This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Council Closer To Approving New City Tax Rate

The current rate is 5.95 mills, or $5.95 per $1,000 of taxable value. The city is considering a new rate of 6.15. The final public hearing is set for Sept. 20.

After a summer of intense review and exhaustive hearings, Temple Terrace appears ready to settle on a budget for the next fiscal year.

Like most local municipalities, Temple Terrace is struggling with the sharp decline in property values, the city’s main source of revenue.

Hearings in July concluded the city has very little fat left to trim in its budget. As a result, the Temple Terrace City Council adopted a

Find out what's happening in Temple Terracewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Your taxes equal your property value multiplied by the city’s millage rate. In order to keep taxes the same for the next fiscal year, the city must increase the millage rate because property values have decreased.

The current millage rate is 5.95 mills, or $5.95 per $1,000 of taxable value. That means if your house was worth $100,000 in 2010-11, you paid $595 in taxes.

Find out what's happening in Temple Terracewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After the Sept. 8 meeting, the first public hearing for the city’s proposed 2011-12 budget, City Councilwoman Alison Fernandez explained that having a Temple Terrace police department and fire department comes at a cost.

“At a previous meeting every department stood before us to justify their budget. It was a ,” said Fernandez.

While the city might have been able to make cuts in the past, there are just not as many places to turn to make up the budget shortfall now, said City Manager Kim Leinbach.

“It’s like a pyramid. At the base there are all these alternatives but as you get nearer the point it gets progressively more difficult as the options to reduce expenditures are used up. There are fewer options.”

The second public hearing is planned for Tuesday, Sept. 20.

In other action:

  • Leinbach confirmed that new signs were placed along Belle Terre Avenue to prohibit parking along one side of the street near the On Wednesday nights, when the club offers a dinner special, members often park their cars on each side of the street, creating the danger that emergency vehicles may not be able to get through if necessary. The new signs will limit parking to one side of the street.
  • The council voted to bring the city firearms code into compliance with state guidelines. The state of Florida limits what a city government can do to regulate firearms. The motion was approved to change the city code to comply with state regulations.
  • Leinbach reported to the council that the City of Tampa had contacted him requesting support for the upcoming Republican National Convention next year. Leinbach said the city would help in any way possible.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Temple Terrace