County Commission: Paul Tocker Answers the Spending Question

A week ago we asked Question 1 of some of our local candidates for County Commission and the state legislature. The first candidate to answer the question is Paul Tocker, a Republican running for the Palm Beach County Commission. Here’s the question again, and Paul’s answer:
Q: According to the county budget summary (pdf), Palm Beach County spends approximately $3.3 Billion a year (not including internal and interdepartmental charges, and interfund transfers).
Do you think the county should spend more, less, or is this about the right amount?
If more, where would you spend more and where would you get the money from?
If less, what spending would you cut?
A: I believe the County should spend less. I would want to use the new audit section within the Office of the inspector general with the County auditors depatment and volunteer resourses to
1- Find and trim waste.
2- Do cost benefit anaysis
3- Determine duplicated services
4- Consolidate services with our 38 County Municipalities wherever possible.
5- Liquidate some County owned properties
6- Access unrestricted reserves without jeopardizing our bond rating.
7- Set spending priorities
I would try to implement the Taxpayer Action Board recommendation to take the majority of cuts from the PB Sheriffs office, not the County Departments.
County-wide ad valorem taxes pay for the county departmnts and the Constitutional Officers, including the Sheriff. In the past 8 years, PBSO has grown to a significantly larger part of the budget.
Most of the growth in the PBSO budget has been in the personal services costs (salaries and benefits ), and PBSO deputies are now compensated more than 30% above the national average for similar positions.
Its important to maintain and improve our high Quality of life for our residents and visitors that include paramedics – fire rescue public health, safety and security roads and infrastructure, parks and recreation, Palm Tran & Tri-Rail, veterans and other community group concerns, and helping the truly poor, homeless, elderly and infirm.