Last week I discussed the various public services funded by Charlotte County taxpayers. As we begin the next two-year budget process, the primary focus will be to ensure that levels of service are maintained to the community’s expectations.
Among those considerations are services such as library hours and events, adult and youth recreation programs, social services, mosquito control, stormwater management, road and facility maintenance, building plan reviews, permitting and inspections, code enforcement, fire safety and emergency medical response, and water supplies and wastewater treatment.
The sheer number of services delivered by county staff is hard to fathom. Budgeting for those services is complex.
The main source of funding is property tax, but some services are funded through user fees, such as the Utilities Department’s monthly fees for water and sewer customers.
Some services provided by the Community Development Department are funded by fees charged to builders and property owners for plans review, permits and inspections.
Funding roadway maintenance, public safety, and garbage and recycling collection adds another wrinkle to the budgeting mix. All are partly or entirely funded by taxing units, municipal service taxing units or municipal service benefit units, MSTUs or MSBUs. The fees are a flat, non-ad valorem rate, meaning the amount is not linked to a property’s taxable value.
Some road and bridge maintenance is additionally funded with the county’s share of gas taxes and ambulance services are partially funded through patient fees.
The voter-approved 1% local option sales tax has been the primary funding source for building county facilities, such as fire and law enforcement stations, the county jail and Justice Center, recreation centers and pools, libraries and the Family Services Center. It has also funded the widening of existing roads or in the case of the Edgewater/Flamingo corridor, building an entirely new section of a road, which will being going out to bid for construction next year.
The overarching intent of the budgeting process is to ensure we provide a safe, healthy and flourishing community. Government services are a central part of all of our lives and my colleagues and I take that knowledge very seriously.
I raised my family here among all of you as have many of my co-workers. Public service is a solemn calling and I can assure you our mission of delivering exceptional service is an integral part of our culture.