Bradenton Approves Next Year's Budget With Tax Increase

In its first public hearing on the budget the Bradenton City Council approved increasing the ad valorem tax rate by 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed property values.

On Wednesday more than 40 people filled the council chambers for the second public hearing on the budget. But only two people spoke, largely in support of the City Council's decision, before the council voted 4-0 to approve the 2011-12 budget and raise the millage rate. Councilman Bemis Smith was absent from the meeting.

Tami Spyker, the city volunteer Zone 6 Neighborhood Watch liaison to the Bradenton Police Department, read some of the e-mails she received concerning the need for more police officers. In relating a purse-snatching incident in Zone 6 on Tuesday evening, Spyker said nine patrol officers, two detectives, a K-9 unit, and help from the Manatee County Sheriff Office responded.

“It’s reassuring to the residents that we had those officers last night,” she said. “That makes us want to stay in the city.”

After the meeting, Spyker said she wanted to make the point that the city council “needs to look to the future” in making sure there are enough police officers.

The other speaker, Rocco Salvatori, a Bradenton Fire Department firefighter, said he would always justify paying higher city property taxes by saying there are more services.

“But I did some research of six similar valued homes around Manatee County and found the lowest tax bill was in the city,” Salvatori said.

And even though city property taxes are lower, the residents receive more services, with an accredited fire department, accredited police department and a public works department staffed with fellow residents, not outside contractors, he said.

After the meeting, Salvatori said he was speaking as a city resident and just wanted “to caution the citizens” that you could only reduce taxes so much before services are affected.

Faced with a budget shortfall of $868,000, the council voted approved a rollback property tax rate. About $600,000 of that shortfall is in state-mandated payments to the employee pension fund.

The rollback rate of $5.2002 for every $1,000 of appraised property value will allow the city to collect the same amount of property tax revenue as last year, when the tax rate was $4.9452 for every $1,000.

The increase in the tax rate will raise $653,744 for the general fund.

City Clerk and Treasurer Carl Callahan told the commission the increase of .2550 cents per $1,000 would cost the owner of property valued at $100,000, with exemptions, $25.50 more than last year.

The 2011 taxable value of property in the city is $2.5 billion, approximately the same as mid-2004, according to a chart the city clerk’s office provided.

Vice Mayor Patrick Roff said his home is valued at what he paid for it 25 years ago.

“We are facing an economic crisis,” Roff said, “and we’re doing our best to cope with it.”

He said he was “proud to do what it takes to keep the city running.”

This year’s $32.9 million general fund or operating budget is about the same as last year’s.

Callahan said the city has maintained the level of services residents have expected through cost cutting, such as no raises for employees for the last three years, and efficiency.

“Everybody would like to pay less taxes,” he said, “but they expect the services to be the same.”

Mayor Wayne Poston said he did not expect there to be a taxpayer backlash, “because the people of Bradenton think we are doing the right thing with their money.”