PSJ Budget Work in Progress
The numbers haven't changed in a month. Port St. Joe needs more money than it has.
No matter how city commissioners looked at it, the city of Port St. Joe will enter fiscal year 2008-09 owing over $7.6 million in un-programmed dollars for on-going projects, according to the latest budget workshop held Aug. 21.
That fact was also presented to the commission at the first budget workshop in July.
At the beginning of the meeting, four of the five commissioners (Commissioner Perky White was absent), along with city administrator Charlie Weston, listened as five people from various agencies presented their cases for city funding during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
They represented some of the 19 accounts listed on the non-departmental budget in the city's current general fund.
Of those 19 listed, seven are listed as having zero budgets proposed for 2008-09.
The five speakers asking for funding were:
- Ned Ailes, executive director of the Life Management Center ($3,300);
- Diana Harrison, executive director of Gulf Association of Retarded Citizens (Gulf ARC) ($3,000);
- Kathy Ballentine, transportation coordinator for Gulf ARC/Transportation ($8,000);
- Noland Treglown, for the Gulf County library ($4,000);
- Quen Lamb, president of the Community Development Corporation ($5,000 each for three programs);
A sixth speaker was Tom Graney, president of the Gulf County Economic Development Council (EDC).
He asked the commission to reconsider a prior EDC request to the city for $10,000 in emergency funding to help carry the organization through the current fiscal year.
After the speakers, Weston reviewed the city's needs for un-programmed money, which is necessary to cover all the projects the city has in progress.
"The city has way overmatched, the city has maxed out, in its ability to manage projects," Weston told the board.
Among the projects requiring funding are:
- Highland View sewer project, $180,000;
- Overstreet water distribution project, $324,500;
- S.R./C.R.30-A bridge (a Department of Transportation project), $100,000. It involves repair of a box culvert in the area just south of Presnell's Marina, requiring the soon-to-be laid new sewer line to be moved.
Weston said that, although the project is mandated by the state, the city will challenge the project in terms of the dollar amount that the city must pay;
- Sacred Heart matching grant from the city, $219,000;
- Sand Hill pond matching city grant, $300,000;
- City business incubator matching grant, $30,000;
- North Port St. Joe Phase Two sewer project, $380,000 to $400,000;
- $4.25 million for the city's new surface-water treatment plant.
Other un-programmed projects mentioned in the July 21 budget workshop included:
- WindMark Beach lift station, $575,000;
- Beacon Hill water/sewer system acquisition, $227,000;
The Beaches (St. Joe Beach) sewer project, $1 million.
In the July 15 city commission meeting, Weston gave an overview of the "wellness of the city" in preparation for the upcoming budget workshops.
He told the board that the city "is looking very good" in several areas, that the 2008-09 budget would be about $39 million, compared to the 2007-08 budget of $45 million.
At that meeting, Weston said the city of Port St. Joe was the only section of the county that saw an increase in property assessments, an approximate $13 million increase.
According to the proposed budget, the city is expecting $1,581,271 in ad valorem taxes during 2008-09.
The tentative millage rate was set at 3.5914.
A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 in taxable property value.
The next budget workshop was scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. ET., where commissioners were to make a final decision on the city's health insurance and discuss personnel issues, such as cost of living increases.
The first public hearing on the Port St. Joe city budget is set for Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 5:01 p.m. ET in the city commission chamber.
The second and final public hearing is on Tuesday, Sept. 23, same time and place.
