Politics & Government
Gulfport City Budget Moves Forward
The budget process this year in Gulfport is moving along smoothly.
It took Gulfport city leaders just six minutes Tuesday night to unanimously approve moving forward with a balanced operating budget and millage rate of 4.039.
Both ordinances were passed during first reading with a 4 - 0 vote. Mayor Sam Henderson was not in attendance.
Council has one more budget hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend or watch the meeting live on the city's website.
Here's a look at the numbers:
The proposed budget for FY 2013-14 is $11,430,368.
Budget Highlights Include:
Property Tax Collections
The city will see a slight increase in property tax collections asproperty values are slated to increase by .77% according to the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. Council made no changes to the current millage rate of 4.039 but because of the increasing values, they should receive an additional $19,015.
FY 2013 = $2,469,561 generated by 4.039 Mils.
FY 2014 = $2,488,576 generated by 4.039 Mils. (Represents estimated Property Appraiser's (.77% increase or .0077).)
Marina Improvements
The budget includes a loan from the General Fund budget of $880,000 to the Gulfport Municipal Marina for various improvements including:
- ship store/amenities/facilities = $670,000
- long-term resident/transient/guest area = $45,000
- 10 boat lifts (at $20 each) = 100,000
- Live-Aboard Imps. = $40,000
- Marina Master Site Planning (phase 1) = $25,000
City council unanimously approved measures to upgrade all decorative lamps to LED systems, which will result in better visibility, on 49th St. The cost is estimated at $15,000.
New Officer
The majority of council agreed to hire a sworn officer within next year's budget. The estimated cost for adding a community resource officer is approximately $85,000 a year. The officer will focus on problems in the 49th St. area and work out of The Gulfport Neighborhood Center.
Water, Sewer, Stormwater Rate Increase
Gulfport City Council is slated to pass the proposed 12 percent increase for water, sewer and stormwater rates. Learn more about the increase in our article, "Water, Sewer, Stormwater Rate Increases Coming Soon."
Marketing Plan
City Manager Jim O'Reilly has appropriated $30,000 within the Waterfront Redevelopment District Fund for marking.
For More Information:
You can view the entire proposed budget on this link on the City of Gulfport's website.
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