H.I.T. Squad

If a picture resembles a 1,000 words then the cover photo in this morning's Hernando Times says it all about the last several months of contention over the 2008 Hernando County budget. This photo screams Hernando County Republican Executive Committee, with Ms. Ana Trinque sitting in the center, with Linda Hayward giving the rallying cry from the podium to hold up signs showing the salaries of some county workers at the final county budget hearing Thursday night. One would have to look really close to see that Ms. Trinque was not actually holding the sign depicting the salary of county employee, Garry Allen.

After listening to the budget hearings in my office on Channel 19 yesterday, it was apparent after several minutes most of the outcry for tax cuts, over and above those being suggested, were an orchestrated effort by the group from Government Gone Wild and Lower Hernando Taxes, with the assistance of the chairwoman of the Republican Executive Committee. The audience was well schooled in their dialog which had been promoted by Linda Hayward, Blaise Ingoglia, and Ana Trinque concerning employee salaries and their misguided interpretation of the county budget. Talking points to use several key words and catchy phrases were used throughout this budget hearing by Hayward, Ingoglia, Trinque, and others. The most notable phrases in the budget hearing were "smoke and mirrors" and "shell game".

Some key words could also be used to describe this trio of Hayway, Ingoglia and Trinque. One that comes to mind is H.I.T. squad instead of their chosen names of Government Gone Wild, Lower Hernando Taxes and the HCREC. Another word to describe the comments made at the podium Thursday night by Ms. Trinque, HCREC chairwoman would be "shrill". Her "in your face" presentation was an embarrassment to the majority of republicans in this community that do not agree with her nasty approach to our county government. Maybe it is time that someone put their name on the ballot to run against Ms. Ana Trinque for the chair position of the Hernando County Republican Executive Committee in 2008.

Ms Hayward seemed more impressed by her notoriety at Thursday's meeting than making any real difference in our community. Would someone please tell Ms. Hayward to deposit those petitions into a circular receptacle since they aren't worth the paper and effort she used to collect them. Frankly, the public is growing weary of Ms. Hayward using these worn out petitions as a prop for her dog and pony show. Maybe her cause would be believable if she spent more time researching viable data than promoting herself as the poster child for tax reform.

Obviously, the leader of Government Gone Wild, Blaise Ingoglia has not done his homework again. Mr. Ingoglia chose to cherry pick figures out the 2008 budget to wrap his seminars around but he forgot one thing. His omission of valuable information to properly portray the county budget was the underlying premise of his entire seminar. Somehow obvious omission of facts only equates to telling a lie in many individuals' opinion. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, with the obvious lack of knowledge Mr. Ingoglia actually possesses about our county government, in general. Maybe this is the reason why he didn't field any questions at the end of his seminars. Mr. Ingoglia's quote in this morning's paper only proves how ill-informed the leader of the Government Gone Wild series is when he stated, "If you never ever cut taxes before and you cut a dollar, you have the greatest tax cut in history". Too bad he didn't look at the trend of the county commissions, past and present, to lower Ad Valorem values based over a ten years period before he uttered this ridiculous opinion.

The Hernando County Commissioners reduced our Ad Valorem rate by a record 1.4675 mill on Thursday night, and I dare say, much to the satisfaction of the majority of Hernando County residents. The commissioners even included the approval of the additional Homestead Exemption of low income seniors in our community. Hopefully, we can look forward to more reform of the county and state budgets in the upcoming years.

Additional Homestead Exemption...

Three cheers to the Hernando County Board of Commissioners! Their passage of the additional Homestead Exemption for the Elderly means that the most frail among us will now have the ability to stay in their homes. This additional exemption may be a deciding factor for many seniors that are on very low income to save their homes. Several years ago I watched my neighbors struggle by selling their belongings on their lawn to pay their property tax bill. My neighbors were very proud individuals that would not ask anyone for financial help but this additional Homestead Exemption certainly would have made their life easier in the end. It is too late for my neighbors because they are now both deceased but many more elderly citizens in our county desperately need this additional Homestead Exemption. Thanks go out to the commissioners for their vote last night to extend a helping hand to our low income, elderly neighbors...

