By Andy Reid May 15, 2012 07:57 PM Better debt planning and setting spending priorities are among the recommendations in Palm Beach County’s annual fiscal report card from Clerk & Comptroller Sharon Bock. Bock, the keeper of the county checkbook, on Tuesday made her sixth "State of the County Address" to the County Commission. The struggling economy tempering property tax revenues combined with lingering debts from past county spending continues to leave the county facing year-to-year budget shortfalls. Bock contends that her review of 2011 county spending shows the County Commission needs to do a better job of strategic planning and establishing spending goals in order to get a grip on costs. "Priorities must be set by you, the policy makers, so that direction regarding ... Continue reading →

Palm Beach County proposes to chip in $150,000 of public money to help turn a presidential debate into a Chamber of Commerce opportunity. The County Commission on Tuesday is being asked to give $150,000 of tourism tax money to help Lynn University in Boca Raton host the nation’s final scheduled presidential debate, planned on Oct. 22. The goal is “generate national and international exposure for Boca Raton and all of Palm Beach County," according to the proposal. Hosting the debate at the Wold Performing Arts Center is expected to cost about $4.5 million. University representatives are counting on donations and corporate sponsorships to cover the expense. In exchange for helping cover the cost, images for the event would say, "Welcome to Palm Beach County and ... Continue reading →

By Andy Reid May 7, 2012 05:57 PM Palm Beach County staffers are recommending against major charter changes that would shift the local balance of power more toward the County Commission. County commissioners are considering asking voters in November to change the county charter, which is like the constitution for local government. Among the possible charter changes commissioners have floated is consolidating local government by changing the sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections from independently elected officials to appointees of the County Commission. Those moves were billed as a way to give the County Commission the ability to do away with overlapping agency duties in order to cut the budget. But critics called it a power grab that threatened to take away ... Continue reading →

By Andy Reid May 3, 2012 04:54 PM Palm Beach County’s looming budget deficit may only be half as bad as anticipated, county commissioners learned Thursday. The county now projects a less than $15 million shortfall for the budget that kicks in Oct. 1. That’s down from the $30 million funding gap estimated earlier this year. That could make it easier for the County Commission to find the spending cuts it needs in the $4 billion budget to avoid raising the property tax rate for the fourth year in a row. "While there has been good news and bad, time has provided answers to a number of critical questions," County Administrator Robert Weisman wrote in an email to commissioners Thursday. Palm Beach County government has ... Continue reading →

As Palm Beach County faces another budget shortfall, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw proposes boosting his department costs by $4 million. Bradshaw on Tuesday released a $471 million budget proposal. That would just be about a 1 percent increase from this year, but it comes as county commissioners look for cuts to avoid raising property tax rates again. "We are at the functional floor of funding to maintain required levels of service," Bradshaw wrote in his budget proposal. Even after raising property tax rates for three years in a row, the county faces a $30 million shortfall next year. That’s blamed on the still-struggling economy tempering tax revenues as well as lingering debts from past county spending. The sheriff’s expenses account for more than half of the ... Continue reading →

MARIA HERRERA has covered local government, immigration and Hispanic affairs, and growth and development in Florida since 2004. Maria joined the Sun Sentinel in 2006 to cover the city of Delray Beach and nearby unincorporated areas. She has worked at the Miami Herald and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Maria was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to South Florida in 1993.ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. Before moving to politics full time, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made ... Continue reading →