This year, we have reduced our budget by 6.03% ($766,047) from last year. This reduction has been accomplished by eliminating nine permanent positions, and reducing certain operating expenses such as our travel, education, and legal expenses.
As your elected Property Appraiser, I believe it is important for you to understand how our budget process works. Our budget is governed by Florida Statutes (195.087), which require that I submit my budget to the Department of Revenue for approval.
The functions we perform are not discretionary. We must administer exemptions, conduct field inspections, process deeds to maintain correct ownership information on the roll, re-appraise every parcel and tangible personal property account every year, and submit a property value roll to the Department of Revenue that will pass legal muster in order for your taxing authorities to levy property taxes.
Today, in Pinellas County we have over 56,000 more parcels, 34,000 more homestead exemptions, and 12,000 more senior exemptions than existed in 1990, my first full year in office. Despite this increase, the size of my staff has decreased. I have proposed a staff of 139 in this year's budget; 17 fewer staff members than we budgeted for in 1990! We have completed our additional workload through the implementation of new technologies, such as field data collection devices, oblique imagery, and our web page; and through cross training that allows us to work more efficiently.
I hope you find this informative.
-Jim Smith