'Barely making ends meet': PCB approves hikes for fire, stormwater and CRA assessments
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Beach residents will be paying more for three taxes that fund infrastructure improvements and public safety.
In a City Council meeting Thursday, local officials approved a 4.62% increase to the city's fire, stormwater and community redevelopment area assessments.
The hikes will compensate for ongoing inflation across the U.S., officials said.
"The city has the same expenses, and (it) is not missing the inflation of the nation," Mayor Mark Sheldon said. "We're definitely feeling the same impacts as everybody else."
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Public Works Director Kelly Jenkins told the council the hikes were critical to helping the city properly run, maintain and develop its services.
In the wake of inflated prices to practically all goods and services, Jenkins described PCB's fire, stormwater and CRA departments as "barely making ends meet."
"We've provided and done our best with staff and (different) grants to supplement (funding) where we can ... but I know that people do want (improvements)," she told the council. "It's a real concern when flooding is coming up in your backyard ... and (residents) come to us, they come to you, to help, and that's what we are trying to do."
Mary Coburn was the lone council member who voted against the hikes, which went into effect following Thursday's meeting.
While Coburn said she understands the assessments are necessary, she believes residents already are struggling with enough financial burdens.
"I feel that our residents don't need another increase," she said. "(They're) already paying more for gas. (They're) paying more for electricity. ... Many people are having to make a decision on what they can afford and what they can't."
According to Councilman Paul Casto, the stormwater and fire assessments are collected from all homeowners within the city's limits.
The CRA assessment is collected only from property owners adjacent to areas being developed in the Community Redevelopment Area Plan, a project to renovate Front Beach Road and its connecting roadways. The CRA began more than 15 years ago and includes about 20 miles of roads.
Casto noted it could take another 30 years before all CRA construction is complete.
"We do not have an ad valorem tax in Panama City Beach, so we use those assessments to fund (these three departments)," Casto said. "(They) have been in place for I think up to 15 years, and so this was just a renewal of something that's been in place for quite some time."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach approves increases to three tax assessments
