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Some city bonds are covered with property tax revenue, and that expense is dropping after the city refinanced the bond for the new police station, saving about 0.0212 mills on tax bills citywide. A slide shown during the budget presentation indicated 45 percent of property tax revenue paid by city homeowners and businesses goes to the county, 29 percent goes to the School Board, 18 percent goes to the city and 7 percent goes to other taxing authorities (for example, the West Coast Inland Navigation District). While the property tax base rose this year, other revenue sources saw plummets, espe- cially fines associated with red-light cameras. That fund is expected to drop $1.5 million. Electric and gas franchise fees are projected down almost $500,000 in the next fiscal year, and the communications service tax is expected to be down $1.1 million. These shortfalls for the next fiscal year are compounded by shortfalls as the city comes to the end of the current fiscal year. Similar reductions in income are leaving this year's spending plan about $1.2 million short. The city manager has proposed a plan to save 10 percent of the city's operational expenses between now and Oct. 1 to make up for the $1.2 million shortfall. However, the city com- missioners did not vote last week to authorize the budget change because the city auditor and clerk protested the reductions, saying, "I wasn't consulted." The departments reporting to the city man- ager are cutting their spending voluntarily in City staff hopes to use statistics about the percentage of county residents who use the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex facilities to encourage the County Commission to continue to provide operational support for it. File photo Sarasota News Leader August 1, 2014 Page 36