The Laker-East Pasco-June 22, 2016

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The LAKER

ee r F

EAST PASCO EDITION

LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM

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JUNE 22, 2016

City employees to get raises By Kevin Weiss

kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

The Zephyrhills City Council has unanimously approved a plan to give 160 city employees a raise. At its June 13 meeting, the council approved a compa-ratio, or “parity hybrid,” salary plan. City employees with the most tenure will

see the largest salary increases, which range from 4 percent to 14 percent. The move will essentially place Zephyrhills employees in a more competitive pay grade compared to other regional municipalities. For example, a 20-year employee will see a 30 percent jump in salary placement, while a 10-year employee will see a 20 percent bump. Employees with five years of experience will see a 10 percent pay grade placement jump.

The approved salary plan will cost the city approximately $1.5 million through September 2017. Under the plan, all but a few of the city’s employees will get a raise. In determining the increases, the city consulted with Evergreen Solutions, who collected salary data from 18 different regional agencies. City Councilman Charles Proctor was one See RAISES, page 15A

A vigil to honor a life gone too soon By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

A bouquet of heart-shaped balloons separated and floated skyward into the night air, carrying messages of love for Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz. Below, candles burned brightly, held aloft by more than 400 people who filled the stands at Ron Allen Field at Gaither High. They had gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor the life of the 24-year-old Sanfeliz, one of 49 people killed during a mass shooting on June 12 at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. “Chris was taken way too soon from the world,” Stephanie Woychowski, president of Gaither’s Parent Teacher Student Association said during the June 15 vigil. “Remember Chris. Remember love.” Besides killing 49 people, the lone gunman armed with an assault rifle, injured 50 others before he was killed by law enforcement. The mass shooting, reported as the largest in the nation’s modern history, targeted a club popular among the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. The Gaither community responded immediately, with former classmates, current students and faculty coming together to organize the vigil for Sanfeliz, a member of the class of 2010. “Once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy,” said Teresa Trumbach, a teacher at Gaither, known as the home of the Cowboys. Trumbach met Sanfeliz when he was a freshman. “He was just one of those great guys,” Trumbach said.“I find it impressive that so many of you came back.”

KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTOS

Junior Sanfeliz, the older brother of Christopher Sanfeliz, is consoled by friends at a candlelight vigil at Gaither High School.

Want to help? If you would like to make a donation, visit GoFundMe.com/297mht34.

Before filing into the stands, people stopped to pick up candles, drop donations into a box, or leave photographic mementos of Sanfeliz in a memory box. Friends and family clung tightly to each other in long hugs.And, they shed tears. Amid the sorrow, though, they found a way to share the joyous times and recalled Sanfeliz’ love of life. They talked about a young man who was See VIGIL, page 15A

GOFUNDME.COM

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, a 2010 Gaither High School graduate, died June 12 when a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Budget talks start in Pasco County By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

The economy is picking up steam with new housing construction leading the way, and property tax revenues on the rise. But, that won’t mean Pasco County commissioners will have an easy time figuring out how to spend tax dollars and hold the line on tax increases. Commissioners face large budget requests including an increase of $6.5 million from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and smaller requests, including a circulator bus route in Land O’ Lakes.The bus route would cost about $365,000 in the first year and about $308,000 a year after that. The county’s staff is not recommending a change in the millage rate, but homeowners could see an increase in taxes based on rising property values, officials said. Commissioners met in a June 13 workshop to gather information about the upcoming 2017 budget.They heard multiple presentations from county department heads. The largest dollar amount increase request is from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, which is seeking a 6.1 percent increase, which amounts to about $6.4 million in new funding. If approved, the sheriff’s budget would be $110 million in 2017. This is the second consecutive year that Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has sought a budget increase of more than $6 million. Last year, commissioners approved $2.7 million to cover pay raises and benefits, as well as ongoing expenses for body cameras and helicopter maintenance. Nocco is seeking another round of pay raises to make deputies’ salaries more competitive with other law enforcement agencies in Hillsborough, Pinellas and the City of Tampa. Data from the sheriff’s office shows the

FILE PHOTO

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore at a recent public hearing.

Ted Schrader

Chris Nocco

area’s average starting salary is almost $46,000, while Pasco’s is about $41,000. Pasco’s starting salary is the lowest in the region compared to Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Pinellas counties and also lags behind St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Tampa. The sheriff’s budget also includes money for 10 new positions for the sheriff’s office and 15 for other agencies. There also is a request for about $700,000 for laptop computers, an item pre-

viously funded from the Penny for Pasco program. Last year’s budget discussions surrounding the sheriff’s budget often grew contentious. But after his presentation, Nocco told The Laker/Lutz News:“Everybody has been positive. Everyone is working together.” Other department heads also made their case for new revenues to increase staff and add services. Libraries administrator Nancy Fredericks asked for staff needed to restore operating hours for libraries to pre-recession years. Currently libraries are open five days a week and one night a week per location. Fredericks hopes for nearly $500,000 more to operate libraries six days a week, and on two to four nights a week. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore asked Fredericks to give commissioners options on operating hours.“Maybe we See BUDGET, page 15A


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