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Residents Plead to Keep Programs in Place
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Jun 17, 2009 - 8:29:17 PM

By Penny Fletcher
penny@observernews.net

TAMPA -- More than 200 residents packed County Center June 9 at a public hearing on next year’s proposed budget. Many South County groups were present, some with signs and petitions, to plead for a continuance of programs that are currently slated to be cut back or eliminated.

Given two minutes each, many adults spoke to Commissioners about what the parks mean to their families. But the most compelling arguments for leaving youth programs in place came from the many children, including Marisol Concepción who spoke. Penny Fletcher Photos

Cuts planned for next year include hundreds of Hillsborough County government positions, with parks and recreation and libraries at the top of the list.

Parks department director Mark Thornton said he expects about 60 fulltime positions from his department to be eliminated, and with them, many programs.
The children’s programs were the most highly debated cuts at the meeting last week; followed by cuts in childcare licensing, animal services, aging services and code enforcement.

More than 200 people packed into the Second Floor County Commission hearing room for the public meeting last week. When the room was completely filled, area residents were also sent to rooms on the 26th Floor where they watched on closed-circuit television. So many showed up that some were even left standing in the first floor hallway by the front door straining to watch the comparatively small television screen there.

So many residents attended the public meeting that after the second floor Commission room was filled, the overflow was sent to the 26th Floor, where the air conditioning went out; bottled water was passed around but soon ran out; tempers flared and some grew faint. Meanwhile, some people did not get in at all, and stood in the first floor lobby watching the meeting on closed-circuit television.

County Administrator Patricia Bean and commissioners are mandated by the State Legislature to roll back taxes and also to produce a budget by July 31 but none of the proposed cuts will go into effect until the new budget year begins in October.
The first draft of the budget presented to commissioners by Bean last week showed cuts in many areas that residents who spoke referred to as “the bottom of the pyramid.”

The need for the $87 million in new cuts comes from a variety of reasons; the passage of Amendment 1 by voters last year that lowered some property taxes; the Legislature’s mandatory tax rollback; job losses; and people leaving the state which results in even less tax being collected on all fronts, including property and sales taxes.

Last year many buses to county parks from schools were cut, leaving working parents on their own to find ways to transport their children to after-school care.
This year, the parks department raised its summer program fees from $50 per child to $300 per child (but included field trips for each child registered). Even with private groups stepping in, including the Apollo Beach Woman’s Club that sponsored children at the Apollo Beach park, and the HOPE Fund in Wimauma, composed mostly of Sun City Center residents who paid for children to attend the Bethune Park in Wimauma, attendance at most of the parks was down from last year.

Melba Bush, director of the Balm Park and Civic Center, 14747 Balm-Wimauma Road, has been with the parks department for 28 years. Here she changes youths from doing arts and crafts to an active game in the gym.

Riverview’s park was the exception, with attendance staying steady at 180 youths.
Most park employees report major drops in attendance this year from last, and say many children from poorer families are now forced to stay at home alone.

Sandra Holmes, standing, who has been with the parks department 26 years and director of the Riverview Park and Recreation Center, 7807 Capitano Drive for 22 of them, keeps kids in line as they pick up their lunches and drinks for their noon meal.

“I can’t afford regular day care fees,” said Angela Thompson of Gibsonton, who has her two children at Gardenville Recreation Center. “My 11-year-old will be home alone now after school but I’m going to try and keep my 9-year-old in the program as long as I can.”

Dave Rameriz, director of the Gardenville Parks and Recreation Center, 6215 Symmes Road, Gibsonton, has been with the parks department 18 years, at this park since 1996. Here he brings youths into the gym as the temperature outside hits its afternoon high.

Shane Robinson, 20, appeared at last week’s meeting with two children who use the Ruskin Park, carrying a large poster signed by more than 200 people who use the facility.

Jan Chastain, right, director of the Ruskin Park and Recreation Center, 901 Sixth St. S.E., who has been with the parks department 27 years, and her assistant Joy Robinson pack lunches for the children taking part in the park’s summer recreation program.

Shane’s younger brother Jacob, 17, will be a senior at Lennard High School next year and is the News Editor of its newspaper, The Trailblazer. He is also the winner of the 2008 Humanitarian Award at his school.

In a letter addressed to Bean, Thornton and the commissioners, of which a copy was given to me, the younger Robinson makes suggestions for cuts that would not harm area children and families. They include using a sliding fee scale for services and children’s programs; having county workers search out grants from companies and foundations around the country to help pay the costs for youth programs; charging a $5 fee at boat ramps; and cutting the pay for top-level county workers.
“If you are willing to take jobs from needy families why aren’t you willing to take a pay cut to keep these positions?” he wrote. “If these plans are carried out and about 600 positions are cut, I feel your pay should be decreased about 60 percent since you will no longer be managing 1,001 employees. This would only make sense.”

Thornton answered the email the following day, sending me a copy of his reply. In it, he told Robinson he would review all his suggestions, many of which had already been considered by staff. “Thank you for your email,” he said. “Many of your ideas have been presented by staff and others, all showing a strong desire to help in addressing our challenges we face within the declining budget.”

Meanwhile, at the meeting, many continued to voice their objections to the things targeted for cuts. Several identified themselves as long-time community activists.
Gerald White said “In 20 years I have never seen such a senseless budget. There can be nothing more important than the health and welfare of our citizens. Instead of hurting the defenseless, why not eliminate building anything more and hold onto every single job until the Governor and President can turn things around.”

Lisa Rodriguez, a Riverview day care owner, said if county day care licensing is shut down (as ­proposed) providers will no longer be eligible to participate in either the voucher program (where the government subsidizes childcare for the needy) or federal food ­programs.

“These moms make about one-sixth of what Mr. Thornton makes. Where are the priorities?” asked Rosemarie Middleton, referring to the cutting of parks department programs for children and youth. “I can just see unsupervised children roaming the streets. Everything is being cut from the bottom. You need to trim the top of your pyramid before even thinking of cutting programs for children and workers in the field. Your managers need to show they understand the gravity of the situation they are creating by doing this.”

Appeals went on and on; from Hispanic groups; the handicapped and others who use county services that are listed as possible cuts.

Teachers like Margaret Bear; workers from the Early Childhood Education Program like Sally Harris; and Kevin Eaton of Tampa, a visually-impaired man who receives services from Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind which is one of the private organizations that receives some government help that is due to be cut.

The 43-page budget is available for residents to view on line at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/managementbudget. Then, on the left-hand side of the page, click “County Administrator’s Recommended Biennial Budget for F 10 and F 11.” More information may also be obtained by calling (813) 272-5890.
Another public hearing will be scheduled before the budget is ­finalized.



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