Sheriff's Budget to be cut $20,000.000?

McNesby is in a pickle now that the legislature passed the property tax cuts. The news media reported that it could mean a twenty million dollar reduction in McNesbys budget. Unless he can convince his chum Touart and others on the County Commission to cut all the other county programs and leave him alone and he is cut anywhere near the 20 million, for the first time he’ll have to actually make some hard and tough decisions. I can picture him now, scratching his head and saying, “Let me see, if I cut out the 68 contract workers that I’ve hired, I won’t have anyone to go to lunch with in my humveee or who will be around to be impressed by my dull staff meeting and I won’t have anyone who will laugh at my lame jokes”. “If I cut the 68 contract workers, I won’t have anyone to sling mud at my political opponents or to nail up my campaign signs or to stiff arm campaign contributions for me”. “ If I cut any of the real in the trenches deputies who are actually doing the law enforcing, then the calls for service wont get answered and I’ll be getting hundred of phone calls a day from the taxpayers complaining”. “If I cut out the helicopter program I won’t be able to fly to lunch for a pizza or take a tour ride over the deer grazing areas to scout for a good place to hunt”. “I better call on Smith to recite a prayer for me because I’m going to need one”

It think we all know that the upgrades to the "new" jail at 47.3 million are a total waste of money. If you take the 20 million off that budget you won't be able to get that "upgrade" done. I say, knock off the 20 and give back another 27.2 million to the taxpayers. The let's throw money down the toilet mentality at the commission and sheriff's office has got to end or we'll all be on highway 90 with tin cups selling pencils.

The statements made by you two are so wacko that I hardly know how to respond....

The budget is actually looking to be cut by 3-7%, which comes to 2-5 million, and that is on the high end of the estimate.

Sometimes, I wish so badly that I could just remove all of the good, non-whining people from this county, release all of those people from jail that you say shouldnt be there, then take a department-wide vacation for about a month and let you deal with the bedlam that ensues.

If you think you know all the answers, come do our job, or become a county leader and impliment your ideas. Your whining has become little more than a nusaince.

The statements made by you two are so wacko that I hardly know how to respond....

The budget is actually looking to be cut by 3-7%, which comes to 2-5 million, and that is on the high end of the estimate.

Sometimes, I wish so badly that I could just remove all of the good, non-whining people from this county, release all of those people from jail that you say shouldnt be there, then take a department-wide vacation for about a month and let you deal with the bedlam that ensues.

If you think you know all the answers, come do our job, or become a county leader and impliment your ideas. Your whining has become little more than a nusaince.

Hey ECSO DEPUTY before you pass judgment on who is “wacko” you should try to be more informed. I wasn’t making estimates by pulling the 20 million figure from the air as a possible reduction in the Sheriffs budget, I was simply quoting a figure published in the May 20th PNJ edition where the reporter interviewed Tourart and McNesby over the potential cuts that could be made to their budgets if the reduced tax issue passed. You’ll read in that article that a 20 million dollar cut to the Sheriff’s budget was quoted by the reporter as being a possible consequence and the number was not disputed by Tourart or McNesby.

Don’t know what you’re basing your estimates on or who made them for you or if you just grabbed some figures from air but it you are correct that is great news If your estimates are correct in that:----

“The budget is actually looking to be cut by 3-7%, which comes to 2-5 million, and that is on the high end of the estimate” ----

then the taxpayers and citizens of Escambia County wont have to worry about the doom and gloom of major cuts of services ( or personnel) by the Sheriff. Two to Five million (on the high end, according to you) of the total budget of the 77 million now received by the Sheriff is chump change that he can absorb by only minor incovieneceses.

If you acknowledge that one of the Sheriff’s primary sworn duties is to operate the office of Sheriff in the most economical way possible as a steward of the tax payer’s tax dollars, then you must in turn agree that he should be in support of any initiative that will reduce the tax burden for the citizens. I feel sure he will be so pleased that he will have all his contract employees and supporters like you out garnering up support for the tax reductions for the citizens that the legislature passed. I look forward to seeing you, the Sheriff and all his nuggets on the street corners waving banners IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW PROPERTY TAX LAW just passed and pushed thru by Governor Crist and Rep. Murzin.

First, let me say that I WISH I was a contract employee, but alas, I am only what my name above states.

