Budget Woes For Escambia County

By Diana Lucio Reporter

County officials are conducting a big overhaul after Amendment 1 takes a toll on the county's budget. Budget Woes For Escambia County

Published: Fri, April 04, 2008 - 10:41 pm Last Updated: Fri, April 04, 2008 - 11:08 pm

Diana Lucio

Escambia County Administrator Bob McLaughlin says big changes are just a couple of months away. Escambia County is facing a 12-million dollar budget cut, after voters favored Amendment 1, an amendment that caps the cost of property taxes. But officials say it is now costing some employees their wages. "There was a position offered at a lower pay grade...but it's based on their responsibilities and their authorities and functions that changed,"Said McLaughlin.
McLaughlin says while no employees have been fired or forced to retire, they have been assigned different titles and positions. "We're taking basically eighteen reporting departments and consolidating them into six bureaus, "Said McLaughlin. Officials say while departments will now be known as bureaus, the main goal is to be cost effective. "It's basically that people are asking for more services, their asking for more efficiency, faster," Said McLaughlin.

To help meet those demands, services like Parks and Recreation will fall under a Public Works Bureau. Emergency Responders will fall under a Public Safety Bureau...among four other bureaus. The county says a Retirement Package was offered to about three-hundred employees. They expect around fifty to accept.
The board will approve changes April 17th and the county says all changes will go into effect July 1st.