- April 25, 2024
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The Palm Coast City Council will set the maximum rate at its Aug. 2 regular meeting.
The Palm Coast City Council agreed at its July 26 workshop to have the city’s millage rate set at 4.0552 mills when it prepares to set the initial rate at its Aug. 2 meeting.
If that rate stands, residents will pay $4.05 per $1,000 of taxable value. The rate is the rollback rate, or the rate required to generate the same tax revenue as was collected last year.
The city’s current millage rate is 3.5000.
Palm Coast Finance Director Ray Britt said the rate isn’t final; it could be slightly lower than the proposed 4.0552.
“All we’re trying to get them to do is just generate the same amount of tax dollars,” Britt said.
Fire Station No. 22
At the July 19 City Council regular meeting, City Council member Frank Meeker suggested closing the fire station on Clubhouse Drive, Fire Station No. 22.
Closing the station could save the city about $1 million; however, based on the July 26 workshop discussion, Meeker’s idea likely won’t come to fruition.
“The worst possible thing we could do is pull the plug,” Mayor Jon Netts said. “It would be a disservice to the county and a disservice to our residents.”
City Council member Mary DiStefano said the notion of merging the city and county fire departments doesn’t make any sense.
“I, for one, as a taxpayer, would oppose any merger,” DiStefano said. “If the county wants to merge, let the county come into the city.”
Another option the City Council has been weighing is canceling its emergency medical services, which would save the city approximately $402,600. Currently, the city provides advanced life support. So does the county.
If the city stopped providing advanced life support, the number of employees would remain the same; however, salaries would be decreased because higher certifications wouldn’t be required.
Cut Enterprise Flagler?
Also at the workshop, DiStefano suggested Palm Coast cut its funding to Enterprise Flagler. The city currently provides about $93,500 in funding to the public/private organization.
A final decision on Enterprise Flagler’s funding wasn’t made. However, the proposed 4.0552 rolled-back millage rate doesn’t include funding for Enterprise Flagler.
The city will set the proposed millage rate at its Aug. 2 meeting. Then, on Aug. 23, the city will have a special budget workshop on the final proposed budget. By Sept. 27, the city will hold its final public hearing and will adopt the 2012 millage rate and budget.
Before the July 26 workshop was over, Landon reminded City Council members that it’s important not to use a one-time source to balance the budget.
“Don’t do a one-year fix because we don’t think this is a one-year economic condition,” Landon said. “You’re not going to be able to rebound next year. Don’t put a mask on it and pretend you balanced the budet.”
