NewsHound
06-26-2008, 03:43 AM
DEBARY -- The city may lose one deputy position if city officials "negotiate" their law enforcement service contract with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
City Council members were adamant this week that a proposed 5.28 percent increase in annual contract costs for law enforcement services is too much to accept without a negotiation.
"I feel uncomfortable when we cannot negotiate," first-year Councilman Lenny Marks said. "They do a dynamite job, but not if 5.28 cannot be negotiated down."
The county's traditional position has been not to negotiate costs but to reduce service levels, City Manager Maryann Courson said.
DeBary contracts with the county for police, fire, animal control and public works services. The city hired private companies to run a building and development services operation last year as county costs escalated. DeBary runs its own parks and recreation department with nine employees, representing half the city's 18 employees.
This year's county proposal is 3.49 percent higher than last year and would cost $4.8 million, almost equal to the city's property tax collections that fund the $20 million general fund budget.
But this year is historically different, noted Councilman Jack Lenzen. For the first time in the city's 14-year history, tax collections for the coming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, will be less than the previous year, he said.
"I do not want to pay more to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office when Volusia County is cutting its positions," Lenzen said. "The city can hold to a 2 percent across the board increase, tell (Volusia County) that is what we are going to spend, and if that's a drop in service, Sheriff (Ben) Johnson will have to do what he has to do."
The city's position could result in eliminating one deputy's position, District 6 Commander Capt. Allen Osowski said. The city pays $2.7 million annually for 22 sworn deputies.
Since voters approved a constitutional amendment that doubled homestead exemptions, reducing DeBary's potential tax collections by $440,000, there should be a cut in services, Councilman Christopher Carson said.
A declining real estate market has decreased the city's taxable property values from $2.1 billion to $1.9 billion, thus lowering the tax base by about $200 million.
Courson said the city can account for the reduced revenue by cutting the number of capital projects this year, reducing costs for remaining capital projects, or getting a healthy carryover from this year's budget if there is no major hurricane damage in the city.
A draft budget is due to the council on July 15.
In other recent business, the council:
· Adopted a zoning code interpretation of a game room to include the Shamrock Cafe on U.S. 17-92. Game rooms are prohibited from the downtown village overlay district, which includes the cafe. The code enforcement board asked the city council for the interpretation.
· Approved a $4,200 contract with Traffic Engineering and Data Solutions to get the city certified under the state's local agency program to accept federal funding for local projects. Also approved $126,500 next year as a 25 percent share to add a left turn lane from eastbound West Highbanks Road to southbound U.S. 17-92 and rebuild the traffic signals with mast arms. The Volusia County Metropolitan Planning Organization will fund the other 75 percent.
Councilmen Norm Erickson and Marks opposed both motions. The council unanimously rejected using 50 percent matching grants for sidewalks on the south side of West Highbanks Road from DeBary Elementary School to U.S. 17-92 and a sidewalk on the south side of Dirksen Drive to link a trail head at Gemini Springs Park and U.S. 17-92.
Source (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/West/wvlV01062208.htm)
City Council members were adamant this week that a proposed 5.28 percent increase in annual contract costs for law enforcement services is too much to accept without a negotiation.
"I feel uncomfortable when we cannot negotiate," first-year Councilman Lenny Marks said. "They do a dynamite job, but not if 5.28 cannot be negotiated down."
The county's traditional position has been not to negotiate costs but to reduce service levels, City Manager Maryann Courson said.
DeBary contracts with the county for police, fire, animal control and public works services. The city hired private companies to run a building and development services operation last year as county costs escalated. DeBary runs its own parks and recreation department with nine employees, representing half the city's 18 employees.
This year's county proposal is 3.49 percent higher than last year and would cost $4.8 million, almost equal to the city's property tax collections that fund the $20 million general fund budget.
But this year is historically different, noted Councilman Jack Lenzen. For the first time in the city's 14-year history, tax collections for the coming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, will be less than the previous year, he said.
"I do not want to pay more to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office when Volusia County is cutting its positions," Lenzen said. "The city can hold to a 2 percent across the board increase, tell (Volusia County) that is what we are going to spend, and if that's a drop in service, Sheriff (Ben) Johnson will have to do what he has to do."
The city's position could result in eliminating one deputy's position, District 6 Commander Capt. Allen Osowski said. The city pays $2.7 million annually for 22 sworn deputies.
Since voters approved a constitutional amendment that doubled homestead exemptions, reducing DeBary's potential tax collections by $440,000, there should be a cut in services, Councilman Christopher Carson said.
A declining real estate market has decreased the city's taxable property values from $2.1 billion to $1.9 billion, thus lowering the tax base by about $200 million.
Courson said the city can account for the reduced revenue by cutting the number of capital projects this year, reducing costs for remaining capital projects, or getting a healthy carryover from this year's budget if there is no major hurricane damage in the city.
A draft budget is due to the council on July 15.
In other recent business, the council:
· Adopted a zoning code interpretation of a game room to include the Shamrock Cafe on U.S. 17-92. Game rooms are prohibited from the downtown village overlay district, which includes the cafe. The code enforcement board asked the city council for the interpretation.
· Approved a $4,200 contract with Traffic Engineering and Data Solutions to get the city certified under the state's local agency program to accept federal funding for local projects. Also approved $126,500 next year as a 25 percent share to add a left turn lane from eastbound West Highbanks Road to southbound U.S. 17-92 and rebuild the traffic signals with mast arms. The Volusia County Metropolitan Planning Organization will fund the other 75 percent.
Councilmen Norm Erickson and Marks opposed both motions. The council unanimously rejected using 50 percent matching grants for sidewalks on the south side of West Highbanks Road from DeBary Elementary School to U.S. 17-92 and a sidewalk on the south side of Dirksen Drive to link a trail head at Gemini Springs Park and U.S. 17-92.
Source (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Neighbors/West/wvlV01062208.htm)