BELLEAIR BEACH -- The Belleair Beach City Council approved on unananimous votes the proposed millage rate and FY 2006 budget on first reading Monday
While the millage rate will stay at 2.41 with no increase from last year, city taxpayers are actually experiencing an out of pocket aggregrate 18 percent increase in taxes.
Increased valuations account for the increase. The gross taxable value is now $420,514,480, up $65,482,010 from last year.
The 2.41 mill rate is expected to result in ad valorem tax revenue of $972,902 -- $153,161 over last year, an 18.6 percent increase.
The roll back rate in Belleair Beach is 2.0453. The roll back rate is the millage rate that would produce the same amount of ad valorem revenue as a year ago.
Only four citizens bothered to show up for the hearings in the meeting that lasted 45 minutes. