09-20-2007, 12:46 PM
Sheriff lashes out over budget, taxpayer anger
Frustrated by looming cuts and a power struggle, Richard Nugent delivers an earful.
By JOHN FRANK, Times Staff Writer
Published September 16, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
Sheriff Richard Nugent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator Gary Kuhl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
School Board member Sandra Nicholson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Video
BROOKSVILLE - Hundreds of angry taxpayers confronted county commissioners last week, but one of the harshest rebukes came from an unlikely source.
Sheriff Richard Nugent, wearing uniform, badge and gun, fought back Thursday night against what he feels is a "concerted effort" by county officials to smear his department.
He directed his ire at County Administrator Gary Kuhl and even tussled with commissioners, all of whom he calls friends.
In an interview Friday, Nugent's frustration was still evident - if not emboldened by the clearly favorable response he received from the crowd.
The sheriff made clear he didn't want to create a rift between the county's biggest agency and Hernando leaders. But at the same time, he wouldn't change his tune.
"I'm not apologizing for nothing," he said.
Nugent used even stronger terms to blame Kuhl for not doing more to address the widespread taxpayer anger this budget year.
"I'm really disappointed in the lack of leadership of the county administrator," he said. "In my estimation, that's allowed this to get where it is."
Kuhl, who previously announced he is leaving office in two months, was not in the office Friday for comment.
But with more across-the-board cuts coming soon, expect the power struggle to continue.
Budget director George Zoettlein said Kuhl will decide whether the Sheriff's Office "will share in the deduction" but it seems likely.
"Because Nugent has the biggest budget, he's going to take one of the biggest hits," Zoettlein said.
The emotions on display during the county leaders' showdown Thursday actually developed much earlier in the budget process.
As county budget officials looked to trim a significant portion of the budget under the state-mandated property tax cuts, they turned their attention to one the county's biggest spenders.
The Sheriff's Office budget consumes a full quarter of the county's operational spending, weighing in last year at $31-million. But the agency is also a sacred cow, shaded by the umbrella of maintaining public safety.
County officials pointed to the Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the independently run, $12-million jail, as the source eating much of the taxpayer dollars.
"Over the last year they have been trying to (lay) all the ills of county government at the feet of the sheriff and I'm just tired of that," Nugent said in the interview. "This is nothing new and that's what really irritates me."
If Nugent came into the public hearing with a full head of steam, he admittedly blew his top after being confronted by residents in the lobby.
Dozens who couldn't find seats in the commission chambers or the chairs in the atrium were shuffled to nearby courtrooms on other floors. They all wanted to be in the main room to demonstrate their power in numbers and they blamed the sheriff and the deputies providing security for restricting their access.
"They really vented on my deputies and on me and (the setup) wasn't my choice," he said "Why in God's name wouldn't you set a venue to get the most people in there? Someone has to be accountable in county government and (Kuhl's) the guy," Nugent said.
During the hearing, Nugent started his presentation with a crowd pleaser, asking if commissioners would adjourn and move the meeting to the county fairgrounds, as they have with large crowds in the past.
Then he hit the county on a number of fronts. For contributing to his increasing budget when they approve new developments. For not having enough accountability. For considering 3 percent average raises for all employees.
Applause lines followed each charge, like a political re-election rally. (Nugent's term ends in 2008.) While he glowed in the crowd's reaction, the sheriff said it was only 1 percent politics.
"This wasn't like I was playing to the crowds," he said.
For their part, some county commissioners didn't crawl under the dais to hide. When Nugent took issue with the jail lumped in his category, Chairman Jeff Stabins asked directly: "You think you could run it better?"
Nugent backed down, taking the easy line: "We just put them in there."
Commissioner Chris Kingsley made the point that the county doesn't actually hold ultimate authority over Nugent's budget. The sheriff disagreed, but acknowledged he could appeal to Tallahassee if commissioners trimmed too much.
Kingsley said that he just wanted to hear him say that.
Board members also managed to clarify Nugent's popular line about how his command staff would get just 0.5 percent pay raises by revealing that the bulk of his workforce, the deputies and support staff, would actually get 5.5 percent salary hikes.
Kingsley responded that no one at the county is getting a 5.5 percent raise.
Going forward, Nugent said he can't take any more major reductions in his budget. Already, the agency pared $1-million from its initial request.
He grew angry Friday when he learned county officials intended to ask for more cuts, saying county staff should look elsewhere first, especially the county's bus system. "You know what? They need to think twice before they cut public safety," he said.
Times staff writer Barbara Behrendt contributed to this report. John Frank
Frustrated by looming cuts and a power struggle, Richard Nugent delivers an earful.
By JOHN FRANK, Times Staff Writer
Published September 16, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
Sheriff Richard Nugent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator Gary Kuhl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
School Board member Sandra Nicholson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Video
BROOKSVILLE - Hundreds of angry taxpayers confronted county commissioners last week, but one of the harshest rebukes came from an unlikely source.
Sheriff Richard Nugent, wearing uniform, badge and gun, fought back Thursday night against what he feels is a "concerted effort" by county officials to smear his department.
He directed his ire at County Administrator Gary Kuhl and even tussled with commissioners, all of whom he calls friends.
In an interview Friday, Nugent's frustration was still evident - if not emboldened by the clearly favorable response he received from the crowd.
The sheriff made clear he didn't want to create a rift between the county's biggest agency and Hernando leaders. But at the same time, he wouldn't change his tune.
"I'm not apologizing for nothing," he said.
Nugent used even stronger terms to blame Kuhl for not doing more to address the widespread taxpayer anger this budget year.
"I'm really disappointed in the lack of leadership of the county administrator," he said. "In my estimation, that's allowed this to get where it is."
Kuhl, who previously announced he is leaving office in two months, was not in the office Friday for comment.
But with more across-the-board cuts coming soon, expect the power struggle to continue.
Budget director George Zoettlein said Kuhl will decide whether the Sheriff's Office "will share in the deduction" but it seems likely.
"Because Nugent has the biggest budget, he's going to take one of the biggest hits," Zoettlein said.
The emotions on display during the county leaders' showdown Thursday actually developed much earlier in the budget process.
As county budget officials looked to trim a significant portion of the budget under the state-mandated property tax cuts, they turned their attention to one the county's biggest spenders.
The Sheriff's Office budget consumes a full quarter of the county's operational spending, weighing in last year at $31-million. But the agency is also a sacred cow, shaded by the umbrella of maintaining public safety.
County officials pointed to the Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the independently run, $12-million jail, as the source eating much of the taxpayer dollars.
"Over the last year they have been trying to (lay) all the ills of county government at the feet of the sheriff and I'm just tired of that," Nugent said in the interview. "This is nothing new and that's what really irritates me."
If Nugent came into the public hearing with a full head of steam, he admittedly blew his top after being confronted by residents in the lobby.
Dozens who couldn't find seats in the commission chambers or the chairs in the atrium were shuffled to nearby courtrooms on other floors. They all wanted to be in the main room to demonstrate their power in numbers and they blamed the sheriff and the deputies providing security for restricting their access.
"They really vented on my deputies and on me and (the setup) wasn't my choice," he said "Why in God's name wouldn't you set a venue to get the most people in there? Someone has to be accountable in county government and (Kuhl's) the guy," Nugent said.
During the hearing, Nugent started his presentation with a crowd pleaser, asking if commissioners would adjourn and move the meeting to the county fairgrounds, as they have with large crowds in the past.
Then he hit the county on a number of fronts. For contributing to his increasing budget when they approve new developments. For not having enough accountability. For considering 3 percent average raises for all employees.
Applause lines followed each charge, like a political re-election rally. (Nugent's term ends in 2008.) While he glowed in the crowd's reaction, the sheriff said it was only 1 percent politics.
"This wasn't like I was playing to the crowds," he said.
For their part, some county commissioners didn't crawl under the dais to hide. When Nugent took issue with the jail lumped in his category, Chairman Jeff Stabins asked directly: "You think you could run it better?"
Nugent backed down, taking the easy line: "We just put them in there."
Commissioner Chris Kingsley made the point that the county doesn't actually hold ultimate authority over Nugent's budget. The sheriff disagreed, but acknowledged he could appeal to Tallahassee if commissioners trimmed too much.
Kingsley said that he just wanted to hear him say that.
Board members also managed to clarify Nugent's popular line about how his command staff would get just 0.5 percent pay raises by revealing that the bulk of his workforce, the deputies and support staff, would actually get 5.5 percent salary hikes.
Kingsley responded that no one at the county is getting a 5.5 percent raise.
Going forward, Nugent said he can't take any more major reductions in his budget. Already, the agency pared $1-million from its initial request.
He grew angry Friday when he learned county officials intended to ask for more cuts, saying county staff should look elsewhere first, especially the county's bus system. "You know what? They need to think twice before they cut public safety," he said.
Times staff writer Barbara Behrendt contributed to this report. John Frank