PBC Taxpayer Action Board Update
TAB Members,
There are several County Commission events this week worthy of note.
Today 1/25, staff presented a plan for conducting a Charter Review leading up to the 2012 election. (CLICK HERE for details). Accepted by the board, charter ideas from the commissioners will be assembled for discussion at the first night meeting in April. The process allows for broad input by the public, and TAB plans to generate some proposals along the way.
Tomorrow, 1/26, the commissioners will be holding an all-day, off-site retreat at Newcomb Hall at the Riviera Beach Marina, starting a 9:00 AM. (CLICK HERE) The morning will be devoted to vision and strategy, with the afternoon for a budget discussion. The public is invited but no public comment will be taken. TAB will report on this meeting upon its conclusion.
Then, on Friday, a joint session with the Palm Beach Legislative Delegation will be held at the North Campus of Palm Beach State College, starting at 10:00 AM. TAB will be attending that meeting as well, and has already posted our "Legislative Wish List", much of which supports items on the county government's agenda.
On the research front, as part of a series on county spending, TAB has completed a comparison of county pay and benefits to local and national averages compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In it we show the sizeable premium (>50%) that county Fire/Rescue is paid over peer organizations, and how they exceed even PBSO by a good margin.
We have also posted a piece on the Tax Collector's Voice over IP project which appears to be diverging from the county ISS telecom strategy.
Thank you for your interest in responsible government spending.
The TAB Team
Palm Beach County Pay and Benefits - How Much is Enough?
By: PBCTAB
01/25/2011
There is much anecdotal evidence, both locally and nationally, that public sector compensation has far outpaced that in the private sector. During this prolonged period of economic downturn, there is a perception that while many are out of work, underemployed, or making do with reduced pay and benefits,... [Read More...]
TAB Legislative Wish List
By: PBCTAB
01/12/2011
Modify the “PBSO Career Service Protection” Act Repeal the Fire/Rescue Sales Tax provision in FS 212.055 Modify FRS to provide more flexibility Enact the “Local Government Accountability” bills (HB107/SB224) Since its inception, TAB has focused on the spending side of the ledger,...[Read More...]
Tax Collector VOIP Project - Necessity or Re-inventing the Wheel?
By: PBCTAB
01/06/2011
During TAB's initial look at the county spending, many people mentioned to us the apparent inefficient duplication of services that exists. Each of the Constitutional Officers, to varying degrees, manage their own infrastructure for things like Human Resources, Purchasing, and Information Technology....[Read More...]
Fire/Rescue Sales Tax Surcharge to Make a Comeback
By: PBCTAB
12/08/2010
If you thought the Fire/Rescue Sales Tax surcharge was off the table, think again. Earlier this year, against significant opposition from the business and grassroots communities, the County Commission voted to place the measure on the ballot in 2010, only to withdraw it a day later on the advice...[Read More...]