“I believe strongly that policies such as the Stop Turning Out Prisoners Act and the 10-20-Life law work to enhance public safety and curb violent crime. I’m pleased that Florida TaxWatch recognizes the importance of these measures.”
— State Senator Victor Crist
“Get-tough measures – such as requiring prisoners to serve 85 percent of their sentence or the 10-20-Life law – have proved so effective in cutting violent crime.”
— TaxWatch (An independent think-tank dedicated to economical government)
The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 14, 2010
Florida lawmakers, struggling with a $3 billion budget shortfall, are focused on cuts. Nothing is exempt: education, the Florida Forever effort to save valuable natural lands, aid for the elderly and other key services.
A far better approach would be for lawmakers to focus on achieving permanent savings by making government more efficient. Florida TaxWatch offers a way.
The other day the independent think-tank dedicated to economical government issued a 125-page report with 87 recommendations that it estimates would save the state $3.2 billion this budget year. Most of the proposed savings would continue in subsequent years.
The proposals were developed by a group of current and former government officials, business leaders, academics and efficiency experts. Among the task force members were Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum, both candidates for governor. Other members included Barney Barnett, the vice chairman of Publix Super Markets, Jose Valiente, president of the Florida Institute of CPAs and Bob Butterworth, the former attorney general.
The organization made a similar report last year that offered $2.5 billion in savings. Lawmakers, to their credit, ultimately adopted proposals saving about $800 million. But they can do better.
This year, legislators should use the TaxWatch report as their blueprint for balancing the budget.
Among the key recommendations:
- Reduce the generous state and local government contributions to the Florida Retirement system by requiring new employees to pay for some of the costs of their retirement plan, as most private employees do. Retirement benefits cost taxpayers about 10 percent of a typical employee’s pay. If government workers had to contribute 5 percent of their pay, the state’s share could drop to 5 percent. The state would save an estimated $255 million in the next budget year. Local governments would save $992 million.
- Eliminate the automatic cost-of-living raise of 3 percent a year for state retirees. The increase now comes regardless of the inflation rate. As TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro points out, even Social Security is indexed to inflation. Similarly indexing the pension to the actual inflation rate with a 3 percent maximum increase would save the state as much as $150 million in the coming year.
- Require judges to provide written justification for imposing a prison sentence for minor, non-violent crimes. These crimes – mostly drug offenses – account for almost 20 percent of prison sentences, increasing the need for costly new prisons.
Sending just 25 percent of these criminals to drug treatment or some other diversion program would save the state at least $13 million a year. Diverting 50 percent would save $26 million a year.
The recommendation would not weaken the get-tough measures – such as requiring prisoners to serve 85 percent of their sentence or the 10-20-Life law – that have proved so effective in cutting violent crime.
- Achieve savings by having state agencies buy goods and services whenever possible through state contracts with vendors who agree to provide certain supplies for a specific period of time at a predetermined unit price. The contracts would enable the state to achieve a volume discount.
While existing law requires agencies to pursue the use of state-level term contracts, many agencies do not fully comply. Improving compliance monitoring, TaxWatch estimates, would enable Florida to save $200 million a year.
There are dozens of other worthy ideas, such as disposing of unneeded facilities and land and increasing fines for Medicaid overbilling.
Some may prove to be unfeasible, but most are sensible and could be readily implemented. The savings would allow lawmakers to spare Florida Forever and other key government functions.
Lawmakers should follow TaxWatch’s counsel. Their budget cuts should be directed at achieving efficiency, not simply removing a number off the expense ledger.
