Gainesville officials this week indicated that if the city commission doesn’t vote to increase property millage rates, tax revenues will decline by about $700,000 in the next fiscal year; a sign that declining property values will finally take a bite out of the city budget. If that’s the case, Gainesville certainly won’t be alone. A USA Today analysis released on Tuesday found that, five years after the housing boom went bust, property tax revenues are only just now beginning to decline for many school districts and local governments. http://usat.ly/ySo9v2
“Most states have complex laws that make property tax declines rare, small or long-delayed, even when home values plummet,” USA Today reports. “This makes the property tax stable during economic turmoil, unlike the income or sales tax.” This year, cities, counties and school districts around the nation collectively experienced a 0.9 percent reduction in property tax collections (when adjusted for inflation). “That’s the first time property tax collections have fallen below the inflation rate since 1995 and only the third time in 40 years,” USA Today notes. “If the downward trend continues, property taxes may actually bring in fewer dollars this year than last even before adjusting for inflation. That hasn’t happened since the Great Depression.” Many cities, counties and school districts have already begun to lay off workers, cut services and otherwise slash their budgets in response to a weakening economy, anti-tax politics, state budget cuts and other factors. If USA Today’s analysis is correct, local governments are in for still more hard times ahead, even if the economy begins to turn around. GAINESVILLE – The City of High Springs’ proposed takeover of management of Poe Springs Park has been delayed, as a result of a construction issue over the park’s steps.
The matter was presented to the Board of Alachua County Commissioners on Tuesday by High Springs Vice Mayor Bob Barnas. Barnas said the delay is due to a permit issue with the completion of the steps.
During a Feb. 14 meeting, Barnas said construction was moving along and the city anticipated completion.
The commission appeared prepared to make a final vote on the agreement between the City of High Springs and Alachua County until the construction issue was presented by Barnas.
Although Barnas said the city wants to move ahead with the plan, the county commission opted to delay action on the agreement since a firm date for completion of the steps is unclear.
The Poe Springs Park agreement would place the City of High Springs in charge of day-to-day operations of the park such as daily staffing and maintenance. According to the agreement, the park would be open Wednesday through Sunday, with Wednesday and Thursday being free admission days. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, High Springs will be charging $5 to $8 per vehicle, and $2 for individuals for entrance into the park.
The Alachua County Commission delayed the final vote of the agreement until the construction issue is resolved.
By Lise FisherStaff writer Alachua County commissioners are considering a proposed change to the tree canopy requirements that most likely would reduce the net canopy coverage in new residential developments. With modifications to the land development code, developers would be allowed to count as much as 400 square feet of tree canopy per private, platted lot in the development toward the required canopy coverage. That figure would come to about one big tree per lot. The change would be a concession to developers who report it's sometimes difficult to meet the 30 percent canopy coverage by counting only the common area, according to county staff. Alachua County and Gainesville are known for the area's large trees and healthy amount of tree cover. Steven Kabat, the arborist with the county, said many of the state's champion trees are within Alachua County. Champion trees are designated as the largest living specimen of a type of tree for the state. As the one who handles code enforcement involving trees in the county, Kabat said, "I get a lot of complaints when trees start falling." But adjusting the land development code regarding the tree canopy acknowledges the issue that developers raised about difficulties meeting the code's requirements and the fact that most property owners in a development will have trees on their lots that they value and will maintain, Steve Lachnicht, director of the Alachua County Growth Management Department, said last week at the land development code workshop. The topic touched off discussions among commissioners at the workshop over the size of the canopy and how involved the county should or can be in regulating what happens in developments and on individual homeowners' lots. Calling the proposed revision "a significant policy change," Commissioner Mike Byerly told staff he was reluctant to relax the tree canopy standard. He said he wanted to see examples showing the impact the change would have on the canopy coverage relative to the size of the development and instances where developers had difficulty meeting the 30 percent requirement, forcing them to give up land for individual lots to allow room for the canopy. "My inclination for a lot of reasons would be to actually push the number in the other direction," Byerly said, referring to increasing the percentage of new residential development covered by the tree canopy. "Few things have as great and overarching an impact on quality of life and issues like stormwater retention and heating and cooling bills than good tree canopy. "I'm not going to support any action which will reduce the tree canopy requirements in new development," Byerly said. But Commissioner Susan Baird said