Thank Rob Schenck

Yesterday, the Hernando County board of Commissioners listened to Commissioner Kingsley lobby for an additional quarter mill in tax reduction. The newspaper this morning stated that his fellow commissioners embraced the idea. In fact, Commissioner Stabins stated that this would be the "single, biggest tax cut in Hernando County history.

In this morning's Hernando Today, George Zoettlein said this additional quarter mill reduction proposed by Mr. Kingsley was do-able because of the deep cut in reserves and government streamlining. Somehow the other quote by Mr. Zoettlein missed getting into the newspaper this morning. Mr. Zoettlein stated at the county commission meeting yesterday that this additional quarter mill would need to be taken out of the budget anyway in January if the new legislation passed so they should just do it sooner, rather than later. The legislation he was speaking of is the tentative referendum on the January Presidential Preference ballot that would limit local government spending to a maximum amount.

It was a real slick move by Commissioner Kingsley to get his name on this further quarter mill tax reduction. The real truth is though this additional cut would have been necessary without the election year grandstanding by Commissioner Kinglsey. We can thank Representative Rob Schenck for this year's reduction in Ad Valorem taxes along with Senators' Dean and Fasano.

Arc

Mark Berry, Executive Director of Hernando County's ARC, was selected to receive the National Conference of Executive's Executive Award at their annual convention of the National Conference of Executives of The Arc on October 10, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. The National Conference of Executives of The Arc (NCE) is a peer membership organization of over 300 professional leaders of local, state and national organizations serving individuals with cognitive or other developmental issues.

Mr. Berry was chosen to receive this award because of his fulfillment of mission and his core values associated with The Arc. "Way to go, Mark!" You are an inspiration to all of us in Hernando County.

Inaccurate statement

The article titled, 'Sheriff lashes out over budget', in the Hernando Times yesterday, included an inaccurate statement by Commissioner Kingsley. When comparing the salary increase for Hernando County Sheriff Deputies and support staff, Mr. Kingsley emphatically stated that no one at the county is getting a 5.5 percent raise. Apparently Commissioner Kingsley has forgotten that Hernando County Fire Rescue will be receiving a 6.6 % increase this year...

Hit the nail on the head

I almost fell over laughing on Friday morning when I read that the Hernando County Commissioners had requested that Gary Kuhl ask his department directors to forgo their raises this year. Even though I advocated freezing their salaries last week, I didn't mean as an option, or personal choice, left up to each director. My suggestion was to the county commissioners to use their authority to pass this on as a directive to the county administrator.

I guess I wasn't the only one that had that opinion of this lack of leadership by our county commissioners last Thursday after reading Jeff Webb's column in yesterday's paper. Mr. Webb really hit the nail on the head with the comment, "Doggone it, you responsibility-shifting posers, your job is to pass the budget, not pass the buck."

Decrease in General Fund Budget

Last week, I emailed George Zoettlein, Hernando County Budget Director concerning the total budget figures for 2008, with the percent of increase or decrease for the General Fund. This morning, I received his reply and decided to pass it on:

The total budget for 2008 prior to the 1st public hearing was $341,557,015
The total General Fund budget for 2008 prior to the 1st public hearing was $121,475,691
The percent decrease in the General Fund budget was 4.91%
At the first public hearing the Board instructed the budget to be cut by 0.25 mills, which we are working on right now, that amounts to about $2.5 million.

George W. Zoettlein
Director of O.M.B.
Hernando County, Fl.
(352) 754-4004

Without knowing the figures

Several important numbers were not included for the proposed Hernando County budget Thursday night which should have been a critical factor. These numbers include the total budget in dollars for 2008 ; the total general fund dollars for 2008; and what the percent of increase or decrease this 2008 budget is over the previous year. I am really surprised that none of the county commissioners requested this information at their budget hearing on Thursday. The one commissioner that should have been scrutinizing these figures is David Russell. Mr. Russell ran his campaign on the premise of implementing a zero based budget for Hernando County. How can a zero based budget be analyzed without previous figures to compare them with in this year's budget? For that matter, how could any of the commissioners justify approving any budget numbers without knowing these figures?

