FISCAL YEAR 2007 APPROPRIATIONS

Transcription

1 FISCAL YEAR 2007 APPROPRIATIONS The following sections will provide highlights on changes to budgeted appropriations from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year OPERATING BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS The total Operating Budget for fiscal year Operating 62% 2007 has increased 10% percent or $233 million from the fiscal year 2006 budget. Specific highlights for the General Fund, Special Purpose, Enterprise Funds and Unincorporated Areas budgets are summarized below. Capital 24% General Fund (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - Debt Service 14 % $1,345,527,210) Appropriations will increase approximately $115 million or 9 percent to implement Commission goals, comply with mandates, to enhance Mass Transit services, to operate newly completed libraries and parks and to address cost increases in specific areas such as fuel and insurance. The most significant generally funded goal-related improvements include an additional $7 million to enhance redevelopment efforts, $4.7 million to improve Mass Transit services and $.9 million for human services enhancements. The $7 million in redevelopment funding includes a $5 million increase in tax increment payments to Cities and the transfer of an additional $2 million to the redevelopment capital fund to provide an alternative to tax increment financing. An additional $5.2 million in the general fund contribution to the Mass Transit fund is budgeted for service enhancements including those committed in the adopted transit concurrency program as well as normal cost increases. Human Services goal-related improvements totaling $.9 million include expansion of the Housing First program and establishment of a Housing First program for elderly clients. The Libraries and Parks budgets increase $1.7 million due to the opening of the West and South Regional Libraries and several natural areas purchased with bond funds. There are many unavoidable cost increases with a significant impact on the FY 2007 budget. The most significant of these items includes an $11 million increase in State-mandated retirement costs, a $7 million increase in health insurance costs, $5.7 million in worker's compensation, $3.5 million in fuel, $3.3 million in utilities and $2.8 million in property insurance. 16

2 An additional $1.4 million is transferred to the Substance Abuse Grant Fund and Homeless Services Fund to maintain current service levels. Several reserves are budgeted to plan for significant cost increases impacting fiscal year 2008 and 2009 due to the opening of new parks, libraries and corrections facilities, and for additional costs to implement the transit concurrency program. Major Special Purpose Funds The fiscal year 2007 budget includes more than 35 special purpose funds. The following major funds comprise approximately 70 percent of the total of all special purpose funds. Building Code Services (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $14,980,700) The major portion of the Building Code Services Division is budgeted in a special purpose fund; primarily funded by permit fees, plan review fees, and services provided for cities under contract. All of the programs are mandated by law or are essential in ensuring the safety of the built environment. The Building Code Services budget is increasing by approximately $5.8 million in fiscal year 2007 primarily due to increases in revenues and fund balance resulting from increased activity due to Hurricane Wilma and redevelopment. Mass Transit (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $119,947,030) Mass Transit's operating budget is increasing by approximately $15 million due to a number of factors including; $2,700,000 related to an increase in cost per gallon of fuel in addition to a federal mandate requiring the use of low sulfur fuel; $1.1 million associated with an increase in Florida Retirement System rates; $99,000 to fund security at the Lauderhill Mall transfer station; $1,886,000 for Tri-Rail double-tracking; $354,630 to improve on-time performance and service frequency on existing routes; and $390,000 for a new Courthouse Express Shuttle Service. In addition, a total of $6,655,420 is allocated for operating improvements associated with the transit concurrency program improvements including $5,896,420 for service improvements on new and existing routes and $759,000 to fund the operation of ten additional community buses. Federal and State Grants (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $75,220,969) The federal and state grant fund is comprised of the County's most significant recurring grants. In fiscal year 2007, these appropriations increase by approximately $1.3 million primarily due to a $1.1 million increase in the Substance Abuse and Health Care Services grant fund, a $1 million increase in the Elderly Services grant fund, and a $1.3 million decrease in the Community Development Block grant. 17