tree coverage on private lots should be considered, adding that it would be good to spread out trees around a development instead of cramming them into particular spaces. Baird also questioned whether the 30 percent coverage should be required, since some neighborhoods might not want this type of landscaping. County staff noted that the workshop covered only a review of proposed code updates, not the county's comprehensive plan policy. Commissioner Winston Bradley asked how the county, under the changes, would ensure the planting and maintenance of the trees slotted for private lots. "It leaves it up to the homeowners association to require planting and maintenance of trees after the developer is long gone," Bradley said. "Leadership changes in homeowners associations, and how well they enforce this, will have a great bearing on whether it will ever be accomplished." Byerly echoed concerns that the code modification would mean the county would be involved in what happens on homeowners' lots. That was not something the county previously had indicated it wanted to do, he said. Commissioner Lee Pinkoson said he was OK with not providing the 400-square-foot credit for trees, saying a development's common area was where the county should focus its attention. Under the code's current wording, county staff now focuses its enforcement efforts for tree coverage on the common areas. Lachnicht said county staff was not suggesting that with changes to the code the county take regulatory responsibility for trees in homeowners' lots. That task would be beyond the county's capacity. "But we are suggesting that the homeowners association accept responsibility. And I think we're playing the law of averages here," he said. "We are accepting that the average homeowner will maintain trees probably in excess of the 400 square feet in time." Lachnicht also said 400 square feet was a rough estimate of what type of tree coverage might be found on a typical residential lot. After hearing from county staff and commissioners about the proposed change to the tree canopy regulation, Town of Tioga developer Luis Diaz asked why there was a need for a mandate forcing the planting of trees. "I think that our citizens do a pretty good job of planting trees on their own without any requirement," he said. He also described how, during the development of one phase of the Town of Tioga, he received no credit under the county's current regulations for trees along streets and on lots. Commissioners will continue to hear about proposed changes to the county's land development code at another workshop scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. In amplification of earlier articles and letters, Thomas Hawkins, on March 12, wrote of the need for bus rapid transit. To me, his argument served only to support the need for regularly scheduled transit.
Instead of spending millions of dollars creating dedicated lanes for BRT, start a Regional Transit System test bus service to outlying communities. With our current buses, or perhaps leased additional, run one or two buses dedicated to providing non-stop transportation between Archer and Shands/VA morning and evening.
If successful, other commuters will undoubtedly want their buses from Hawthorne, Newberry and Alachua to (probably) one of the medical complexes in Gainesville. If successful, Alachua County will surely recognize the benefit to contributing to RTS.
Russell Henderson, Gainesville Staff report
Almost a week after the Legislature ended its 2012 regular session, institutions and agencies in Gainesville and Alachua County now have a better understanding of the impact to their budgets. And while none necessarily are gasping for air, few say they're breathing a sigh of relief.
Shands at UF
The cut the 2012 Legislature ultimately dealt Shands at the University of Florida in Medicaid money was just a fraction of what was originally proposed — dropping from a 14 percent slash to about a 3 percent ding.
But the effects of two years in a row of multimillion-dollar cuts from the safety net hospital's Medicaid reimbursement — $41 million — are going to mean that Shands at UF might have to start closing its front door to some patients, officials said.
"We've reached a point that if the (uninsured) patient from 13 counties away seeks our care … they'd probably be more successful getting care in their own community," said Dr. David Guzick, president of UF&Shands. "We have funding generically for such patients, but we don't have funding for the volume of patients we've seen in the past."
Originally, Gov. Rick Scott had proposed a new funding formula for Medicaid, the state's insurance for low-income Floridians, that reduced UF&Shands' reimbursement so that the Gainesville teaching hospital was taking the second-biggest reduction in state dollars of any hospital in the state next to Jackson Memorial Health System.
Guzick said he was glad the new funding formula died when the data got a closer look, but both Shands in Gainesville and Jacksonville are facing some serious crossroads if there are further reductions in the Medicaid reimbursement, he said.
Meridian
Similarly, over at Meridian Behavioral HealthCare, based on Southwest 13th Street, the final figures from the Legislature were dramatically better than the original projections from the Senate, which showed some adult programs getting 75 percent less in state money. Overall, substance abuse and mental health funding lost a few percentage points in its total state funding. But the crisis services for children took a bigger hit — about 19 percent fewer state dollars.
"The Department (of Children and Families) will have to decide how to allocate the reduction," said Sherry Houston, Meridian's spokeswoman.
