This is a recap of the Franklin County, FL budget process and other initiatives undertaken by the CCFC on behalf of the citizens and taxpayers of Franklin County, FL

1. Other People’s Money
Hello Friends:
The 2018-2019 Franklin County Budget Workshop was last week and there were a few
surprises.
The annual budget process is a three step procedure.
1. Finance, at the direction to the Clerk’s Office, requests all Department Heads and
Constitutional Officers submit their budget requests by June first. They were
further instructed not to request additional funds over last year’s approved
budgets without appearing at the County Commission Meeting prior to the
Budget Workshop.
2. The actual two day budget workshop was held on July 19th
and 20th. There were
few, if any issues. The initially proposed millage rate of 6.3460 was more than
the rollback rate of 6.1524. FYI the rollback millage rate is the rate that would
bring in the same amount of ad valorem tax as the current year to fund the
budget at this year’s funding level. At the conclusion of the Workshop, the millage
rate was set at 6.2762. The additional proposed millage rate will bring in about
$400,000 more Ad Valorem tax than last year and increase your taxes by an
average of 2%. Your TRIM Notices will reflect this level of proposed spending.
3. Two separate Budget Adoption Hearings will be held in September.
Commissioners can lower the millage rate at these hearings, but they cannot
raise them.
The several hundred page proposed budget was not available until a few hours before
the Workshop and therefore no one did any detailed analysis of spending and any
means of creating offsetting cost savings. I hope this was not by design. While the Ad
Valorem tax is the most noticeable and talked about aspect of the budget, it is only a
portion of the proposed $51 million plus budget. The county takes in millions of dollars
in other taxes, grants and fees that are uncounted in favor of concentrating on the
politically visible millage rate. Franklin County will take in hundreds of thousands of
dollars more this coming year than during this current year not even counting ad
valorem taxes. Yet, there is no discussion of what actually drives the need to raise taxes
on people again this year, as has been done for the previous three years.
No one raised their hand to or suggested to staff to offset the increased spending with
savings in other areas. To put this in perspective, a less than 1% cut in the budget
would deliver no tax increase this year. Why not look for savings?
The budget buster this year was outgoing Commissioner Cheryl Sanders request for a
3% COLA this year instead of the 1.5% proposed by Finance. This will cost the county
an additional $135,000 over Finance’s recommendation.

2. Afterwards, some of the other Commissioners told me they were not pleased, but the
damage was done.
Between now and the Budget Adoption Hearings in September, we will review and
study the budget document, looking for those savings. We will present them to the
Board of Commissioners once again in the spirit of helpfulness for their consideration.
In addition to budget matters, the CCFC is also making a major push to have Franklin
County follow State Law and provide the opportunity at all public meetings and
workshops to address our Commissioners before they vote on specific issues as is
required by law before a vote is taken. As of today, the Commission only allows one-
sided public statements to be made at the beginning of County Commission meetings,
and there is no comment or action currently allowed by Commissioners during that time.
More than one person has taken their time to come to a meeting to offer input into an
agenda item and only been given a perfunctory “Thank You” as their only
acknowledgment. This is extremely disheartening to someone who believes in good
democratic government and the right of the people to seek a response from their
elected leaders.
The CCFC has sent to all Commissioners copies of the Public Engagement Policies
from Wakulla and Gulf Counties which codify the right of individuals to speak to their
Commissioners at various times during a meeting, and most importantly, before a vote
is taken on an issue of personal concern. We have asked Commissioners to broaden
their current policy and engage their electorate in the proper manner and with respect
and patience. We believe that should be their job.
The CCFC would like to remain positive and upbeat concerning the public’s chances of
being treated fairly. Sadly, not all Commissioners buy in to the concept of public
involvement and as a consequence, we frequently arrive at an adversarial position. We
are not convinced that Commissioners really appreciate the obvious…that it’s not their
money, but yours. Let’s hold them accountable and remind them from time to time, and
while we are at it, let’s remind them that the best interests of Franklin County’s people
and not narrow special interests must always come first.
We’d love to hear your opinions as well. Please call or write us with your comments.
Thank you for your support of the CCFC. Some of our readers have not paid their 2018
dues yet. Please remember us if you can. Not a member? No problem, click
on…http://abetterfranklin.com/index.php/join-ccfc Join today. We depend on your support!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Allan J. Feifer
President

3. Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O. Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
AllanF@DEC-International.com
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571
“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that
our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our
citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the
administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”
Commissioner Contacts:
Cheryl Sanders <cheryl@franklincountyflorida.com>697-2534
Chairman-Smokey Parrish <smokey@franklincountyflorida.com > 653-8790
Commissioner Ricky Jones <ricky@franklincountyflorida.com> 653-8861
Commissioner Noah Lockley <noah@franklincountyflorida.com> 653-4452
Commissioner William Massey <william@franklincountyflorida.com> 653-8861