The needle didn’t budge over the proposed 2023-24 capital improvement budget as the majority of city commissioners stood steadfast Tuesday in cutting almost $1.3 million in improvements in order to adopt the rollback property tax rate.
The position of support for the rollback rate from four of the five commissioners was buttressed because approximately $1.1 million in capital improvements in this budget year were not completed and will be carried over to 2023-24.
But city commissioners also learned that $90,000 is needed next year for walking/biking trail improvements and the municipal golf course has an emergency need for a new irrigation pump. No cost estimate for the pump was provided.
The “rollback property tax rate” is the tax rate that would be required to generate the same amount of tax revenue for the city as the previous year, taking into account changes in property values and assessment rates.
“Several of the things that are shown up there (a display of capital improvement projects) we’ll have more money from rollover. Take Atlantic Rec Center, we had $625,000 budgeted for this year but because of timing we couldn’t do all this time so there will be money rolling forward for Atlantic Rec Center next year,” said Interim City Manager Charlie George.
“The money that shows up there is the new work and not the whole (list of) projects that are going to be done. There is more money, so a lot of it is being rolled over.”
Also rolling over are new beach access 40 and 16 walkovers and the repairs to the Seaside Park boardwalk, George said.
“We taxed our citizens so much last year we literally could not spend it all,’ said Mayor Bradley Bean.
In 2022, the city commission approved the adjusted rollback rate that was 4.4% above the rollback rate for the 2022-23 budget by a 4-1 vote. Bean voted against the measure.
“We had $1.1 million in projects that were funded and not completed. I would say it’s disingenuous to say this budget doesn’t fund downtown. There’s $125,000 in this budget to take care of our street lights downtown,” Bean said.
The lone holdout to add more funds for downtown improvements, road resurfacing, beach walkovers and facilities upgrades was City Commissioner Chip Ross. Ross was quick to point out that the downtown light project was projected to cost $1.5 million.
“If we’re going to go to the rollback rate every year and use the same amount of money every year, none of these things is going to get funded,” Ross said. “This is not a sustainable budget.”
As he did in the previous city commission workshop budget discussion, Ross reeled off a litany of pressing needs that were not going to be addressed as part of the $1.3 million in cuts including $690,000 for the Peck Center, $150,000 in street resurfacing, $60,000 for sidewalks/curbs, $40,000 for the skate park, $130,000 for MLK Rec Center and $270,000 for the lighthouse renovation.
George said city staff had mapped out funding to cover project costs like downtown lighting and the flood wall over the next five years. He said it would be up to the city commission to decide which projects get green-lighted each year.
Former Vice Mayor Len Kreger and Pete Stevenson also addressed the city commission about under-funding capital needs.
“I just want to make sure that decisions on capital improvements are based on priorities,” Kreger told commissioners. “I just hope that as you talk about the budget you start asking why some of these things (projects) aren’t on there. We move along and all of a sudden we’re going to get another $90,000 for bike trails. Are those things on the capital improvement plan and maybe they should go on the plan. It’s that process of doing things the right way. To see the five-year capital improvement plan (in place) not be used effectively would be discouraging.”
Stevenson talked to commissioners about explosive growth on and off Amelia Island.
“When you have growth you’ve got to make your capital investment before the fact, not after the fact,” he said. “Where do I have to invest in the future ahead of time before I have to incur the cost of the requirement?”
Stevenson said he understood the concern to minimize concerns about budget increases but warned about inflation and the cost of doing projects.
“You’re talking about 6% CPI (Consumer Price Index — a standard inflation measure). If that continues, in 11 years everything will have doubled,” he said.
The city commission will hold its first budget meeting next Tuesday at 5 p.m.