To get the budget season started, the Alachua County Commission decided Tuesday to ask County Manager Randall Reid to create a possible budget for 2012.
Commissioners voted 3-2 to have the manager create a budget based on how it has been created in the past. They will use this budget as a starting point and plan to adjust it as necessary throughout the budget-creating process.
Chairman Lee Pinkoson and Commissioner Susan Baird voted against the motion.
Pinkoson suggested adjusting the Supervisor of Elections Office and Sheriff’s Office’s budgets in a different way than other offices since both will require more money in the next year for the 2012 election and jail services, respectively.
Commissioner Rodney Long suggested keeping the percentages of what each office gets from the overall budget the same. In that scenario, if a department needs more than the allotted percentage, then it could argue its case to the commission.
While commissioners may not agree on the strategy to create the budget, they acknowledge that the 2012 budget will be smaller than previous years.
“The question is, what’s the size of the cut?” Commissioner Mike Byerly said.
