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Flagler County presents general fund budget with 9.25 FTE net reduction and 10% cut exercise
Summary
County finance staff presented a proposed general fund budget that holds a 2.3% COLA, removes merit pay, and shows a net decrease of 9.25 FTEs; a 10% reduction scenario including eliminating strategic-plan funding and revisiting CRAs was discussed ahead of the July tentative budget.
Flagler County finance staff on June 16 laid out a proposed general fund budget and a separate 10% reduction exercise designed to show options if a pending state homestead-exemption referendum reduces county revenues.
Brian Eichinger, who led the presentation, said the administration used a ‘‘modified 0‑based’’ approach for several divisions and that all budgets in the presentation include a 2.3% cost‑of‑living adjustment. Eichinger said the county removed merit pay from the plan and that the net effect across the general fund is a reduction of 9.25 full‑time equivalent positions.
The presentation highlighted a number of department‑level adjustments staff said brought budgets more in line with recent actuals: reductions in printing and binding in public affairs, reallocated longevity pay from administration into departments that hold the eligibilities, and smaller operating decreases for economic development and several library branches.
Eichinger pointed to several larger structural changes that would reduce ongoing costs if the board chose to pursue them, including removing a $600,000 strategic‑plan line item from pooled expenditures and an illustrative scenario that would eliminate county contributions to tax‑increment financing (CRAs). He said the county has increased reserve balances and removed a tax‑anticipation note from the budget as part of the realignment.
Commissioners pressed for more department‑level detail, saying they wanted each division to model a 10% reduction from their own requested budgets rather than relying solely on large, single‑line cuts. One commissioner said: “If every department head had to look at a 10% reduction… that’s what I consider a 10% reduction,” while staff countered that some large items, such as interfund transfers and constitutionals, require separate treatment.
Staff also reviewed public safety costs tied to recent operational changes: bringing 911 dispatch employees under the BOCC resulted in higher overtime and personnel expenses that the budget must now accommodate, and EMS billing increases offset some operating increases while the county continues planned vehicle replacements.
Next steps: county staff will present the tentative budget on July 13. Eichinger said the board may adjust the tentative prior to adoption, and commissioners agreed to return in August for followups, including a department‑by‑department review if they want a stricter 10% drill.
