Apalachicola likely to keep millage unchanged

They still could go up to 9.0 mills, but from all indications, Apalachicola city commissioners are planning to keep the millage unchanged.

By keeping the millage steady at 8.3457 mills, the city will yield about $2.19 million in property taxes, roughly $270,000 more than the $1.92 million the millage raised this year.

The city of Apalachicola is expected to see a roughly 6.6 percent increase in its tax base, or about $16.1 million, from $244.5 million to $260.5 million.

Were the city commissioners to roll back taxes to keep revenue unchanged, they would gather about $1.98 million, and the city would be looking at a roughly $171,000 deficit.

Were commissioners to increase the millage to its earlier adopted 9.0 million, they would collect about $2.4 million and have a roughly $212,000 surplus.

By keeping the millage unchanged, the city will have by year’s end a modest $40,000 surplus.

At a second budget workshop Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 27, with Adriane Elliott absent, commissioners praised Budget Director Lee Mathes for her work in whittling down the numbers following a first workshop attended by all five.

Despina George, an accountant by profession known for keeping a close eye on the budget, signaled that she will vote on the budget, despite some misgivings.

“Lee has done a great job in going through the budget and seeing what can be eliminated at the current millage rate,” she said, noting that the city will see a 3 percent increase in ad valorem tax revenues.

“Every other one (local government entity) is reducing their millage rate at least some,” George said. “We’re reducing capital and expenses to a minimal level.”

She said the city is suffering from decisions that it had made in the past with adequate study.

“Our salaries are 45 percent greater than three years ago and yet revenue has not increased to that extent,” George said. “There were a lot of estimates that were incorrect last year, revenues were overstated and expenses, such as insurance, were understated.

“On top of that we’re still struggling to get our accounting records up to date. We need meaningful numbers,” she said. “I’m embarrassed to be in this position, that we’re scraping together a budget with so many unknowns.

“Our best course is to stay with the current millage rate, as much as it pains me to say that,” George said. “We have to study and we have to study and make some hard decisions.”

At the outset of the meeting, Elizabeth Perkins, chairwoman of the PALS group which serves as Friends of the Apalachicola Margaret Key Library, spoke out to clarify the role of the private non-profit group. She was responding to a comment made at the first budget workshop which suggested that the city might look to PALS for funding a parttime library position. That position will now be funded as part of the city budget, and Mayor Brenda Ash stressed that it had not been the city’s intention to have PALS fund it.

“There was a miscommunication,” said Ash. “There is not a request for PALS to fund a position.”

Perkins said PALS raised about $7,000 last year, thanks to a stepped-up effort by City Librarian Lucy Carter to sell off books and offer pumpkins for sale around Halloween.

“Our mission is to assist the library to enrich library programs,” said Perkins. “The Friends’ funds can supplement but not replace city monies. We can’t fund core services.”

Items in the budget include a plan to boost the rate for renting, per event, the Holy Family Senior Center, the Sixth Street Recreation Center and the Community Center. 

Budgets for individual departments now look to be about $665,000 for administration; $99,000 for the building department; $946,000 for the police department; $135,000 for the fire department; $1.6 million for public works; $187,000 for the library; $85,000 for parks and recreation; and $319,000 for facilities.

Total expenses will be about $4.3 million.

For the enterprise funds, both water and sewer, which must be covered by utility rates, the total budget is about $1.09 million for water and $1.83 million for sewer. It will cost about $68,000 to operate the Scipio Creek marina, and about $71,000 for Battery Park.