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Tampa City Council rejects tax increase
Evan Axelbank reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa homeowners will not face a tax increase next year after a marathon meeting Tuesday night ended with the city council striking down Mayor Jane Castor’s tax hike proposal.
Hundreds of people spoke against the millage increase in a meeting that stretched into the wee hours on Wednesday. One resident even held up tattered underpants and shoes to demonstrate how the city should stay within its means.
Former Tampa Mayor Sandra Freedman echoed the sentiment, albeit without the colorful props.
"You’re not going to wipe out all of the needs of this city. We’ve been trying for 150 years. There are always going to be more needs. You have to whittle away at it," Freedman advised. "Secondly, I think you need to look at revenues, not the millage rate."
Tampa man holds up tattered underpants to demonstrate how the city should show more frugality.
Freedman’s comments earned hearty applause from the packed audience.
After nearly seven hours of debate and public comment, councilors struck down the millage increase in a 4-3 vote.
Speaking at an affordable housing press conference Wednesday morning, Castor called the vote disappointing and responded to her predecessor’s suggestion that her administration pace itself and live within its income limits.
"A previous mayor spoke and said the philosophy has been just do a little, do a little, do a little and then start all over again and frankly I think that’s what’s got us to the point where we’re at today where we have billions of dollars in deferred maintenance. Our roads are in horrible conditions and we don’t have the funding," said Castor.
RELATED: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor defends tax increase proposal: 'There are issues that have been ignored'
Council members who opposed the tax hike agreed with Freedman. Council members Bill Carlson, Lynn Hurtak, Guido Maniscalco, and Charlie Miranda voted against the property tax increase, saying the city’s budget should stay within its means. They disagreed with asking the public for more money at a time when residents have already seen double digit increases in home and car insurance premiums, as well as utility and grocery bills.
"I just don’t see the support. If this were on a ballot, I think it would fail 95 percent no to maybe 5-percent for, and that’s being generous. Now is not the time to do this," City Council Chair Guido Maniscalco said.
Hundreds of Tampa residents signed up to speak at the council meeting.
Several council members identified areas where budget cuts could be made in order to fund the housing, road, and public safety projects all agree are needed.
"I want the public to know that it’s not that we’re against any one of those things if we vote against [the millage increase]. It’s because we can find the money for those things somewhere else in the budget," said Councilman Bill Carlson.
Maniscalco agreed.
"We have to get creative. We have to dig deeper, and we can’t just say raise the millage. That’s the easy way out," he stated.
Council members Alan Clendenin and Gwendolyn Henderson, who supported the millage increase, echoed Castor’s warnings about not raising taxes, saying that they would be continuing to put off years of backlogged infrastructure projects.
Tampa's residents learn more about proposed projects.
City council members will now have their work cut out for them over the next two weeks as they look to find ways to shift tens of millions of dollars around within the $1.9 billion budget to cover the projects they support.
The city council has set a special budget workshop for next Wednesday, where they're going to begin the process of balancing the budget.
"We can easily find $45 million in the existing budget by cutting fat and increasing some of the fees," said Carlson.
The mayor says it took her team months to form their proposal, and the council now has a matter of weeks, until the October first deadline, to approve their cuts.
Councilor Charlie Miranda will push for fees on new residents.
"I believe the constituents are to the max."
They’ll come back with their proposals Sept. 19.
An attempt at a smaller tax increase appears to be off the table.
Councilman Luis Viera on Tuesday proposed a .3 millage increase that would be earmarked for public safety, but received no support from his peers.