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Sarasota News Leader July 12, 2013 Page 52 sion meeting, the proposed budget includes not only a 3 percent merit pay raise for nonunion employees but also an increase of 105 full-time positions. The pay hike means an extra expenditure of $927,000 in general fund money along with $973,000 from other county funds, County Administrator Randall Reid pointed out in brief comments. "Correct," Botelho replied. The proposed budget also includes $2.3 million allocated to raises for employees of the county's constitutional officers, including the Sheriff's Office and the Office of the Clerk of the 12th Circuit Judicial Court. Reid said he hoped the board would complete all its spending decisions by the conclusion of the Aug. 20 budget workshop, prior to the first public hearing, which has been set for 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 in Sarasota. However, Commissioner Christine Robinson clarified certain points in an exchange with Chief Financial Planning Officer Steve Botelho: "We have not approved compensation increases yet, nor have we finished approving the budget. … That will be happening at the end of August — officially approving what money goes where at that point, correct?" Following those comments, Commissioner Joe Barbetta made a motion to certify the tentative ad valorem millage rates and non-ad valorem assessments for the 2014 fiscal year, so they can be advertised. The budget will not become final until the board approves it after a second public hearing in Venice on Sept. 23, he added. "It's easily interpreted otherwise," Robinson told Botelho, "just with the way it's worded in [the agenda material]." "As always, Mr. Botelho and his staff did a great job — under tougher circumstances this A chart compares the total county millage rates from the 2000 fiscal year through FY 2014. Image courtesy Sarasota County