Hiring freeze begins as Manatee County researches effects of tax cuts

With Manatee County having implemented a hiring freeze Jan. 15, County Administrator Charlie Bishop has been meeting with each of his departments and going over their base and continuation budgets.

 Only those positions that are statutorily required and operationally necessary will be filled until commissioners give staff more direction on what a significant millage cut could look like.

“Then, we'll reevaluate,” Bishop said.

During a strategic planning meeting in December, commissioners prioritized a millage cut and the need to plan ahead for such a cut. 

The base budget is the cost to operate the department at a minimal level. The continuation budget builds upon the base and increases the level of service. 

Bishop said the exercise will show commissioners where those cuts would be allocated among the different departments. The information will be presented during a public budget workshop scheduled for Feb. 11. 

Beyond commissioners' desire to cut millage, Bishop also noted Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desire to cut property taxes. 

“A significant millage cut, on top of the property tax, is a significant reduction in our general fund, which supports probably close to 700 plus positions,” Bishop said. 

Deputy County Administrator Corey Stutte said the impact of doing away with property tax could be a potential “$177 million hit on the general fund.” 

As of Jan. 21, Manatee County records show 2,397 employees, both full time and part time.

During the Jan. 27 commission meeting, Bishop said there were an additional 95 positions being advertised, of which 44 were identified as positions that could be left unfilled. 

Deputy County Administrator Courtney De Pol, who oversees Human Resources, clarified that the actual number of vacant positions is even higher at above 200 positions, but only the 90 plus were actively being filled.

She said offers were made on some of the positions, and people had already moved or quit their last job. Other positions are paid for by grants or enterprise funds, and some are necessary to county operations. 

After whittling the vacant positions down, administrators ended up with 44 positions that are paid out of the general fund and not essential to operations. 

Bishop used park maintenance technicians, building trade workers and 311 operators as some examples of the positions affected by the hiring freeze.

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Commissioner Jason Bearden wanted to know where the level of service will be if those positions remain vacant. 

De Pol used 311 as an example of how the continuation level of service works. Base service is answering calls, but if two additional 311 operators are hired, that continuation of the base service could cut hold times from 30 minutes to 27 minutes. 

An extra three minutes on hold could be something residents can tolerate. 

Bishop said he’s looking for any “significant hiccups” in service and added that positions would not be cut from the Public Safety department. He also didn’t include the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office or County Attorney’s Office in his calculations. 

The county is using Microsoft Power BI to help with the analysis. According to Microsoft, Power BI is a “business analytics platform that helps you turn data into actionable insights.” The platform “offers integrated tools and services to connect, visualize and share data across your organization.”

“I want us to turn over every rock,” Bearden said. “Make sure that if we let go of these two or three people that this is not affecting tens of thousands of residents.” 

He also took it one step further to say that now would also be the time to consider restructuring the organization and possibly cut certain departments or divisions, but it must be done strategically so as to continue providing “optimal service in the community.” 

However, Bishop doesn’t anticipate any major organizational changes. 

Bishop also noted that the general fund only pays for a small portion of the county’s workforce. Utilities, for example, is an enterprise fund that pays for itself. The general fund pays for “service operated departments,” such as Property Management and Natural Resources. 

On Feb. 11, commissioners will be presented with different scenarios as to what various millage cuts would look like, and it will go beyond the current hiring freeze. The scenarios will include operational cuts, as well, such as reduced hours at parks and libraries.

The intent behind a budget meeting in February versus over the summer, when they’ve been scheduled in the past, is to get the public’s input on which services are a priority so those services are not cut.

Bearden used the reduced trash collection as a “prime example” of residents being unhappy with a lower level of service.