Health Department
At the Alachua County Health Department, the Legislature's $265,000 reduction in general state funds means that 2 percent of the department's $13 million budget disappears, but the administrator said his business manager planned for it. The overall fiscal picture is improving since more than a dozen workers were laid off after the holidays, he said.
"We are going to be able to start adding appointment slots on Wednesday afternoons after the first of May," said Paul Myers, health department administrator.
Nursing homes
The state's nursing homes took about a 1.25 percent cut in funding — losing about $35.2 million of their $2.77 billion budget. Last year, nursing homes lost about $187 million in total state dollars. When inflation increases are figured into the reduction in Medicaid reimbursement, though, the state's nursing homes gained about $500,000 in new state money.
Santa Fe College
Daryl Johnston, director of the Kirkpatrick Center's Institute for Public Safety, had renewed hopes that longtime plans to expand the campus would come to fruition this year after Gov. Rick Scott included in his budget $750,000 in design money for the project.
Those hopes were dashed when the state Legislature ended the session Friday.
Of nearly $70 million allocated for new construction projects in the Florida College System, none was allocated for Santa Fe College.
The money would have helped design the first phase of an expansion plan allowing more students interested in law enforcement careers to enroll.
Overall, Vice President of Finance Ginger Gibson said funding for SF College remained flat, "and we appreciate the efforts of the Legislature in that."
Alachua County Public Schools
The state raised the overall education budget by $1 billion, acting on a pledge made by Gov. Rick Scott, but area education officials say it still isn't enough.
Keith Birkett, assistant superintendent for budgeting, said it's easy for the public to get lost in the governor's newfound generosity.
"The real story is it's still $2.1 billion less than in 2007," he said. "That just covers the job stimulus money that we had last year."
What it won't cover is increasing fuel costs for school buses, cost-of-living adjustments or any other type of inflation.
"We're using more of our reserves to balance the budget," Birkett said. "In addition to that, we have to start working on performance pay for teachers, and we don't see any huge influx of money coming."
The Student Success Act, which passed last year, dictates that all highly effective and effective teachers earn bonuses for their performance.
Birkett said he was unsure if the district would be able to avoid pink-slipping hundreds of annual contract teachers because of "budgetary concerns" like last year. In the end, nearly all of those teachers were rehired.
"It's going to be a very tight year next year," said Superintendent Dan Boyd.
City of Gainesville
The budget was a concern for Gainesville because no money was put into the trust funds for the State Housing Initiative Partnership or the campus development agreements that universities around the state enter with local governments, said Chris Cooper, the city's legislative coordinator.
Those SHIP funds might go toward affordable housing initiatives such as rehab, new construction or home purchases.
The last time the city received SHIP funding, the disbursement was $197,000, according to the Gainesville Housing Division. Cooper said that at this point, the city is using money left from that as one funding source for its affordable housing programs.
Meanwhile, under the most recent 10-year campus development agreement that the University of Florida entered with the city and Alachua County, UF put $21.1 million toward roadway and transportation projects and bus transit.
That agreement expires in 2015, and the Legislature has not put money in the trust fund that pays for universities to enter those agreements with local governments, Cooper said.
Gainesville and municipalities around the state will continue to push that issue in next year's session, he added.
Alachua County
Counties are looking to lose millions of dollars because of costs related to changes in the Medicaid billing practices and cuts to court clerks' budgets around the state.
Alachua County staff calculate that a change in how Medicaid is billed will cost the county at least $7 million this year.
New legislation makes counties responsible for 85 percent of unpaid bills related to Medicaid patients hospitalized for more than 10 days. Counties had objected to the change, noting that they won't be able to review upcoming bills for accuracy prior to payment while the state can withhold the unpaid amount from county revenue sharing.
Alachua County officials say they will be particularly hard hit because of flaws in the billing process that make it, as the first county listed, the default county when it comes to problem bills. The county also ends up with more bills because of the trauma center at Shands at the University of Florida. The county usually receives bills for non-county residents who come to the center from around the region.
Staff has estimated that in the past, the county has denied about 80 percent of Medicaid bills assigned to it because of problems related to the billing process.
Legal action could be next if Gov. Scott doesn't veto the bill. In the days leading up to the Legislature's vote on the bill, County Attorney Dave Wagner had said he would be talking with the Florida Association of Counties and other county attorneys about their next move.
