Turner frames grim budget picture

If City of Sarasota Finance Director Chris Lyons’s budget forecast is accurate, the city could face a $20 million general fund deficit in 2022. City Commissioner Terry Turner last week presented options to avoid that fate during a Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations meeting, and blamed rising employee costs for the future imbalance.

“It’s probably not going to be better than this,” Turned said to the board of neighborhood representatives. “And it’s likely to be worse.” The city projects a general fund deficit of $3 million for the 2013 fiscal year, but Turner said that could swell to as much as $40 million depending on the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The city is expected to spend $57 million on wages, benefits, and pension contributions for the 2013 fiscal year. That cost grows to $86 million in 2022 in Lyons’ forecast.

Turner said cutting staff or doubling — even tripling — the current millage rate would alleviate the potential deficit, but aren’t being considered. Instead, implementing the recent controversial pension changes and further amplifying retirement benefit cuts would nearly halve the 2022 deficit prediction.

“Using reserves or rainy-day cushions is not something we can do in the long run because they run out,” he said.