Article published on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 By TOM GERMOND
LARGO – City commissioners voted 4-2 to approve a five-year $119.1 million capital improvements program April 19 that includes funding for several big projects.
As part of the program, city officials are proposing a rollback tax rate of 4.67 mills in fiscal year 2012. The rate would generate the same property tax revenues as last year. The current rate is 4.31 mills.
“We also have the assumption net property values will be decreasing 8 percent in our tax base,” said city budget manager Amy Davis. “If the property values come in at a higher level than that, then we will recalculate our proposed rollback millage rate.”
Though she said she supported most of the projects in the program, Commissioner Mary Black was against borrowing funds for a new Highland Recreation Center, estimated to cost $16.3 million. The debt would be repaid with local option sales tax funds. Both Black and Commissioner Curtis Holmes have spoken out about borrowing money for recreation capital projects. They voted against the capital improvements program.
If the city didn’t borrow from a financial institution and repay the debt with the sales tax, the Highland Recreation Center work would be postponed until fiscal year 2017, Davis said. That’s when the city would have the money to fund it.
City officials have said that borrowing is a good option because of economic conditions.
“Now would be a great time to lock in a low interest rate,” Finance Director Kim Adams said.
Holmes said “in the spirit of complete disclosure to the public” property taxes are not going up because property values are decreasing.
“We are planning to raise the millage,” he said. “It has not happened, but that is in the scheme of things.”
City officials say the capital improvements program is a planning tool to enable the commission and staff to maintain long-term perspective when making decisions about revenue and expenditures; the program doesn’t appropriate funds nor authorize projects.
Some of the major projects in the program include community streets, $2 million; Largo Landfill and Central Park Nature Preserve environmental cleanups, $1 million; Largo City Hall roof replacement, $1.5 million; Police Department building renovations, $2.2 million; city data center replacement, $2 million; stormwater project affecting the McKay Creek Tributary, $1.6 million.
In addition, the city has included $55.3 million in wastewater treatment projects in the program stemming from a city consent order with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In other matters, city commissioners were split over a proposed ordinance that would revise election codes, and they will take up the issue again at their next meeting.
One of the provisions stipulates that the first 10 illegally placed candidate campaign signs confiscated by city staff will be available for retrieval by the candidate. Any additional illegally placed signs that are confiscated will not be available for retrieval by the candidate until after election day, and any signs not retrieved within five days after the election will be discarded by city officials.
Holmes questioned whether illegally placed signs was a problem in the last election. City Clerk Diane Bruner said the signs have been a problem over the years but “never more so than in the 2010 election.”
Code enforcement officials spent about 50 hours dealing with the signs, she said.
If it becomes too expensive for the city officials to police campaign signs, they shouldn’t do so unless there is a complaint, said Holmes, who called the measure “draconian.”
“Candidate season is only 90 days anyway,” he said.
Assistant City Attorney Mary Hale said the city has an ordinance in place that prohibits signs in the right of way and they can’t selectively enforce it.
Commissioner Woody Brown said “leaving them (campaign signs) be is not a good idea, either, because you have a candidate that’s following the rules and doing things correctly and a candidate that’s ignoring the rules. And to ignore that is just as bad.”
City officials were asked to check into other neighboring cities’ sign rules pertaining to election campaigns.
Mayor Pat Gerard was absent.
Article published on Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved.
LARGO – City commissioners voted 4-2 to approve a five-year $119.1 million capital improvements program April 19 that includes funding for several big projects.
As part of the program, city officials are proposing a rollback tax rate of 4.67 mills in fiscal year 2012. The rate would generate the same property tax revenues as last year. The current rate is 4.31 mills.
“We also have the assumption net property values will be decreasing 8 percent in our tax base,” said city budget manager Amy Davis. “If the property values come in at a higher level than that, then we will recalculate our proposed rollback millage rate.”
Though she said she supported most of the projects in the program, Commissioner Mary Black was against borrowing funds for a new Highland Recreation Center, estimated to cost $16.3 million. The debt would be repaid with local option sales tax funds. Both Black and Commissioner Curtis Holmes have spoken out about borrowing money for recreation capital projects. They voted against the capital improvements program.
If the city didn’t borrow from a financial institution and repay the debt with the sales tax, the Highland Recreation Center work would be postponed until fiscal year 2017, Davis said. That’s when the city would have the money to fund it.
City officials have said that borrowing is a good option because of economic conditions.
“Now would be a great time to lock in a low interest rate,” Finance Director Kim Adams said.
Holmes said “in the spirit of complete disclosure to the public” property taxes are not going up because property values are decreasing.
“We are planning to raise the millage,” he said. “It has not happened, but that is in the scheme of things.”
City officials say the capital improvements program is a planning tool to enable the commission and staff to maintain long-term perspective when making decisions about revenue and expenditures; the program doesn’t appropriate funds nor authorize projects.
Some of the major projects in the program include community streets, $2 million; Largo Landfill and Central Park Nature Preserve environmental cleanups, $1 million; Largo City Hall roof replacement, $1.5 million; Police Department building renovations, $2.2 million; city data center replacement, $2 million; stormwater project affecting the McKay Creek Tributary, $1.6 million.
In addition, the city has included $55.3 million in wastewater treatment projects in the program stemming from a city consent order with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In other matters, city commissioners were split over a proposed ordinance that would revise election codes, and they will take up the issue again at their next meeting.
One of the provisions stipulates that the first 10 illegally placed candidate campaign signs confiscated by city staff will be available for retrieval by the candidate. Any additional illegally placed signs that are confiscated will not be available for retrieval by the candidate until after election day, and any signs not retrieved within five days after the election will be discarded by city officials.
Holmes questioned whether illegally placed signs was a problem in the last election. City Clerk Diane Bruner said the signs have been a problem over the years but “never more so than in the 2010 election.”
Code enforcement officials spent about 50 hours dealing with the signs, she said.
If it becomes too expensive for the city officials to police campaign signs, they shouldn’t do so unless there is a complaint, said Holmes, who called the measure “draconian.”
“Candidate season is only 90 days anyway,” he said.
Assistant City Attorney Mary Hale said the city has an ordinance in place that prohibits signs in the right of way and they can’t selectively enforce it.
Commissioner Woody Brown said “leaving them (campaign signs) be is not a good idea, either, because you have a candidate that’s following the rules and doing things correctly and a candidate that’s ignoring the rules. And to ignore that is just as bad.”
City officials were asked to check into other neighboring cities’ sign rules pertaining to election campaigns.
Mayor Pat Gerard was absent.
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