Commission Chairman Matt Brooks presided over the discussion about pending state legislation.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
The high tech software and hardware used to operate the Levy County Sheriffs’ Office’s 911 emergency call system is far more expensive than ever, but a bill pending in the Florida Legislature would cut the state’s financial support for the system, according to County Coordinator Wilbur Dean.
Dean said the proposed reduction of the Communications Services Tax would result in the county losing a large amount of money used for emergency communication with ambulances and deputies. The County Commission would have to cover the loss of state money.
The bill would cut the state tax from 5.1 percent to 2 percent in counties like Levy and to 4 percent for charter counties. The savings would benefit cell phone users by cutting their bills with lower taxes, but city and county governments that use the tax as part of their revenue base would take a hit.
“You’re talking about a huge amount of money across the state,” Dean said in a statement to the county commission on Feb. 4.
Most of the communications to the sheriff’s office in the digital era are through cell phones.
Sheriff Bobby McCallum said he doesn’t know much about the bill except it would reduce cell phone tax revenue used to support emergency communications services, and anytime the state cuts tax revenues for state-mandated services the county’s budget is negatively impacted.
Dean said a second unrelated bill would increase the county’s exposure to civil lawsuits. The bill would raise the county’s potential liability in civil lawsuits from a maximum of $200,000 to $1 million by reducing its sovereign immunity.
Sovereign Immunity caps a government’s exposure in lawsuits. The Legislature is proposing to raise the liability cap to $1 million. The move could encourage more lawsuits.
Commissioners are accustomed to receiving news that Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee have imposed an expensive mandate on them without providing state funding for the new expense. They complained at the board meeting about the Legislature eroding their Home Rule powers, which refers to local elected officials making their own decisions rather than the state making decisions for them.
Commissioner John Meeks said local governments are getting hit from all angles.
“It’s like dipping a steak into a small pond; we are just getting ate up from every angle,” he said. “Whenever we ask for something, they tell us they can’t afford to do it, they can’t help us.”
Meeks said the Florida Legislature is considering a bill that would pass large Medicaid increases onto counties. The bill would reduce the Legislature’s liability for Medicaid costs and pass them to the county.
“They are taking away our Home Rule and it costs us money,” Commissioner Lilly Rooks said.
On the flip side, a big part of the county commission budget is funded by state revenues including many of their road surfacing projects, their bus transit system and other programs.
————————-
Board of County Commission Regular Meeting February 4, 2020; Posted February 8, 2020
