Pinellas County To Hold Final Budget Hearing Sept. 24

ST. PETERSBURG, FL —Pinellas County’s annual budget took center stage at Thursday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting as staff presented the proposed FY2020 budget.

The tentative FY2020 overall budget totals $2,532,719,780 for all county governmental and enterprise services, constitutional officers and other services, including fire districts and court support. Residents may review the proposed budget document online.

The board will hold a final public hearing to adopt the new budget and property tax rates Sept. 24.

The tentative budget underscores Pinellas County’s continued commitment to responsible stewardship of public resources by prioritizing maintenance projects and ongoing programs while also investing in long-term needs. Some priorities addressed in the tentative budget include:

• Transportation and mobility, including road, bridge and trail improvements supported by the Penny for Pinellas.
• Funding for housing that’s affordable and programs that support jobs such as the Small Business Enterprise Program.
• Support for mental and behavioral health services.
• Improving services for unincorporated communities with stronger county staff presence in each community to guide new and existing projects and programs.
• Bolstering strong public safety through continued investment in technology, facilities and equipment for emergency response.

At Thursday’s meeting, Commission Chairwoman Karen Seel also presented the county’s Office of Management and Budget with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for the presentation of the county’s FY2019 budget document. This is the 14th consecutive year that Pinellas has earned the award.

The award assesses how well the budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.

In addition to receiving this award, the county’s budget received Special Performance Measure Recognition from GFOA as a result of an “outstanding” rating by all reviewers.