Port St. Lucie approves property tax increase, council pay freeze
July 20th, 2009 by TCPalm.comPORT ST. LUCIE — City property owners will see their taxes go up, and the Port St. Lucie City Council and a workers’ union will see their pay remain the same, all to help the city out of an $11 million deficit.
“The is the worst budget year that I’ve experienced,” Vice Mayor Jack Kelly said.
At the final day of its budget retreat, the council Friday unanimously approved a 26 percent property tax increase, boosting the rate from $4.22 to $5.34 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Under the approved tax hike, a property owner with a $123,891 assessed value minus a $50,000 homestead exemption will pay $419 on the city portion of their tax bill.
City Manager Don Cooper proposed raising the property tax rate to handle an $11 million deficit. Without the tax hike, the city would had to close its Communications and Parks and Recreation departments, and recreation facilities.
“This is the right thing to do to keep the city above water,” Kelly said.
Also on Friday, the council agreed to suspend an ordinance that would automatically give them a pay raise. City spokeswoman Rita Hart said the Professional Employees Association union agreed to a pay freeze in exchange for the city not laying off any of its union members.
City officials estimate the freeze on union workers’ pay would save the jobs of 20 to 25 people. However, savings to the city was not available Friday evening.
“We’re no different than anybody else,” Mayor Patricia Christensen said.
Normally, city council pay increases are at the rate of the consumer price index. City records show Christensen receives $46,134 a year, council members Chris Cooper, Michelle Berger and Linda Bartz are paid $30,929 and Kelly is paid $28,870 because he has declined past pay raises.
While the tax rate is higher, the owner of a $123,891 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption actually could pay about $103 less next year, when compared to this year because the property’s assessed value is lower. Four years ago, that $123,891 house had an assessed value of $159,135, city records show.
Also, City Manager Don Cooper estimated some 117 city positions are on the chopping block. But some of those positions are not filled or have been left open through attrition, said David Pollard, the city’s director of the office of budget and management.
“The unemployment rate is already high and we would have been adding to the rate,” Councilman Chris Cooper said.
At 7 p.m. Sept. 14, the council will have a public hearing where the public can voice their concerns about the tax rate.
By Keona Gardner, TCPalm.com
Tags: budget, communication, housing, jobs, mayor, ordinance, prices, property, raise, raises, taxes, unemployment, value, water
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July 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am
you have just caused more homes to be lost as people are strugging to hold on to what they can.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:08 am
WOW…a 26% tax increase!
I sure hope St Lucie citizens remember this at the next election.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:18 am
my god, these politicans are retarded. stop raising taxes, you buffoons, and live within your means!
July 20th, 2009 at 11:19 am
City Manager Don Cooper - moron
Mayor Patricia Christensen - idiot
Councilman Chris Cooper - dufus
VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
July 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
How many empty home are there in your neighborhood? Everyone has had to cut back EXCEPT the local governments. They still want to bleed us dry. What ever happened to all that growth that so quickly disappeared? Our population has decreased and the city still wants to grow grow grow and face reality. Can any recall anytime in the last 8 years where one of this city council’s statements has actually proved to be true. Traditions is great, crosstown expressway our gateway, lets pay for the public lighting in St. Luce west even though their there taxing district, oh lets do the same for there water plant problems, how much money for the billboards that we now have to allow? What ever developers need we will do… Pander pander pander…. if it doesn’t work we well just raise the taxes… This click has to go this counil serves no one.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:52 am
What’s the sense of this increase, all it will do is push those who are near the brink over the edge. So with those people not paying taxes you still have problems. Services while important must be cut. Increasing the tax on those who can ill afford it will only compound the problem. There is so much more to do. No pay freezes, but reductions all across the board. Mow public properties once or twice a week less. But most important, reduce the pay of all municipal managers by 10%. Turn street lights on one hour later, there are lots of ways. A budget that needs that large an increase shows the lack of experience of the county commissioners. You all spent based on inflated values, you all got caught in the hype. Basic economic values would have prevented this.