The percent of increase or decrease for the Hernando County budget would have given the county commissioners a good rule of thumb to determine whether enough, or too much, was trimmed from this year's budget before they indiscriminately voted to reduce the Ad Valorem an additional amount of 1.2175 mills. The question is, was this reduction enough , or was there really more wiggle room in this budget? A budget history comparing the total general fund dollars with the total budget dollars for the past five years would have given the county Commissioners the tools required to make educated decisions but none of them asked for these details in the the budget hearing and the question is why? The public will just have to wait until the required public announcements are published in a local newspaper to indicate the total budget in dollars, with the percent of increase, or decrease, to understand if the county commissioners made the right decisions on Thursday night...

Passing of Mary Aiken

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Mary Aiken, a former Hernando County Commissioner. Mary was a special lady that cared deeply for the people living in Hernando County. I kept in touch with her after she left office, with an occasionally phone call. In fact, the last time I spoke with her was when the Hernando Today had allowed the disparaging remarks by Mr. Herbert about me in May. She phoned me because she was concerned about my general welfare. We had a long chat that day and I am just saddened to say it was our last conversation.

Mary was a breath of fresh air as a county commissioner. She was known for speaking her mind even if it got her in to trouble in the media. The one thing the media always missed about Mary though was her big heart! She loved this community and only wanted to do what was right for everyone.

9-11

Today is September 11th...

Please say a pray for the brave men and women protecting our freedoms around the world!

Really the position...

At the last regularly scheduled meeting of the Hernando Board of County Commissioners, Gary Kuhl read a brief letter by Commissioner Kinglsey. Mr. Kinglsey was absent from this meeting and had requested in his letter that any decision on employee raises be tabled until their land use meeting on September 12, 2007.

Commissioner Kingsley stated in this morning's paper that he was not present for last month's meeting when the item of employee raises was tabled by the other commissioners for tomorrow's meeting. He said that if he had, he would not have agreed to this date. If this was really the position of Commissioner Kinglsey then why wasn't this information in the letter he had Gary Kuhl read at the August meeting in his absence?

Very harsh...

A letter by Mr. Sonny Vergara was published in this morning's Hernando Today. Although it was very harsh, it largely reflects the opinion of many of us in this community. The editor of the Hernando Today has consistently allowed outrageous comments about members of the public on their opinion page over the last several years. This newspaper has used innuendos and false statements many times to give the reader the illusion their particular subject is somehow questionable in character. Mr. Vergara is totally correct in stating that this editor uses letters from the public to bolster a jaded opinion of an individual, in the hopes of further damage to someone's credibility. Thank you, Mr. Sonny Vergara for standing up to this editor by strongly expressing your opinion because this type of character assasination should not be tolerated in a civil community.

Call to the public...

This morning, Commissioner Jeff Stabins put out a call to the public for suggestions on how to further cut Hernando County budget. I took this opportunity to forward an email to all the county commissioners with my suggestions. I have attended every county budget hearing for the past 15 years but I will not be attending this year. Even though everyone needs the opportunity to address their concerns with government but I believe the artificial atmosphere that has been created by the Government Gone Wild series and Lower Hernando Taxes will drown out individuals not associated with these organizations. I have included my email to the county commissioners below:

September 7, 2007


Board of Hernando County Commission
Jeff Stabins / Chairman:

After reading your letter to the editor that was published in the Hernando Times this morning, I felt obliged to forward my suggestions for budget reductions. Please note that even though my Ad Valorem was reduced by approximately $53.00, my out of pocket expenses increased $16.00 on my TRIM notice due to the 25% increase for HCFR your board approved in July.

My suggestions for further Ad Valorem reduction include:

(1). Freezing salary increases for all department directors, at their current rate, to further analysis the past consequences of the Mercer Study. Further Mercer Study analysis of pay scales of government employees needs to take place, by weighing equally the wages and benefits of local private business.

(2.) Reduce the overall "reserve accounts" to realistically reflect the actual needs of Hernando County government.

I will not be attending the annual Budget Hearing on September 13th but would ask that you carefully consider my suggestions for further Ad Valorem reductions.

