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Smith: Pay veterans officer more

Citrus County Chronicle - 4/18/2017

A Citrus County commissioner believes the Veterans Service Office supervisor deserves more money and is making his point by comparing the position with that of tourist development director.

Commissioner Jimmie T. Smith said in a guest column that appears in today's Chronicle that Citrus County has among the lowest paid veterans service officers in the state.

He contrasted the job of Veterans Service Officer Kimberly Menster with Adam Thomas, director of the Visitors and Convention Bureau, and said veterans provide more to the county tax base than tourists.

"... As I agree that we have an incredible hard-working TDC director and staff, it doesn't actually affect our tax base like that of the veterans in the community," Smith wrote. "Veterans in our community live here year 'round, are more often than not unaffected by overall economy and bring in a huge dollar benefit from retail to medical and even volunteers."

In an interview, Smith said he wasn't suggesting that Menster, who earns $36,368 a year, be paid more than Thomas, whose salary is about $20,000 higher and funded entirely with tourist tax revenue.

But, he said, veterans provide a much better tax return than tourists.

"The veterans service position is uniquely different," he said. "We deal with people who are here on a full-time basis," Smith said. "When they come here they're not spending a couple of dollars to tour with the manatees."

Commissioner Ron Kitchen Jr., who chairs the Tourist Development Council, disputed Smith's declaration that tourism doesn't impact the tax base.

He said studies show that tourist spending saves each Citrus County resident $193 in taxes for county services.

"That's a direct impact from tourism spending," Kitchen said.

He agreed, though, that the county should consider elevating the veterans service officer position, perhaps as a division director who reports directly to the county administrator, just as Thomas does.

Kitchen said he envisions a new economic development director working the same way.

"Think specialist. The person in charge of tourism is a specialist. The person with the veterans has to be a specialist. The person at economic development is a specialist," he said. "If you get good people, you have to pay them whatever the going rate is."

The county commission last week, at Smith's request, swapped a full-time secretary's position with that of a part-time veterans service officer. The secretary had left for a higher-paying job within the county government, so the position was vacant.

Community Services Director Tobey Phillips said she and County Administrator Randy Oliver were in the process of making that switch for the new budget year that begins Oct. 1. The commission vote makes the change immediately, so the office will now have Menster and three assistant service officers.

One of those three is leaving county employment in June to move to another state, Phillips said.

The office is one of the most scrutinized ones in county government. A veterans service advisory board advises the office on services, unmet needs and policies.

Last year the office served 3,048 clients and was projected to serve 4,300 this year, according to the county budget. In 2012, the number of clients served was 6,845.

Phillips said many of the younger military veterans are able to access benefits from the internet, and office employees are able to assist veterans who have questions about benefits without filing claims.

Contact Chronicle reporter Mike Wright at 352-563-3228 or mwright@chronicleonline.com.