The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners adopted the final $2.2 billion budget for the 2017 fiscal year at its Sept. 27 final budget public hearing.
The FY2017 budget represents a 6.4 percent increase over the current budget, due to a net increase in personal services, capital and reserves. No increase in the countywide millage rates was required to balance the budget and meet important needs and priorities. The 2017 fiscal year begins Saturday, Oct. 1.
“The adopted budget aligns with the county’s strategic goal of responsibly managing public resources in our delivery of everyday services to our residents,” said Commission Chairman Charlie Justice.
The FY2017 budget carefully and incrementally will restore service levels to meet pressing community needs in a financially-prudent manner. Key areas include:
- Increased staffing for code enforcement to reduce response times.
- Health program enhancements including HIV/AIDS educational outreach, dental sealant for elementary and middle school children, and 211 after-hours staffing to reduce call wait times.
- Establishment and funding for a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) in Lealman to enable specific improvements to services and infrastructure as guided by the community.
- Homeless support to enable rapid re-housing, case management and care coordination.
A comprehensive overview of the budget is available for citizens to review at the Office of Management and Budget website, www.pinellascounty.org/budget/. Residents may also watch a video to learn more about the budget process.
The County Commission held its first public budget hearing on the FY2017 budget on Sept. 14. Earlier in the year, the BCC held a Community Conversation in May, inviting citizen input in person, by phone and on digital platforms about issues important to them. Throughout the spring and summer, the Commission held a series of budget information sessions to review key program areas and develop strategies to better serve the community. At these sessions, the Board obtained information on budget proposals for county departments, as well as budget presentations by independent agencies and elected officials.
The Pinellas County “Doing Things for You” app is available for residents to report issues and access useful resources. Pinellas County can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. More information is available on the county website www.pinellascounty.org which features LiveChat for assistance. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.