Lake Park council proposes about 6.5-mill tax rate to cover pay, equipment and infrastructure needs

Lake Park Mayor Jena Sandlin and council members opened the first of three public hearings on Sept. 19, 2024, to consider adjusting the city's millage rate. Council Member Carl Spano, the city's appointed budget officer, recommended a proposed rate "to go no higher than 6.5 mils" to address rising costs and service needs.

Spano reviewed the millage history and the rationale for the proposed increase. "Since 2015 or 2016, the millage rate had been set at 7.392," he said, and the city rolled the rate back to 6.219 last year to give taxpayers relief after a sharp increase in property values. He said inflation and rising costs have left city revenue behind expenses and that the county's suggested rollback (about 5.3 mills) would not cover the shortfall.

The council's budget priorities, as described by Spano, include employee pay and staffing, public-safety equipment, vehicle replacement and infrastructure maintenance. Spano said city employees received an average 2.5% raise over the past two years while the cost of living rose about 4%, and the council is asking for a 3% increase to help retain staff. On the fire department, the city recently bought six radios after a county dispatch upgrade made older radios incompatible; Spano said that change contributes roughly $15,000 per year and around $150,000 toward the total proposed budget increase, about 10% of the requested rise.

On public safety, Spano said the city's practice of buying used patrol vehicles has increased repair costs and exposed the city to downtime; he said the goal is to purchase new vehicles with warranties and to increase a part-time officer's scheduled hours from 20 to 32 per week to improve coverage. He also said maintenance needs ' from vehicles to pumps and generators ' are driving costs; he cited a November outage when the city used county water at an approximate $4,000 cost. For public works, Spano said the city needs engineering studies so it can apply for grants that generally require a local match.

Residents who spoke during the three-minute public-comment period urged attention to long-running local problems. "We need police coverage at night, and the ditches need to be maintained so they drain adequately," said John V. Sansberry Jr. (331 Jackson Circle). He and others said some neighborhoods receive fewer services than areas near City Hall. Arthur Keckle (4H Club Rd) said he has requested drainage work since 2015 and questioned the mileage on the police cars and whether the city had been overcharged for radios; Keckle also described the mixed effectiveness of different speed-bump designs in slowing speeders.

City Clerk Lisa Johnson responded that shifting more coverage to the county would require additional deputies, vehicles and fuel and could increase millage countywide, and that it is often more cost-efficient for residents if the city maintains its own police department. Spano explained that new construction is included in the Net Digest and estimated the city-only increase would be about $36 per year on a $300,000 home, separate from county and school levies.

Younger residents raised outreach concerns: Savannah Carter (210 West St) asked for meeting notices beyond Facebook and suggested a sign at City Hall listing meeting dates. Other residents, including Gloria Luke (201 4H Club Rd) and Susan Keckle (315 4H Club Rd), urged careful budgeting so fixed-income households are not overburdened and pressed again for drainage work.

No formal vote on a millage rate occurred at the hearing. Council Member Carl Spano moved to adjourn; Mayor Pro Tem Oscar Griffith seconded and the motion passed as recorded (3-0). Mayor Sandlin reminded residents that a second public hearing would be held later the same day at 6:30 p.m.

The council will continue hearings and review public input and budget detail before formally setting a millage rate.