July 20th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Way to go port St lucie Stick it to them
elections coming again, tell them what a great job you have done
July 20th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Before PSL residents agree to a 26% increase, they should study the city’s positions that could easily be eliminated and ask the Palm Beach Post to report on the positions the City is planning to eliminate. My husband was the Parks & Rec’s golf professional at the city’s Saints golf course until three months ago when his position was eliminated. Imagine, running a golf course without a golf pro? He has been working as PGA professional for more than 20 years and at the Saints for more than seven years. As he was the only person running tournaments and providing lessons, this was the only position bringing revenue into the golf course. He had many bosses at the club, including a manager of the golf course and a Golf Course Administrator. Neither one of them PGA trained, and both earning more than my husband and combined, costing the city well over $100,000 per year. As these persons were never trained in golf course management and never attended a Professional Golf Management university as my husband graduated from, they are not able to profitably or professionally run tournaments or provide golf lessons. In fact the director of golf course operations was originally hired as the superintendent and mysteriously the city created the Golf Course Administrator position a couple years ago - without outing the connection, I believe nepotism was involved. Let the Post investigate if they will. This position answers to the head of parks and rec and is a boss to the superintendent and the golf pro who already had two bosses, the director of Parks and Recreation and the golf course manager. Confused? Well I’m sure the golf course was not the only department in the city that was top heavy. I urge PSL citizens to look at the city’s budget and some of the overly duplicative useless positions before you quietly submit to a 26% tax increase.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
To all the whiners (more tea baggers?) on this board:
What part of up to 117 people losing their jobs do you not understand?
What part of your tax valuations are down so much that you’ll still pay less in property taxes even with the new rates do you not understand?
What part of city services aren’t magically free do you not understand?
July 20th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I think we can live without a golf pro and I’m not sure what city services you are talking about. My garbage wasn’t even picked up last week on its scheduled day. Port St. Lucie is a slum and will remain that way no matter how much you increase taxes.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
26% increase on property taxes+ storm water increase+ garbage pick up increase + new communication tax so ^ cable and home phones and cellphones each month.come on election, can’t see any of you guys getting reelected, not by my vote for sure.you spent millions of dollars on the crosstown parkway and dead ended it in my residential neighbor hood where the traffic is like the autobon every morning and afternoon,did you know they did this knowing they didn’t have permission to build a bridge across the river, hows that for city planning !now is set for 2017?? what a joke. and our mayor gets just a 5000 dollar fine for personal use of election contributions on many counts. wish I could sell my house and just leave, its only going to get worse.
July 20th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Statists running amok. Why don’t they cut the programs that led to the shortfalls in the first place? How about giving their salaries back to the community because they failed in their duty to spend wisely? Nahh, stick it to the middle class!
July 21st, 2009 at 8:58 am
What117positons said: “In fact the director of golf course operations was originally hired as the superintendent and mysteriously the city created the Golf Course Administrator position a couple years ago - without outing the connection, I believe nepotism was involved.”
Yes, all true. No one investigated this incident. Jack Kelly’s son-in-law was hired for the Superintendent position without a clue as to how to do a superintendent’s job.
Nepotism is alive and well in the City of Port St. Lucie. Just ask Don Cooper, Roger Orr and Jack Kelly. All have family members at a “high ranking” job.
As to the “117 jobs lost?” 80+ of those positions are vacancies. 30+ of those jobs are being shifted to other departments. Police officers being cut? They are still at the ratio per resident, if not over. PD are only losing 6 - that’s it!
Cuts need to begin at the top. We can do without a Botanical Garden. We can do without a civic center. We can do without a Crosstown Parkway. We can do without a new $36 Million retention pond. And we can do without the city consistantly bailing out the developers. We can do without the golf course.
The Botanical Garden, civic center, golf course and Crosstown Parkway have already lost money. With these 4 projects, just throwing more money down that drain.
July 28th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Go ahead and raise my taxes- infact, here, take my house too- I no longer want it or your problems- YOU DEAL WITH IT!
September 13th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I just don’t understand how you can raise taxes on so many people who can not afford to pay their morgtage now, I guess you won’t be happy untill all of PLS county has empty houses and the banks get to pay the tax. I think we need an audit on what the taxes are currently be spent on and who has pet projects in the process. I don’t feel that you have exhausted all avenues and have chosen the easy way out. It is time for a complete change in PSL goverment. New blood with better ideas I am sure this will change the way PSL government does business. The next election I am sure you will see some new faces.
February 11th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
i am not pleased with the strong arm robbery taking place with our taxes. did you see how much money the police captains are making, i think that money should be distributed down the pike to the patrol officers. hell, the captains dont do anything but sit behind desks and whistle on the cheifs skin flute. i can afford to live here because i commute to broward county everyday. but when i retire, i am outta here.