Taxes go up as Bradenton finalizes 2017-18 fiscal year budget

Despite not raising the millage rate on property taxes, city property owners are likely to see a boost on their tax bills.

With no public comment at the city’s final public hearing on the 2017-18 fiscal year budget, which begins Oct. 1, the city’s record-setting $134 million budget was approved Tuesday evening in short order.

The millage rate remains the same at 5.8976. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of appraised property value, so with valuations climbing once again, the city would have had to reduce its millage rate by 6.1 percent, or to 5.5545, in order for it not to be considered a tax increase.

Though overall citywide assets are still not as high as they were in 2004, several factors contributed to this year’s budget setting a record high. Chief among those considerations are the half-cent sales tax dollars approved by voters in the November 2016 election, which accounted for a $6 million influx into city coffers.

For the first time, the city’s three Community Redevelopment Agencies are in the city’s budget accounting for an additional $5 million. There’s another $5 million in the city’s budget for the upcoming Twin Dolphin Marina expansion. The city is not paying for that project, but the funds are grant related and will come through the city and therefore be accounted for in the budget.

Some of the big ticket items scheduled for spending in the coming fiscal year include an estimated $12 million for a new City Centre parking garage with retail. The city anticipates paying $6 million out of the general fund and expects to go out for loans for the remaining funds, but must be in the budget. Other items include $325,000 for new servers for both the Bradenton Police Department and information technology, $575,000 for a new emergency radio system and $1 million into the city’s repaving program.

Union negotiations brought about an increased budget for the police department that went from $16.2 million to $16.8 million and the Bradenton Fire Department’s operating budget went from $9.2 million to $9.6 million. General fund expenditures will include $10 million for public works infrastructure projects, including $2 million for new injection wells and $2.5 million for waste water plant improvements.

The city will spend 18 percent more than in the prior budget, but Economic Development Director Carl Callahan said many of these unique expenditures make up the majority of that spending.

“Because we had a lot of things we normally wouldn’t see, I don’t expect next year’s budget to be as big,” Callahan said. “It sounds like a lot of spending, so it’s important to offer those explanations on these one-time expenditures.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Taxes go up as Bradenton finalizes 2017-18 fiscal year budget."