Officials to vote on big tax rate increase

Coral Springs city officials are considering the biggest tax rate increase in more than a decade as part of a plan to enhance existing services. Residents are also likely to be asked if they are willing to pay even more for the city to fund various capital projects.

At a recent meeting, the City Commission officials approved staff’s recommendation to increase the city’s millage rate by $1.25 for every $1,000 of assessed property value, a 26 percent increase from the current $4.79 to $6.04. City officials can decide on a lower millage rate when they formally adopt the budget in September, but cannot go above the rate that has been set.

With the additional revenue that it will get from the tax increase, the city intends to add more permanent staff, including three firefighter paramedics, four police detectives, a police sergeant, and an event coordinator. Money will also be spent on other initiatives such as installing license plate readers at Corporate Park, Zika tablets, additional senior programming, improvements in various parks, decorative streetlights in the downtown area, and improving medians and rights of way.

Residents and business owners will get a chance to talk about the proposed rate increase at two public hearings on the budget, one at 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 13 and the other at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 27. The budget will be formally adopted on Sept. 27. The millage rate increase will fetch the city additional ad valorem revenue of $11.5 million.

The impact of the proposed millage rate increase of 1.25 mills on the average single family home in the city will be $282, or $23.50 per month. The fire assessment fee for single family homes is also going up, from $155 to $180. Residential solid waste assessment fee is increasing as well, from $239.75 to$248. Water rates will go up $2.24 per month.

The proposals in the budget is part of an “ambitious plan to invest in ourselves,” said City Manager Mike Goodrum. As Coral Springs is built out and no longer a high growth city, some tough decisions need to be made, he added.

“Expenditures are outpacing revenues,” said Catherine Givens, the city’s budget director. “The cost of doing business continues to increase. We have large capital needs that we still need to address.”

The recommendation to increase the millage rate is based on officials wanting the city to enhance existing services. “I moved to the city for its great schools and parks,” said Commissioner Joy Carter. “[But] we have gotten rough around the edges. It was good to tout that we have one of the lowest millage rates in the county, but we are paying for that now.”

“We have some tough decisions to make,” said Mayor Skip Campbell. “We can only kick the can down the street for so many years and still maintain a place where we love to live.”