"The intent was clear: Depict Broward County government as a hotbed of wasteful, abusive and excessive spending. CFO Blaise Ingoglia got the desired headlines online, in print and on TV. But after the big reveal - he removed a large blue cloth to reveal a large chart on an easel purporting to show "over spending" and "over taxing" and held up a series of smaller cards with big numbers - questions abound."
"He said state analysts had examined property taxes and spending by Broward County government over six budget years, starting with the 2019-2020 fiscal year and ending with the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended on Tuesday. Ingoglia's conclusion: County government spending was $617.6 million more in the most recent fiscal year than it was in fiscal 2019-2020. He said his office indexed the spending from the first year to account for inflation and population growth."
CFO Blaise Ingoglia presented a visual exhibit asserting Broward County government engaged in wasteful and excessive spending. State analysts examined property taxes and county spending across six fiscal years from 2019-2020 through 2024-2025. The presentation concluded county government spending was $617.6 million higher in the most recent fiscal year than in 2019-2020. The office indexed the baseline spending for inflation and population growth and applied additional 5% and 10% buffers. The formula yielded $427.8 million as reasonable added spending and identified $189.8 million as spending beyond inflation and population adjustments. Questions remain about motive and interpretation.
Read at Sun Sentinel
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