Broward budget calls for 250 layoffs, 5-day furloughs
Jul 16, 2009
BY AMY SHERMAN
THE MIAMI HERALD
Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry has proposed laying off 250 workers and is trying to find money to prevent Sheriff Al Lamberti from closing a jail.
Henry released her $3.4 billion budget proposal, which includes eliminating 500 positions — about half are already vacant — on Wednesday night. It isn’t clear yet who will lose their jobs.
”I won’t know who, what, when and how until we go through the process of seniority,” Henry said in a brief interview Thursday morning.
Henry also proposed five-day furloughs for all county workers, which would save about $4.5 million.
Henry’s proposal will have to be approved by county commissioners, who reconvene budget talks in August and vote in September.
Among Henry’s other suggestions: closing libraries on Sundays and closing most parks on Wednesdays — except in the summer. Currently, most county parks are closed on Tuesdays.
Fees for everything from cremation to lobbying will also increase to help balance the budget. And Broward will eliminate a $2.6 million contribution to Tri-Rail.
Due to plummeting property values, Broward County has a shortfall of about $100 million. County officials want the Broward Sheriff’s Office to come up with about half the cuts, but Lamberti has refused, saying that would hurt public safety. Instead, Lamberti submitted a budget that is virtually flat for the portion funded by the county general fund. He has taken steps to reduce growth in spending ,including giving pink slips to 177 workers — though its possible the layoffs will be prevented if employees agree to take voluntary furloughs.
Lamberti also plans to close one of five jails, the minimum-security Stockade, by the end of this month. Henry said that in negotiations with BSO, they have agreed to about $1.8 million in cuts that would be set aside for a reserve to keep the Stockade open but that will require a total of about $10.3 million.
”We are trying to find money out of his budget,” she said.
It seems unlikely the Stockade will close: Henry’s budget proposal includes $2.1 million to fix the roof at that site.
While Lamberti recently announced that if enough employees take voluntary furloughs, he could save some jobs and the Stockade, no one has announced any proposal to reverse another cut slated for the end of this month: ending drug treatment and other programs in the jails for inmates.
Henry proposed a tax rate of about $5.21 per $1,000 of taxable value, a slight increase from $4.889 from this year. Commissioners indicated in June that they were opposed to an increase, so its likely they will debate lowering that amount.
At the proposed rate, the average long-term homestead property owner would pay about $37 more than last year, while the average short-term homestead property owner would see an average decrease of $213.
Henry asked CFO Mike Geoghegan to resign, County Commissioner Ken Keechl said. Geoghegan could not be reached for comment and Henry wasn’t available to discuss in detail.
”I didn’t see it coming, and I’m sure Ms. Henry has her reasons, but I think she is going to have to explain them to all of us soon,” Keechl said.