WHITE LEAVES $1.5M UNSPENT

Last August, Sheriff Bob White proclaimed he was en route "to the poorhouse" when his agency's budget wasn't as big as he wanted.

He accused county officials of "messing around." He said cuts were being forced on "the backs of my deputies."

But when the last bill is paid this year, White plans to leave $1.5-million unspent.

In his May 29 proposal for the next budget year, the sheriff said he directed his department heads to cut costs "without sacrificing our core mission." White will return that $1.5-million to county coffers, assuming no unexpected problems come up.

Sheriff's officials could not provide a line-by-line breakdown of the savings to the PascoTimes, but said $1-million is coming from salaries. Jobs stayed open much of the year, and overtime and holiday pay were kept low. With the county's murder rate down since October, investigative expenses, especially overtime pay, also have been less than expected, spokesman Kevin Doll said.

"Murders are usually the cases that take up the most investigative time and resources," he said.

The Sheriff's Office trimmed more than $20,000 when it stopped buying bottled water for deputies. It expects to save money on fuel by ending personal use privileges of agency cars by off-duty deputies.

Beyond that, it's normal belt-tightening.

"It is expected that each cost center manager will make every effort to economize and use best purchasing practices and agency rules to procure goods and services as needed to perform agency functions," according to the agency's written explanation to the Times.

"Could I have used the money? No question," the sheriff said. "We've just tried to cut everything to the bone."

Asked if he was surprised that White found leftover money after his ominous warnings a year ago, County Commissioner Michael Cox giggled. "Stranger things have happened," he said.

Budget director Mike Nurrenbrock, whose proposed cuts were criticized by sheriff's officials last year, stayed silent.

"What's the next question?" he asked.

Embracing reality

The excess money is one issue confronting county officials as they wade into the sheriff's budget. Last year, officials had a protracted showdown with the sheriff over his spending plan. This year, both sides say they hope to avoid bickering.

But potential hiccups exist. Though White has proposed spending less money, the county expects to receive a lot less tax money next year. The sheriff offers a $1.1-million cut that is a fraction of the $7-million cut that top county officials suggested. So the County Commission will have to decide how much to hack - just like last year.

And every dollar cut in the sheriff's budget allows county officials to spend more in departments they actually control.

Last year, White wanted $11.2-million more, a 13 percent increase to pay for 109 new jobs. He got a $2.6-million increase - and a lot of grief from county officials grappling with a cap on property tax revenue after years of growth.

The Sheriff's Office uses about half of the county property taxes for its $86-million budget this year. But the general fund will take an estimated $17-million hit in the next budget year under the new property tax amendment. The new budget cycle starts Oct. 1. Noting those circumstances, White - who campaigned for the amendment last fall - proudly emphasized his latest budget request would spend $1.1-million less than this year.

"This budget," White said, "is about embracing reality."

But Commission Chairman Ted Schrader countered: "Until the vote was taken, I'm not sure the sheriff fully knew what the property owners were going through in meeting their property tax needs and what they were going through in paying their bills."

The sheriff's budget funds no new jobs and no raises - as County Administrator John Gallagher requested.

"We'd be thrilled to death if this was enough," said Col. Al Nienhuis, the undersheriff.

It probably won't be. Gallagher and the budget office asked White for a $7-million reduction, an 8 percent cut.

"I don't see how it can be anything but closer to the $7-million figure," Schrader said.

Other county departments face cuts approaching 20 percent. Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley proposed spending almost 10 percent less. County Clerk Jed Pittman offered to spend 5 percent less. Property Appraiser Mike Wells plans to spend about 1 percent less.

Return the savings?

Another complication is that White's version of a reduction comes with expensive strings attached. He did not include money to run the three-story Land O'Lakes jail addition, which is now under construction. Each floor is estimated to cost $1.4-million to run, although the county anticipates possibly using only one floor next year.

About $1.8-million was set aside for that last year.

White also asked that the $1.5-million his agency saved this year be earmarked for his office next year.

Adding back the savings or paying for the jail makes the sheriff's budget increase instead of decrease.

But Cox and Schrader said they are open to giving the Sheriff's Office back the money. While it's the board's call, Nurrenbrock said the county has never earmarked such a large carryover for a single department, preferring to spread the money around.

The question for commissioners, however, may be: Who needs the money the most?

"Would I fund a deputy before we fund street maintenance?" Cox asked. "Absolutely."

David DeCamp can be reached at ddecamp@sptimes.com or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6232.