Now, regarding your comment in the last paragraph, "If you acknowledge that one of the Sheriff’s primary sworn duties is to operate the office of Sheriff in the most economical way possible as a steward of the tax payer’s tax dollars, then you must in turn agree that he should be in support of any initiative that will reduce the tax burden for the citizens."

This is totally false.

The Sheriff's duty is to provide quality law enforcement... not seek the lowest possible tax bill for citizens. If he needs a certain amount of money, it is his job to ask for it. if the citizens want that level of protection, then they need to pony up.

You can debate all day about how wisely you think he spends the budget money. I have concerns of my own regarding that. Nevertheless, my point is that the Sheriff is not responsible for lowering taxes. he is responsible for protecting the public, and that is an expensive job.

Fir

.....You can debate all day about how wisely you think he [McNesby]spends the budget money. I have concerns of my own regarding that. Nevertheless, my point is that the Sheriff is not responsible for lowering taxes. he is responsible for protecting the public, and that is an expensive job.



Yepper.....cause Mike Whitehead says it's HIS job to lower taxes! :wink:

Fir

.....You can debate all day about how wisely you think he [McNesby]spends the budget money. I have concerns of my own regarding that. Nevertheless, my point is that the Sheriff is not responsible for lowering taxes. he is responsible for protecting the public, and that is an expensive job.

You must be who you say you are becuase you are dead on target,
the Sheriff is living up to his responsibility by doing just what you say, "NOT BEING RESPONSIBLE".

Fir

.....You can debate all day about how wisely you think he [McNesby]spends the budget money. I have concerns of my own regarding that. Nevertheless, my point is that the Sheriff is not responsible for lowering taxes. he is responsible for protecting the public, and that is an expensive job.

I beg to differ with you and would suggest that there are many tens of thousands of others in Escambia County who disagree with you. Yes common sense dictates that a Sheriff is responsible to protect the public and enforce the law. But his responsibility goes deeper than that. It is the moral responsibility of every public official to administer the duties of his office in the most economical, efficient manner in order that each and every tax dollar allocated to that official is used only for legitimate purposes. For a public official to do other wise is not only morally irresponsible it is criminal as those officials are charged with that responsibility when they assume the office. In that light each and every public official, including the Sheriff is responsible to make every effort to keep the taxes collected from the public as low as possible and only use the resources that are necessary to carry out their duties and responsibilities. (Basic local government 101). McNesby has earned and rightly deserves the title of the biggest spender of tax dollars to operate the Sheriff’s Department in the history of Escambia County. His 6- 1/2 year record of irresponsibly spending enormous funds on pet projects, personal friends and what has been described as “McNesby toys” is a violation of the sacred trust that was placed with him when he took his oath of office. A Sheriff who has the real interest of the public will be looking for ways to save their tax dollars not ways to spend it. McNesby is not the man for the job, he’s proven that the last 6-1/2 years.

Ahh Mr. Morgan speaks...

Ahh Mr. Morgan speaks...

If the post was made by Morgan, he should sign his name to it because we need someone in office who thinks the way the poster wrote. We need public officials who will look for ways to cut the budget and cut out waste so our taxes can be reduced. One thing for sure is Mr. McNesby doesn’t care about high our taxes are.

I wish someone would list what is actually being considered "toys". Some of the TOOLS we have received of the last years show progress in Law Enforcement and bring us into this century. Before anyone jumps on me for this, listing what are considered toys would be nice. Items like boats, helicopters and disaster response only helps us, not hurt is.

And something off the subject, how many have browsed through other county blogs and noticed the lack of moaning and groaning going on?

I wish someone would list what is actually being considered "toys". Some of the TOOLS we have received of the last years show progress in Law Enforcement and bring us into this century. Before anyone jumps on me for this, listing what are considered toys would be nice. Items like boats, helicopters and disaster response only helps us, not hurt is.

And something off the subject, how many have browsed through other county blogs and noticed the lack of moaning and groaning going on?

Read comments on Broward, Hillsbrough and Sarasota threads just for starters!

If anyone believes Ronnie Mac is going to cut his budget they are a fool. He isn't cutting anything despite his recent fear-mongering remarks and threats. He, Whitehead and Touart are all trying to scare us to keep their coffers fat.