Monday, June 22 -Town council members are betting that island taxpayers won't mind higher property taxes next year to keep the services they have now and to complete more projects. Just in case, they're planning a public relations blitz to sell the idea.
While they wrestle with declining revenues and expensive projects, they are looking at anything they can find to create more revenues. That includes a Florida Power and Light franchise fee - which would be passed on to customers - raiding the town's $3 million reserve fund and, what is looking more likely, higher taxes.
Big ticket items on the horizon are the millions needed to fix the water system and the takeover of Bay Oaks Park, which in the past has cost about $600,000 a year to maintain. The county had been paying half of that amount but no longer will after October 1.
Town Manager Scott Janke has said he would need a millage rate of 1.1 mills to balance the budget if no more revenues are found. That would be nearly double the .71 mills property owners now pay in the town's portion of property taxes. A mill is a $1 tax on each $1,000 of taxable property. For a home valued at $500,000 a 1.1 mill rate would mean the owner would pay $600 in town property taxes on top of the property tax they pay the county.
Council will next discuss the 2009-2010 budget at its regular meeting on July 20th when it must adopt a tentative millage rate. After that the rate can be reduced but not increased. So far, no one has attended any of the council''s budget discussions.

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