- April 18, 2024
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The following is an imperfect attempt to understand the Palm Coast mayoral candidates’ views on two issues: the tax rate and commercial vehicles.
The questions were not phrased in exactly the same way, so it may be difficult to compare. Moreover, not all candidates responded, although all were sent emails. If candidates who did not respond now wish to do so, they can email [email protected]. Alfin's responses were received over the phone, after a previous interview.
That said, in the spirit of helping residents in their quest to understand candidates' stances on these issues, here are the responses that were received. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, as they appear on the ballot. Election Day is July 27.
Q: You said you will “hold the line” on taxes and that you won’t raise taxes. If you were mayor today, would you vote for the roll-back rate on the millage, which would mean the city would collect no more taxes this year than it did last year?
My position is to hold the millage rate steady as it has been the last four years.
Q: That would indicate that the city would increase its tax revenue, correct?
Everybody has their own definition of raising taxes. In my opinion, holding the millage rate is the way you address the tax issue.
Q: The City Council is split on whether commercial vehicles should be allowed to park in residential driveways. The community was surveyed, and the results were an even split, ostensibly leaving the deciding vote to the next mayor. Where do you stand?
Can you believe that that survey came out the way it came out [as a tie]?
I’ll give you a general policy: It’s not my decision, not even my preference, as an elected mayor to be in favor or not in favor of such a thing. It’s my job to solicit the largest majority of votes and what their preference is. When a survey comes back split like that, my first inclination is that it doesn’t represent a large enough majority to change, and I’ll use the word "experiment," with an ordinance.
I would not experiment with an ordinance based on a 50-50 split. Does that mean we have to recast the survey and do it better? Maybe that would be good practice — to get a survey right. But until I knew that majority of voters have a preference, I would leave things as they are.
Q: If you were mayor today, would you vote for the maximum millage rate to be the same rate as it was last year (4.6989), knowing that it could be lowered at a future meeting? Or would you vote instead to lower the maximum to, for example, 4.60, as was proposed at the July 20 meeting?
A: I would be more comfortable staying at last year’s rate knowing that we can pull it down after scrutinizing each department’s budget. And considering that we may need to fund more to economic development & FCSO. It’s too soon for me to know where we would land while maintaining current needs and stepping up to meet necessities that may have been underserved as of lately.
Q: The City Council is split on whether commercial vehicles should be allowed to park in residential driveways. The community was surveyed, and the results were an even split, ostensibly leaving the deciding vote to the next mayor. Where do you stand?
A: Yes, it’s time to make adjustment to this code with restrictions regarding height, length, etc.
Q: If you were mayor today, would you vote for the maximum millage rate to be the same rate as it was last year (4.6989), knowing that it could be lowered at a future meeting? Or would you vote instead to lower the maximum to, for example, 4.60, as was proposed at the July 20 meeting?
I oppose tax increases and therefore am in favor of a roll back for the lower end. For the higher end I would like to see council keep the rate flat (the same as last year) but, it is ultimately a majority council vote that decides.
Q: The City Council is split on whether commercial vehicles should be allowed to park in residential driveways. The community was surveyed, and the results were an even split, ostensibly leaving the deciding vote to the next mayor. Where do you stand?
I believe this question is misleading and incorrect. It is my understanding that the issue before council is the size of signage allowed on vehicles and not a change to the type of vehicles. Some commercial vehicles are already allowed to be parked in driveways over night (although HOAs can have stricter rules and not allow it within the confines of the HOA area). The already approved commercial vehicles are currently allowed 3 square feet of permanent signage (about the size of a standard vehicle sign magnet) on each side of the vehicle. The question before council to my understanding is wether or not to allow an increase in the allowable square footage of signage on one vehicle that can be parked overnight in a residential driveway. The survey that was done in relation to this question was flawed as some entries were put in over a thousand times from the same IP address and potentially the same device ID. A new and properly worded survey that restricts input to just one response from a device should be done so that a true understanding of the wants of the people can be determined and that would allow me to make a better informed decision.
Q. If you were mayor today, would you vote for the roll-back rate on the millage, which would mean the city would collect no more taxes this year than it did last year?
This year has been a significant time of unstable work and economic forecasting. The budget for the year will need to be reviewed immediately by a new Mayor and the Council. As such, I do not believe this is the appropriate time to do a roll back. The next several months will be spent reviewing the status of budget, the workings of the Council, hiring a new City Manager and seeking job creation.
Q: The City Council is split on whether commercial vehicles should be allowed to park in residential driveways. The community was surveyed, and the results were an even split, ostensibly leaving the deciding vote to the next mayor. Where do you stand?
Palm Coast was established with codes that serviced the residential and commercial property types and the uses within. I would review the requested changes, confer with legal council and finalize my opinion, but I do not believe long standing City codes should be changed without significant public input and support.
