As UF faces the daunting prospects of massive budget cuts, Alachua County's own financial crisis has ballooned to a projected $12 million deficit.
The lack of funds stems from new reports revealing stagnant property values of houses in North Central Florida projected for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Prior to the announcement made Tuesday, county commissioners were already bracing for $10 million in funding cuts - a staggering figure in its own right.
According to an article in the Gainesville Sun, a plan has been drawn up focusing on potential areas of the budget in which funds could be cut back. Some of the ideas tossed around range from closing county parks to cutting back on road maintenance, none of which interests county commissioners as they seek to avoid cutting back essential services. While steps have already been taken to slash funding, including money allotted to building projects, social service agencies and the health department, these measures only account for a small portion of the $12 million deficit.
One alternative that would serve as a cure-all would be to increase the property tax rate - an option requiring a 4-1 vote by county commissioners.
The Editorial Board sincerely hopes that Alachua County can formulate a plan to remedy the county's budget crisis without sacrificing quality of life for area residents. Closing down county parks would severely disrupt a sense of community fostered in many towns around the county.
While a property tax hike hardly constitutes a sexy solution to an unfortunate situation, such a response would seemingly be temporary as opposed to closing parks indefinitely.
