Staff typically presents three supplemental budget amendments per year to the Board. The purpose of the first supplemental budget amendment is primarily to reappropriate funds for specific non-recurring items which were unexpended at the end of the fiscal year. These reappropriations include items related to both County agencies and Constitutional Officers. This budget amendment also includes a limited number of proposed new appropriations to address issues that have arisen since the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. The new appropriations are highlighted individually.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) returned $46.8 million from their Fiscal Year 2018 general fund budget to the County. Of the $46.8 million, $17.2 million is reappropriated for items budgeted in the prior Fiscal Year but the procurement transactions were not completed. These items primarily include capital projects and vehicle replacements. $2 million is appropriated for the BSO crime lab. As in past years, $1.4 million of the surplus is transferred to the BSO Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue Contract Funds to offset the Fiscal Year 2019 shortfall in the BSO contracts with Cooper City. Consistent with the negotiated 70/30 memorandum with BSO on the use of their end-of-year surplus funds, 70% or $18.4 million of the remaining $26.2 million is recommended to be allocated to a reserve for BSO capital expenses increasing the capital reserves to $35 million. The remaining $7.9 million, which equates to 30% of the surplus, is recommended to be transferred to the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Fund. Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) are the costs of future employee benefits that BSO committed to pay their employees after retirement such as health insurance subsidies. Additionally, based on a longstanding agreement with BSO, 50% of unclaimed bond revenue from the prior fiscal year is added to the reserve for helicopter replacement ($62,451), increasing the total reserve to $1.2 million.
During the second public hearing, the Board of County Commissioners approved a request from the Supervisor of Elections of $346,460 for the purchase of high-speed digital scanners. The Inspector General requested the reappropriation of $145,582 for the implementation of a new case management system and for office reconfiguration. The Property Appraiser's Office requested the reappropriation of $76,978 for prior year obligations. In addition, the Property Appraiser's budget is increased by $2,140 based on the final calculation of the County's share of the Property Appraiser's salary as determined by the Florida Department of Revenue.
County agency non-recurring items budgeted in Fiscal Year 2018 budget not yet expended total approximately $13.6 million, $5.6 million of which are items budgeted in the prior Fiscal Year but the procurement transactions were not completed. Proposed new appropriations to address issues that have arisen since the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget total approximately $8 million. These appropriations include a transfer from the General Fund to the Broward Redevelopment Program (BRP) Fund for Round 3 of the BRP project ($4.5 million), a transfer to the Hurricane Wilma fund to close out the fund at fiscal year end ($625,907), a transfer to the Homeless Fund to contract homeless outreach services in Broward County ($1.2 million), and a transfer to the General Capital Fund for the purchase of Mobile Data Terminals ($1.2 million). Additional appropriations include non-recurring allocations to fund BSO detail at the North Homeless Assistance Center ($91,000), upgrade Human Services' records management system ($70,000), an economic resiliency study ($50,000), computer replacement and new vehicles in the Environmental Protection & Growth Management Department ($49,905), non-profit allocations ($10,060), additional beds and medical supplies at the Broward Addiction Recovery Center ($47,843), to provide local match for the state's Medicaid Low Income Pool (LIP) program ($31,931), and staffing cost for the homeless outreach pilot project ($68,870). Additional sponsorship for the Florida International Trade & Cultural Expo (FITCE) conference is budgeted and appropriated ($66,690).
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