In a midnight raid aimed at reducing government spending at a time of explosive growth, the Collier County Board of County Commissioners voted overnight Thursday to make near across-the-board cuts to the county’s general fund and make up for the intentional budget shortfalls by all-but-depleting existing funds in accounts set aside for conservation.
Conservation Collier buys and preserves sensitive lands to keep them from development in an effort to support fragile ecosystems. The taxpayer-supported program has been overwhelming approved by voters in three different referendums since 2002.
Just before 2 a.m. Friday and at the close of a nine-hour budget hearing, commissioners learned their decision will cost the conservation program $60.9 million. The measure was championed by Commissioner Bill McDaniel with strong enthusiasm from board Chairman Rick LoCastro. All commissioners, save for Burt Saunders, voted for the measure.
The $60.9 million infusion in cash from Conservation Collier to the other budgets will force the commissioners to seek out future cuts or raise taxes down the line to stay afloat.
"We're adding to potentially subtract," cautioned Collier County Manager Amy Patterson.
LoCastro welcomed the challenge to seek out potential cuts.
"One of the reasons I like this is because this is forcing us to really take a look at things and not say, 'Well everything got funded.'" LoCastro said. "...We are, on purpose, tightening things and putting ourselves in a position to have to do a whole bunch of stuff over the next 12 months to make sure we haven't screwed ourselves in the next year."
Leading up to the meeting, supporters of Conservation Collier anticipated the worst-case scenario would be a $14 million reduction in expected funding, not a major reduction in currently unused funds in its accounts.
"So that's a big hit," said Brad Cornell, the policy director of Audubon of the Western Everglades, which has championed the past referendums.
"And so, we're very disappointed with this outcome. So we're, we're still trying to figure out what the impact of that is on Conservation Collier, but it is clear that it has a very big negative impact on the program."Brad Cornell, policy director, Audubon of the Western Everglades
Conservation Collier's budget is unlike general operational budgets that typically come in at even- or over-budget. That's because money is intentionally set aside in two accounts, one for future acquisitions and the other for current and future maintenance.
Prior to the start of the meeting — before any new tax funds would be added in the upcoming fiscal year, there was a combined $69 million in the two accounts. The maintenance fund had the bulk of the money. Accrued interest in what was the larger account, could ensure the sensitive lands were cared for in perpetuity. Now that maintenance account is much less .
The program has created 22 preserves in Collier for a total of 4,700 acres of protected land. Should the commissioners not replenish the $60.9 million, the future of Conservation Collier is tenable.
"[Then in] one evening, they have reversed all that," said Cornell. "And so, we're very disappointed with this outcome. So we're, we're still trying to figure out what the impact of that is on Conservation Collier, but it is clear that it has a very big negative impact on the program."
Because of Collier’s growth and an increase in property values, the government was expected to bring in an additional $62 million in taxes this year even if the overall millage rate stayed the same. But the commissioners voted to forego the additional funds and roll back the mileage to a point where it was bringing in roughly the same funding as last year.
And in doing so, the money was taken from Conservation Collier so other departments could meet budgets that had been created with the thought that there would be an infusion of $62 million in cash.
"Quite frankly, I don't think there is anything I like about this proposal, because I don't know what the consequences are going to be," said lone hold-out Saunders.
As for the impact to Conservation Collier, Saunders said: "We all know that this is not enough money in reserves for the future maintenance of properties they already own."
McDaniel has previously spoke out against taxes going to Conservation Collier. It was not lost on Cornell that, by-and-large, the commissioners have sung the praises of the program.
"The Commissioners have all said that they support conservation, land-buying and management and they recognize that it's a valuable program. Yet, seemingly in contradiction, they are shifting huge amounts of money out of the program using the Conservation Collier — your tax [dollars]. But they're not using it for Conservation Collier, they're using it for other programs that they wanted to cut taxes on," Cornell said.
But ethically and politically, Cornell said, that's not the promise made to the voters with the referendums in 2002, 2006 and 2020. All three had a super majority of voters in favor of being taxed .25 mill for land acquisition and preservation.
One mill is the equivalent of $1 dollar for every $1,000 in taxable values to property.
One mill is the equivalent of $1 dollar for every $1,000 in taxable values to property. That means the owner of a home with a taxable value of $400,000 would pay $100 a year to Conservation Collier if the commission agreed to set the tax rate at the maximum .25 mill.
"We're hoping to work with the commissioners and the staff to make sure that the program is not harmed this coming year, and that all of this money is restored in fiscal year 25," said Cornell.
Ahead of the meeting, some 500 people wrote letters or made phone calls voicing opposing to any reduction of funding for Conservation Collier. Additionally 55 of the 70 people to address the board, expressed similar sentiment.
"I'm a voter and a conservative," began North Naples resident P.J. Marinelli. He explained that the 76. 5 percent of the voters who in 2020 said yes to the tax was at a greater majority than either presidential candidate — among other races — received from voters. "I raise this point because this is a non-partisan issue. This is the something the people of Collier County have self-imposed."
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