- April 24, 2024
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With a projected 5% increase in property values, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Coast City Council both appear poised to approve tax rates that would collect more in taxes from residents.
The county approved a maximum rate of 8.1417 mills at its July 6 meeting, which would result in an increase of 8.25% in tax revenue. Meanwhile, at a July 12 workshop, the city staff recommended collecting an increase of 4.9% in taxes by keeping the tax rate the same as last year, at 4.25 mills.
Those numbers are broad for the community, but each house is different. To illustrate at the city workshop, Palm Coast Finance Director Chris Quinn used his own house on Wood Center Lane as an example. After exemptions, the taxable value for his house is about $90,000, which he said is about average.
He said his tax bill from Palm Coast would go up $4.03 for the year, or 1.09%, if the proposed rate is adopted. The county’s tax rate would add another $26.12, or 3.63%, for the year, to his tax bill.
The final hearing to approve the tax rate for the county was also set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 15, at the Flagler County Government Services Building. 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 2. For the city, the final hearing to approve the rate is proposed for 5:05 p.m. Sept. 21, at Palm Coast City Hall, 160 Lake Ave.
Landscaping in Palm Coast medians begins with an investment in trees and shrubs and irrigation, but it also results in maintenance costs. A few landscaping projects added this year will result in a 7.2% increase, or $409,111, in the proposed budget for the Streets Department next year.
Utility Director Nestor Abreu said the budget would fund an additional crew of three people, plus trucks and equipment — all to keep up with the new landscaping on projects such as the extension of Palm Harbor Parkway near Matanzas High School, as well as improvements to the median on Belle Terre Parkway from State Road 100 to Royal Palms Parkway.
The total proposed budget for Streets is $6.1 million. Other increases in the budget include the Fire Department’s budget at $7.9 million, or 2.4% more than last year. The Communications and Marketing Department proposed an increase of 12.6%, or $46,367 more than last year.
An increase of 0.9% is proposed for the City Attorney budget, which would bring it to $453,284 for the next fiscal year for legal expertise from Garganese, Weiss & D'Agresta, an Orlando-based law firm of which William Reischmann, the face of the firm at city meetings, is a partner. The city has retained the firm since 2008.
“I know a lot of citizens wonder how come we pay so much money,” City Councilman Bill McGuire said. Then, he quipped: “My question is, ‘How come we pay him all that money and he drives a pile of junk?’” The implication was that Reischmann is not getting a $453,284 salary from the city, as some residents might conclude based on the budget; the amount is the total spent on the legal retainer for the firm for a variety of services.
More commercial construction means more inspections are needed, and the city staff is recommending an increase of about $170,000 to the Construction Management and Engineering budget, or an increase of 11%. That money would be used to hire a construction inspector and a survey technician, so they can keep up with an increase in the need for inspections.
City Councilman Bill McGuire was skeptical of this increase, as well as others that were proposed in other departments’ budgets.
“I need to know what is not getting done correctly that justifies putting two more people on the payroll,” he said. “If it’s that critical, why hasn’t it come to the council prior to today?”
City Manager Jim Landon said the inspections to construction projects are not being done as often as they should be.
“But it’s getting done,” McGuire challenged.
Landon insisted: “No, it’s not getting done. That’s the point.”
City Councilman Jason DeLorenzo said the types of inspections are significant. In some cases, public safety is at stake, but no one would find out the work was done incorrectly until it failed, and it was too late.
“This is a lot of infrastructure that gets turned over to the city,” he said.
Moreover, he said, if the city wants to be more friendly to businesses, it’s necessary to be properly staffed.
Councilman Steven Nobile said he trusted the city staff to make the proper recommendation, and that he lives by the maxim, “Measure twice, cut once.” In other words, make sure the infrastructure projects are done right the first time, even if it means adding to the payroll now for more inspectors.
Landon also pointed out that during the Recession, many positions were eliminated because construction slowed to a crawl. Now, it’s picking back up, he said, so the additional staff is needed.