3 Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitor's Bureau (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $20,581,550) The $2.7 million increase in the Bureau s budget is attributable to an increase in projected tourist development tax revenue. The result is an increase in marketing expenses, and the addition of a position in the Washington D.C. office to increase room bookings. Convention Center (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $42,206,960) The Convention Center s operating budget is increasing by approximately $11 million primarily due to an increase in projected tourist development tax revenue, which increases the budgeted reserve and the amount transferred to the Convention and Visitor s Bureau for marketing programs. Homeless Services Fund (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $10,467,690) The Homeless Services Fund budget is increasing slightly in FY This fund is supported by a $10.5 million transfer from the general fund of which approximately $7.8 million is the equivalent of the revenue from one cent of local option gas tax. The remaining $2.7 million is an additional general fund contribution needed to maintain service levels. E-911 Wireline and E-911 Wireless Funds (Fiscal Year 2007 Combined Budgets - $20,232,510) The E-911 funds are supported with service fees charged on telephone and cellular bills to fund the costs of the E-911 system including E-911 operations and dispatch services for the County and several municipalities and to assist local governments in upgrading the 911 telephone system to precisely determine the location of cellular callers. The fee remains at $.50 per telephone/cellular line per month for fiscal year These surcharges are expected to realize approximately $9.4 million in revenue for fiscal year The FY 2007 budget increases $1 million primarily due to the increase in fund balance. Enterprise Operating Funds The fiscal year 2007 budget includes four major enterprise operations. The enterprise budgets are briefly summarized below: Aviation (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $170,490,280) The Aviation Department's operating budget is increasing by $19.5 million in fiscal year Major changes in the operating budget include the following: an $8.2 million increase associated with contractual agreements for shuttle, parking, janitorial, maintenance, and security services; a $5.2 million increase in property insurance; and a $3.5 million increase in security contracts with BSO. 18

4 Water and Wastewater (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $80,417,590) The fiscal year 2007 budget is increasing approximately $9.8 million primarily due to increases in Florida Power and Light rates, insurance costs, fuel and chemicals. The increase for retail rates for water and sewer customers is 4%. The wholesale fees paid by other utilities for wastewater services increases 17%. The rate paid by utilities that receive regional raw water services increases 47% from the prior year rate. Solid Waste Services Resource Recovery Fund - (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $197,273,410) This fund contains the costs associated with the Broward County Solid Waste Disposal District for disposal of garbage in Resource Recovery plant, collected from the Inter-Local Agreement (ILA) cities and Unincorporated Broward. The fund also supports the operations of the Southwest Regional Landfill, electronic recycling program, household hazardous waste program, public education regarding the resource recovery system, maintenance of active landfill sites, and the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for recycled goods. The operating budget has a net increase of $14.1 million due in part to a $5 million increase in payments to the operator of the Resource Recovery waste-toenergy plants based on planned tonnages and contractual agreements. Operating reserves increase approximately $5.7 million due to increases in fund balance and other income. One-time capital expenditures result in an increase of $1.8 million for site improvements at the Broward Interim Contingency landfill. A feasibility study is also funded to determine if deconstructed beach glass can be used for beach sand erosion control. This fund is supported primarily by the resource recovery tipping fee of $92.09 per ton in FY 2007, an increase of $2.91 over FY Solid Waste Fund - (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $7,027,670) This fund includes the costs for the County-wide cooperative litter removal initiatives, the maintenance of the closed County landfill site in Davie, the closed Pompano Incinerator site, and recycling programs for Broward County Schools, which is funded through an agreement with the School Board. A portion of commercial franchise fees supports the swale enforcement/litter prevention program, which has been moved from the Mandatory Collection Fund. The FY 2007 budget decreases more than $600,000 due to a decrease in fund balance and associated decrease in reserve. 19

5 Port Everglades (Fiscal Year 2007 Budget - $91,849,720) The Port Everglades operating budget increases by $8.7 million or approximately 10% in fiscal year Significant increases in the Port s budget include a $5.6 million increase for security and fire protection/emergency medical costs and $3.2 million for increases in property insurance and utility costs. Two positions are added to enhance petroleum operations as a result of the Petroleum sector study and address Operations workload demands. Unincorporated Area Operating Funds The Broward County Board of County Commissioners provides municipal services to the residents of the unincorporated area. This chart shows that in the early 1980's the unincorporated population began its decline due to annexation until the late 1980's when it grew slightly each year until 1989 when the declines due to annexation continued. The unincorporated area population is expected to drop to approximately 13,400 in FY 2007 due to the annexation of United Ranches/Sunshine Acres/Rio Ranches, Broward Estates, Country Acres/Godfrey Road and Pine Island Ridge. The population is anticipated to continue to decline until the entire unincorporated area is expected to be annexed. The chart below illustrates the population trends through FY 2007: Unincorporated Population Population in Thousands Year

