Lee County clerk cuts $750,000 from budget...

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Clerk's office has reduced its budget request to county commissioners by $750,000 without cutting services to residents.

Lee County Clerk Kevin Karnes and his team have been reviewing their budget line by line, looking for ways to save taxpayer dollars.

"It's $750,000 now, but we're just getting started," Karnes said.

The significant cuts came from merging departments and reviewing healthcare costs, but Karnes emphasized that residents won't notice any difference in the services they receive.

"We have a primary objective to make sure that the people who live, work and play in Lee County get the exact same service that they were before," Karnes said.

Despite the budget reduction, no positions have been eliminated. Instead, when employees leave naturally, the office evaluates whether that position needs to be refilled.

The $750,000 in savings will now go back to the Lee County Commissioners, who can allocate those funds to other priorities.

"They may put it back in infrastructure. They may put it back into public safety," Karnes said.

LEE COUNTY STATEMENT:
Lee County currently is working on its draft budget. There is a budget workshop next Tuesday, Aug. 19, at which the Board can provide further direction to staff. There is a first public budget hearing, Thursday, Sept. 4. There is a final budget hearing Tuesday, Sept. 16. It's anticipated that the Board will approve the budget on that evening after the public hearing.

Karnes says this is just the beginning of his efforts to find efficiencies and save taxpayer money.

"We're doing new and innovative things that give the taxpayers a little bit more money back in their wallet," Karnes said.

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