From the desk of Commissioner Steven L. Abrams

The Board of County Commissioners recently adopted our current fiscal year’s budget and came closer this year to holding the line on taxes.  Two other commissioners joined me in opposing raising this year’s county tax rate from $4.75 per $1,000 to $4.78 per $1,000.

Though the increase may seem like a small amount, it comes on the heels of the past two years where the Board raised the county tax rate by nearly 25 percent.  I didn’t vote for those budgets, but this year I felt strongly that with such a small difference, we should find a way to close the gap and send a signal that we feel the pain our residents have been experiencing during this prolonged economic downturn.

Even though the Board successfully achieved over $40 million in spending cuts to meet a budget shortfall, I suggested an alternative, but the Board could not reach a consensus and reinstated all recommended cuts, including a proposed $5 million reduction from the Sheriff’s $467 million portion of the county’s $4 billion budget.

Instead, the budget was balanced with cuts from the road and bridge repair program.  The county’s road system, which is well-traveled and aging, is in need of constant maintenance, and failing to regularly make the necessary repairs is a potential safety hazard.  Yet funds were restored for projects such as the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. I just hope they don’t hold the festival on a county street because it may be full of pot holes!

One unexpected but welcome budget cut is no longer having to pay over $100,000 for security at the vacant Mecca Farms site. I had raised this absurd expenditure at a BCC meeting several weeks ago, and the Sheriff told us his officers could patrol the land free of charge. Actually, that undeveloped wilderness might be a good place to put criminals.

The dilemma we face in funding county programs is that the poor economy has increased the demand for numerous services.  We require more code enforcement as abandoned properties go into disrepair, and social service agencies are reporting a significant rise in the number of people seeking shelter, food and health care.  The county library system reports an almost fifty percent increase in library use, including computers and Internet, which people use to find jobs.  Even Animal Care and Control is busier, as sadly, people have to abandon their pets.

In these challenging times, nearly every household, business and community in our country has had difficult decisions to make.  As I keep this in mind, I remain committed to finding solutions to decrease spending while providing more efficient and innovative ways of improving services.  I welcome your comments and suggestions as we face future challenges together.

Please contact me if I can be of assistance at sabrams@pbcgov.org or in my office at 561-355-2204 (West Palm Beach) or 561-276-1220 (Delray Beach).

Also, please visit my website at http://www.pbcgov.com/countycommissioners/district4/ for updates and links to county divisions and other governmental agencies.