Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/268408
rate … What we're not doing is holding the rate on what we're consuming and spend- ing." The commission ended up allocating $46 mil- lion in general fund reserves to plug a revenue gap for the 2014 fiscal year. That amount was larger than it had been in previous years, and the decision left a slightly less robust reserve for an emergency or for budget stabilization in future years. In 2013, the commission budgeted $33 million from its general fund reserve to fill a gap, and in the 2012 fiscal year, the amount budgeted was $34.5 million. Each year, the actual amount of reserves used was less than the estimate, thanks to an overall increase in revenue collected plus under-spending. For instance, in 2013, although the commission set aside $33 mil- lion of general fund reserves for the budget deficit, only $13.8 million was needed. On Feb. 21, both Robinson and Commissioner Nora Patterson asked for a breakdown show- ing how much of the general fund reserve was used to pay for operating costs going back to 2006. THE NUMBER TO WATCH $18.9 million: That is projected deficit in the FY 2016 general fund. And it is the number to watch during the upcoming bud- get workshops. That figure results from "current conserva- tive estimates," said Steven Botelho, acting Commissioner Joe Barbetta originally proposed that about $8 million generated by a change in the county's reserve policy be used for improvements to the BMX track. However, other funds were found for that project. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader February 28, 2014 Page 30