County clerks of court also will be losing money.
Late in the session, lawmakers decided to cut $30 million from the budgets for court clerks statewide.
After the decision, county clerks around the state warned the cut might mean staff cuts and office closures in some counties. Alachua County Clerk of Court Buddy Irby said he would be meeting with other county clerks this week to determine the impact of the budget cut.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has a problem. It can't seem to accurately bill the state's 67 counties for Medicaid expenses incurred by county residents.
Alachua County officials, for instance, contend that due to computer errors and the fact that Shands — Florida's largest “safety net” hospital — is located here, this county has been erroneously billed by AHCA to the tune of about $11 million over the past five years.
Now the Florida Legislature has stepped in to “solve” this problem. Not by requiring the AHCA to fix its billing problems, but rather by ordering the counties to pay 85 percent of their unpaid Medicaid bills ... whether those bills are accurate or not.
If counties don't comply, they will automatically lose the equivalent amount of state revenue funding.
On top of the $11 million in past disputed bills, Alachua County may be forced to pay an additional $7 million this year alone, whether all of those charges are in dispute or not.
The injustice of that “solution” is obvious. We hope Gov. Rick Scott understands that and will veto the bill that mandates counties to pay for the state's Medicaid billing mistakes.
If he doesn't the Florida Association of Counties ought to be preparing some sort of legal response. The good news for counties is that the Legislature's track record in court these past several years has not been good; most recently a circuit court judge found the Legislature's “solution” to pension reform to be unconstitutional.
No matter how you cut it, forcing county governments to pay for the mistakes of a state agency is an unfunded mandate that must not be allowed to stand. By Lise FisherStaff writer Alachua County could be required to pay at least $7 million to the state this year as part of changes to Medicaid billing practices approved last week by the Legislature, according to county figures. Late Friday, legislators passed legislation including a provision making counties responsible for 85 percent of unpaid bills related to Medicaid patients hospitalized for more than 10 days. The dollar amount in disputed unpaid invoices comes to about $325 million statewide going back more than four years. The Florida Association of Counties had pushed back against the provision. It noted that counties would not be able to review upcoming bills for accuracy prior to payment while the state could withhold the unpaid amount from county revenue sharing. Alachua County officials, faced with the measure’s approval, argue that it’s not that the county won’t pay its bill. The issue, they say, is that the county is being consistently overbilled because of a flawed billing process. The problem stems from the county’s name and the location of the trauma center at Shands at the University of Florida, according to the county. The center receives patients from around the region, with the county usually getting the bill for non-county residents. Also, a problem in the Agency for Health Care Administration’s computer means Alachua, as the first county listed, gets a higher number of patients mistakenly billed to it. The county currently is looking at a backlog of about $11 million in disputed Medicaid bills that it now will be required to pay over the next five years, with one-third due this year, according to county staff. In addition, the county already has received approximately $3.8 million in Medicaid bills so far for the state’s current fiscal year, said Yul Anderson, the county’s administrative support manager. The county believes $3 million of that figure should be denied based on the ongoing billing problems, and the fact that the county generally rejects about 80 percent of Medicaid bills it receives. But, under the current state provision, the county will be responsible this year for at least $7 million in backlogged and current Medicaid bills that it must pay or see withheld from revenue sharing. County officials and staff also said that under the legislation’s current wording, even if a county pays the bill and later successfully shows there was an error, there’s no time frame for how quickly the state must refund the money. Florida Association of Counties spokeswoman Cragin Mosteller expressed disappointment Monday over the Legislature’s decision. “This is the type of bureaucracy that give bureaucracy a bad name,” she said. The association will be asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto the legislation. County Commissioner Lee Pinkoson said, “The decision was disappointing because no matter what process we use to hopefully recoup the money, we have to plan accordingly. They’re going to take that sales tax revenue whether we owe it or don’t owe it.” Senate leaders have said they will work with counties to implement a fair process for them to dispute Medicaid bills, but that counties should pay the state what it’s owed. Pinkoson said there is talk that a state-level committee will be established to review the AHCA billing system. “That is the root of the problem,” Pinkoson said. “That’s what needs to happen more than anything.” The House approved HB 5301 by a 73-36 vote while the Senate approved the bill in a 23-17 vote. Sen. Steve Oelrich, a Cross Creek Republican, voted against the bill. Voting on the bill followed party lines among House members for Alachua County. State Rep. Leonard Bembry, D- Madison, and state Rep. Charles Chestnut IV, D-Gainesville, both voted against the legislation. State Rep. