Hillsborough County is going to scrimp on planned public safety expansions in the coming year, according to its early budget forecasts.
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister is forgoing plans to hire 59 new deputies, and the county won’t be building new fire stations in 2022 despite a backlog of two dozen needed stations highlighted in a fire rescue master plan.
That information came Wednesday, as Hillsborough commissioners got their first look at the pandemic-affected finances that will be used to compile the proposed county budget.
Despite rising residential real estate prices, the state is forecasting less robust numbers for commercial appraisals because of business losses due to COVID-19. The result is a projected increase in the property tax rolls of less than 3.5 percent, according to state estimates, down significantly from the 9.1 percent jump in values last year.