br />FY2017/18 Budget Emphasizes Public Safety <br />The constant goal of local governments is to provide high-quality services at a reasonable cost. <br />Throughout the Great Recession, Indian River County government worked very hard to continue to wring <br />out additional organizational efficiencies, as taxable values plummeted and millage rates were held <br />constant to reduce the burden on the taxpayer. <br />As the local economy recovers from the downturn, there is ongoing pressure to increase service levels. <br />- -However, we must remain as vigilant with taxpayer dollars in good economic times as was done during <br />the downturn. <br />Maintaining a safe community with strong emergency services is a requirement of families and retirees <br />alike. Indian River County has always placed a primary emphasis on funding public safety as this is a <br />fundamental service provided by local government. The FY2017/18 budget promotes continued <br />emphasis on public safety through: increased funding of law enforcement, the opening of a new fire <br />station, continued funding of capital equipment deferred during the downturn, addressing the <br />responsiveness of development review and ensuring that new developments are built to proper <br />specifications, and also addressing single source dependencies within the organization that could impact <br />•erall service delivery to the public. <br />3 <br />