FMB Town Council adopts final millage rate and budget
The Fort Myers Beach Town Council approved resolutions to adopt a millage rate and a budget for the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 during two separate final public hearings on Monday evening at Town Hall.
The Council passed a motion for Resolution 09-27 by a 4-1 count to adopt a millage rate of .8187 mils. Councilman Tom Babcock dissented.
“As far as the mill rate, I’m the one that proposed (the .8187 mils),” said Councilman Bob Raymond. “I honestly believe that this has been another absolutely rotten year. I don’t want to put any more burden on any of our taxpayers that we have now. I realize that there is a possibility that we may wind up using some reserves.”
Babcock, the lone dissenter, gave his views for his vote.
“That mill rate sets us up for serious problems next year,” he said. “At a run rate, we have essentially $335,000 more in expenditures than we have in revenues. Next year, we won’t be able to continue to draw in reserves. We won’t be getting more gifts from the County.”
The Council then passed Resolution 09-28 by a unanimous decision to adopt the budget amount of $23,899,489. That figure included estimated revenues with ad valorem taxes of $2,427,319 as well as sales and franchise taxes of $1,151,159.
“The total proposed budget remains at $23,899,489, and that includes the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds and Capital Project Funds,” said interim Town Manager Jack Green. “That is taking revenues and expenditures into account.”
The Council will begin looking at the budget possibly as soon as November and plans to give it a formal review in six months. In a similar process, Town staff cut $700,000 from the FY 2008/09 budget earlier this calendar year.
“The sooner we can start looking over our budget, the better off we’ll be,” said Raymond.
Each council member congratulated Town staff officials, ad-hoc committee specialist Alan Mandel and each other for the diligent work involved in such a process.
‘I have no doubt everyone here did their best,” said Vice Mayor Herb Acken.
“I know how much effort has gone into reducing almost $1 million from the budget we approved a year ago,” said Babcock.
“I especially want to thank our Town staff for stellar work all the time,” said Councilwoman Jo List.
“I also want to thank Mr. Mandel for all the hard work he did on this budget,” said Raymond. “He significantly added to our discussions and knowledge.”
In other Town news, the Council unanimously passed Resolution 09-29 for Emergency Reserves in the amount of $520,750 with a low cap set at $250,000. Green reported that the north end of the Beach has “a very serious condition” with erosion; the North Estero Project has been staked, and there will be a Public Information Meeting to discuss development in Town Hall on Thursday at 6 p.m.; a lot of work has been done to the Town Pool during its closure this month; Bay Oaks’ Town staff has responded well to their new roles and continues to show enthusiasm and skill; and that Lee County is expected to use more than $300,000 from this past fiscal year’s paving budget to repave Estero Boulevard to a more satisfactory condition after spending $115,000 for patchwork in a previous effort.