Respectfully,
Anna Liisa Covell

Cap fees

Yesterday, I emailed Rep. Robert Schenck and Senator Fasano about my concerns regarding the increased local fees by county government to compensate for lower Ad Valorem rates, mandated by the Florida Legislature. In the metro section of the St. Petersburg Times last Sunday, Senator Daniel Webster stated that people have the choice to pay a fee, or not, when talking about property tax reduction at their special session of the Florida Legislature in June.

I asked Rep. Schenck and Senator Fasano to please remind Senator Webster that we have fire & solid waste fees on the non-Ad Valorem portion of our property taxes, so we do not have a choice in the matter. If we don't pay these fees, our property could be sold on the auction block by the county for non-payment. I also informed them that when taking into consideration the 25% "fee" increase by Hernando County Fire Rescue in July, my tax bill went up approximately $16.00.

This morning, I received a return email from Rep. Schenck . Mr. Schenck was in complete agreement that local governments would use fee increases to compensate for the loss of tax money. He stated that fees should be capped along with Ad Valorem rates.

Shop & compare

For those of you having trouble finding competitive rates for your homeowners insurance, Governor Crist has just started a website that list companies across the state of Florida. This site is to assist the consumer in rate comparisons between companies to find the most affordable policy. The link to this site is:

http://www.shopandcomparerates.com/

New name

A new name has popped up on the political scene for the 2008 election. Dr. James King has thrown his hat into the ring to run against incumbent Ginny Brown-Waite for Congress in the 5th district. Mr. King is a registered Republican and hails from Land O' Lakes in Pasco County. His platform includes a statement that includes veterans issues and illegal immigration. If you want to check out his website, here is the link:

http://needanewcongress.com/

Everyone jumping on board...

This morning, the Hernando Today gave their opinion on the announced resignation by Gary Kuhl, Hernando County administrator. The local radio talk show also buzzed last week with their opinions of this impending departure of Mr. Kuhl. The Hernando Times even put their 2 cents on the subject. I have reserved my opinion because I believe Mr. Gary Kuhl's reason to leave Hernando County is personal, and only his closest friends and family with ever know for sure why he has made this choice. I personally think Mr. Kuhl has done a very good job under very difficult circumstances with the current climate in Hernando County.

This morning, the editorial in the Hernando Today outlined their opinion about Mr. Kuhl's departure. This editorial relieved anyone from blame for the county administrator's decision. They went out of their way to twist an already convoluted editorial into a fairytale that relieved the Government Gone Wild series, the local talk radio, and their newspaper for the continued negative climate in this community and placed all the blame on Commissioner Diane Rowden and Commissioner Stabins. This editorial eluded to "confidants" that spoke with Gary Adams, our former administrator, to say he would never trust the commissioners again. I would like to ask the editorial staff just who were these confidants of Gary Adams? Another innuendo in this editorial related to "their" understanding that Gary Kuhl was so hurt by the SHFR vote that he was prepared to turn in a letter of resignation. Where is the letter, Mr. Editor? The national media outlets have several names for this type of spin journalism, by using terms like tabloid journalism and drive-by media.

Vince Vanni was quoted this morning in Hernando Times as saying, "We cannot change the atmosphere in our community, it is what it is". Although Mr. Vanni is certainly entitled to his opinion of this county, I do not share his belief that we cannot change the atmosphere of Hernando County. Mr. Vanni's outlook only gives rise to the doom and gloom atmosphere that has permeated our county over the last several years. I came to Hernando County 17 years ago because it is a great county, filled with wonderful people. My opinion has not changed about our community.

If someone wants to point the finger of blame on what is wrong with our county government, then look no further than the nearest mirror. Every citizen in Hernando County is at fault for the many vacancies left administration office over the last ten years, from the naysayers, to those people fat and happy, lying in the middle of the road. We have heard a roar from the naysayers over the last few months with groups like the Government Gone Wild organization and Lower Hernando Taxes. While these groups bring many valid points to the table they do not speak for everyone in our county. The deafening roar has really come from the silent majority. The silent majority needs to stand up now and be counted among the naysayers. This silent majority needs to say enough is enough with the negativity and its high time we put our best foot forward as county.

To have a great community it takes everyone jumping on board to promote a healthy atmosphere that we all can be proud of in Hernando County. We all need to step up to the plate and say what can I do to help improve our county!