6 US27 SW 184TH AVE HIATUS RD HIATUS RD DOUGLAS RD LYONS RD ANDREWS AVE BROWARD COUNTY BUDGET-IN-BRIEF Providing services to the unincorporated area has become increasingly difficult and expensive. This is due to the fact that the service area is spread through the county in numerous "pockets", many of which are relatively small, as shown on the following map. Unincorporated Broward County Neighborhoods 1. Boulevard Gardens 2. Broadview Park 3. Franklin Park 4. Hillsboro Pines 5. Hillsboro Ranches 6. Roosevelt Gardens 7. Washington Park Miles 75 SADDLE CLUB RD WESTON S POST RD 84 ARVIDA PKY STIRLING RD SOUTHWEST RANCHES WESTON RD 75 CONSERVATION SAWGRASS EXPY FLAMINGO RD FLAMINGO RD AREA SUNRISE BLVD CORAL RIDGE DR NOB HILL R D SUNRISE COOPER CITY NOB HILL RD NOB HILL R D SAWGRASS EXPRESSWAY TAMARAC GRIFFIN RD MCNAB RD COMMERCIAL BLVD PINE ISLAND RD CORAL SPRINGS DR DAVIE PARKLAND CORAL SPRINGS UNIVERSITY DR UNIVERSITY DR SAMPLE ROAD ROYAL PA ATLANTIC BLVD LAUDERHILL DAVIE RD 5 LM B LVD MARGATE NORTH LAUDERDALE FLORIDA TURNPIKE BROWARD BLVD FLORIDA'S TURNPIKE LAUDERDALE LAKES SHERIDAN ST PALM BEACH COUNTY 2 4 COCONUT CREEK MARTIN L KING JR BLVD HILLSBORO BLVD SAMPLE ROAD CYPRESS CREEK ROAD 3 5 OAKLAND PARK FORT LAUDERDALE DAVIE BLVD OAKLAND PARK BLVD 95 STIRLING RD 9TH AVE POWERLINE RD SW 10TH ST COPANS ROAD 84 POMPANO BEACH FEDERAL HWY ATLANTIC BLVD COMMERCIAL BLVD LAZY LAKE E FED SUNRISE BLVD LAS OLAS SE 17TH ST RAL HWY DANIA BEACH BLVD DANIA BEACH DEERFIELD BEACH WILTON MANORS FORT LAUDERDALE 1 A1A HILLSBORO BEACH LAUDERDALE- BY-THE-SEA LIGHT- HOUSE POINT A1A SEA RANCH LAKES 196TH AVE 172ND AVE 95 1 PINES BLVD HOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD BLVD MIRAMAR PKY MIRAMAR PEMBROKE PINES S HIATUS RD PALM AVE HOMESTEAD TURNPIKE EXT MIRAMAR PKY PEMBROKE RD WEST PARK PEMBROKE PARK A1A HALLANDALE BEACH BLVD HALLANDALE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY 21

7 The following municipal level services are provided to unincorporated area residents: Law Enforcement - The Broward County Sheriff provides police protection to unincorporated area residents. Per a court ruling (Minnet decision) in 1977, road patrol and related services are funded by County-wide general revenues. Fire Rescue Broward County Fire Rescue provides service to the unincorporated area, the cities of Weston, Cooper City, Pembroke Park, Southwest Ranches, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, West Park, the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades, and emergency medical services only to Sea Ranch Lakes. Municipalities pay for service through contractual agreements. Fire Rescue services in the unincorporated areas are primarily funded with a property tax and special assessment levied by the Fire Rescue Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU). The special assessment for residential properties is $196 for FY 2007 and the property tax rate remains at $2.73 per thousand dollars of taxable value. Garbage Collection - Services include private garbage haulers who provide garbage service two times per week and trash service twelve times per year, a recycling program and trash transfer stations. For fiscal year 2007, residents will be charged a special assessment fee on their property tax bill of $270 per single family home or per unit in multi-family complexes with nine units or less, which is a $20 decrease from the current fee. Water/Wastewater - Potable water and wastewater treatment is provided to both unincorporated and incorporated areas within the County s utility service area. Residents are charged based on their consumption. The combined increase for retail water and sewer rates is 4 percent for residential customers. Other Municipal Level Services - Services such as neighborhood parks, school guards, and code and zoning enforcement are funded by the Municipal Service District fund. This fund is supported by fees, utility taxes, and a property tax that is levied only in the unincorporated area. The recommended property tax rate for fiscal year 2007 remains at This rate will provide approximately $940,000 less in property taxes than in fiscal year 2006 due to annexation. For more information on Unincorporated Broward capital projects, refer to the capital section of the budget-in-brief. 22

8 The following chart depicts the changes in property tax and special assessment rates in fiscal year 2007 for a typical single family homeowner for municipal-level services within the Unincorporated Broward. FY 2006 FY 2007 Difference Fire Rescue Assessment $195 $196 $1 Fire Rescue Tax* $237 $246 $9 Garbage $290 $270 ($20) Unincorporated Property Tax* $224 $232 $8 Street Lighting Property Tax* $39 $41 $2 Total $985 $985 $0 * Based on an average taxable value of $86,650 for fiscal year 2006 and $90,000 for fiscal year