Lubbock County departments were ordered to cut upcoming budgets by 10 percent after a “no new revenue rate” is expected for a second straight year.
Opinions are split on the call for cuts.
“In order for us to balance the budget on the no new revenue rate, there will need to be draconian cuts,” County Judge Curtis Parrish said.
Parrish, Sheriff Kelly Rowe and a few other officials think another no new revenue rate is a terrible idea.
Jordan Rackler, commissioner for Precinct 4, disagreed.
“It won’t affect the citizens of Lubbock County. … We can make all the cuts necessary to get there. We are trying to make the cuts that are necessary to get to ‘no new revenue.’ We are meeting with the departments one-by-one,” Rackler said.
“If they’re talking about 5-percent layoffs, we’re talking about roughly 60 people – laying off 60 people.”
Curtis Parrish, County Judge
Parrish spoke to LubbockLights.com minutes after he emailed out a directive to 41 department directors Thursday afternoon ordering 10 percent cuts. He did not speculate on what cuts would be made until departments submitted their updated budgets.
Commissioners take the first in a series of votes on the tax rate Monday, unless it gets delayed – a move Parrish supports. Parrish thinks commissioners are too quick to lock in the “no new revenue” tax rate.
“There will be no layoff.”
jason corley, precinct 2 commissioner
Jobs and raises?
Layoffs are at least possible – although not likely, Parrish said.
“If they’re talking about 5-percent layoffs, we’re talking about roughly 60 people – laying off 60 people,” he said.
Jason Corley, commissioner for Precinct 2, said that’s not necessary.
“There will be no layoff,” Corley said – although he does expect a hiring freeze.
Parrish said a 3 percent pay raise for county employees is in jeopardy. Corley again disagreed saying a pay cut is not necessary.
Another walkout not expected
Threat of a walkout by commissioners – a repeat of last year’s county budget process – is off the table. However, it was discussed this week.
“Yes, it’s always an option,” said Rackler.
Rackler and Corley were no-shows for a couple meetings a year ago to deprive the county of a quorum, forcing the county by law to stick with the “no new revenue rate” – calculated by state law to bring in the same amount of revenue as the previous year with exceptions for new construction.
“I can tell you, my frustration certainly began to show.”
kelly rowe, lubbock county sheriff
Sheriff Kelly Rowe said he heard directly from two commissioners; they were “adamant” about walking out to stop a higher tax rate. He thought a local walkout to break quorum was no better than Democratic state lawmakers doing the same thing during the ongoing special legislative session on redistricting.
This year the votes are expected to support the no new revenue rate without a quorum buster.
A third vote for the no new revenue rate is Cary Shaw, Precinct 3 commissioner.
“This cut should have been done last year, but it was left on us to do it this year. And let’s face it, nobody likes to do it. But the little old lady on set income out there, she doesn’t like to be pushed out of her house either,” Shaw said.
Last year the county – using the no new revenue rate – approved spending $7.2 million from reserves to balance the $345 million budget.
That number for the upcoming budget is 32.7425 cents per $100 of value – down from 33.4702 cents last year.
‘Poor decision making’
Rowe feels strongly the budget will impact his department and ultimately the safety of county citizens. He was vocal in his conversations with commissioners this last week, he said.
“I can tell you, my frustration certainly began to show,” Rowe said.
“The real issue here is we should never get into this … And it’s only because of year-after-year poor decision making that puts us at a point where we’re talking literal draconian-level cuts,” Rowe said.
As one example, previous budgets set aside more than $3 million to house Lubbock’s overflow inmates with other counties. This year’s proposal sets aside less than $1 million for that cost.
But Rowe said a near disaster with plumbing in the county jail recently almost forced the sudden evacuation of 72 inmates. He called it a “wager” to not have that money in the budget for housing inmates out of county.
“We can’t forecast this kind of stuff. There’s no way to know,” Rowe said.
And a hiring freeze at the county jail cannot run afoul of state law, Rowe said.
“We have state-mandated numbers,” Rowe said – only so many inmates per detention officer.
Rowe’s portion of the 10 percent cut is $1.4 million, he said.
“This cut should have been done last year, but it was left on us to do it this year. And let’s face it, nobody likes to do it. But the little old lady on set income out there, she doesn’t like to be pushed out of her house either,”
cary shaw, precinct 3 commissioner
Help coming for future budgets, or digging deeper hole
Shaw thinks things will get better in the next couple years. An estimated $10 million of revenue from processing Tesla vehicle titles in Lubbock County will eventually provide relief. But Shaw said the county cannot count that money just yet.
The county has a tax increment finance district which will expire in couple years, putting $600 million of property back on the general fund. At the current tax rate, that’s more than $2 million of revenue a year.
“Once we get the budget cut back to no new revenue, then that’s going to help every budget from here on out,” Shaw said.
Parrish says otherwise.
“Every time you propose and pass a no new revenue rate, all you do is dig the hole deeper and deeper. So yes, there will be massive cuts,” Parrish said.
Parrish previously cited examples like the need for a new roof at the Lubbock County Detention Center, repairs and renovations for 916 Main Street, replacing the county’s downtown parking garage and road repairs.