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, and state Rep. Elizabeth Porter, R-Lake City, voted for the bill. By Lise FisherStaff writer A study of the Alachua County jail and a list of the county's transportation priorities are on Tuesday's agenda for the County Commission. The study comes in advance of this year's expiration of the county's inter-local agreement with the Sheriff's Office to operate the jail, located off Northeast 39th Avenue. Recommendations from the firm of Pulitzer/Bogard & Associates call for 34 new positions at the jail, according to a presentation submitted with the county agenda. In comparison, Sheriff Sadie Darnell has requested 46 new positions for the jail, including 35 detention officers, at an approximate cost of $2 million. The main difference between the two recommendations is the number of detention staff. The sheriff's plan calls for 237 employees, while the firm allotted for 219 positions. Last fall, commissioners moved forward with a plan to hire the firm, at a projected cost of $179,000, to study jail operations and staffing levels. In the study, commissioners want recommendations on performance measurements, a look at staffing needs, a review of operational differences between the Sheriff's Office continuing to run the jail and it becoming a county department, and recommendations on the shape of a future process to solicit feedback on the jail from employees, inmates and visitors. The same firm had been hired to perform a cultural assessment study of the jail under former Sheriff Steve Oelrich. Like Oelrich, Darnell opposed the study. Survey results from the study also provided feedback showing current and former jail employees feel there is an insufficient number of staff, the public believes they are treated “like inmates” at the facility, and inmates are dissatisfied with the food, the grievance process, access to medical care and sanitation. In addition to the jail study presentation, commissioners will be asked to approve a list of transportation projects that will be submitted to the Florida Department of Transportation. The agency is requesting the list as part of an update to its five-year work program. Projects include: -- U.S. 301 connecting sidewalks from downtown Waldo to the commercial area north of town. -- Park-and-ride facility and bus purchases for Alachua, Archer and Hawthorne. -- Realignment of Northwest 142nd Street at the U.S. 441 intersection. -- Resurfacing and widening of County Road 236 from U.S. 441 to Interstate 75. -- Multi-lane reconstruction of Archer Road from U.S. 41 to Southwest 75th Street. Staff also has recommended the commission approve in a final vote the Poe Springs management agreement with the city of High Springs. Under the plan, the county would mow and provide major maintenance at the park, while the city will staff it on a daily basis. The park would be closed Monday and Tuesday with free admission on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday through Sunday admission would be $5 for a vehicle with one occupant and $8 for vehicles with two to eight people. It's official, more staffing is needed at the Alachua County Jail. A draft report prepared by an outside consultant was presented to the county commission. TV 20's Duke Carter exactly who may be hired is still not decided. "I hope this county can make an agreement." Residents like Anderson were happy, Pulitzer/Bogard and associates recommended 34 employees be added to staff the jail. "with considerable recommendations for some modifications." Because she wasn't happy that those new jobs would be staff by civilians rather than sworn deputies. Despite some controversy over hiring an outside consultant, Commissioner Paula Delaney says she's comfortable paying for the 179 thousand dollar study. "first of all I don't think there's enough staff for them to turn and do the in-depth analysis." The consultants surveyed inmates and the public, to be more cost effective, they recommended hiring a part timer to monitor food services and more fully tracking overtime, and offering more specialized training. "I think that reduction in overtime is especially in the past year is possible by product of this." The consultants recommended 34 additional employees compared to the 46 that Sheriff Sadie Darnell wanted. "there's come point when its time to hire more people." But overall Delaney's comfortable with the findings. "I think to bring an outside set of eyes that's going to be objective about things is helpful to everybody." Before the meeting ended the commission wanted to consultants to come back and find out what is the core number of employees needed to keep a safe environment and would allow employees to take leave. Click here to view video. A gas line break created some major headaches for alachua county animal services this evening. The people at Animal Services tell us a bulldozer operated by Alachua County Facilities workers apparently hit the line while performing water line repairs on the Animal Services property. NE 53rd Ave. was temporarily shut down while crews worked to resolve the situation. Animal Services workers had to remove all the animals from the facility--although they remained on the property until a crew from Gainesville Regional Utilities could shut off the gas line. No one was hurt in the incident and the animals have been returned to their places inside the facility.
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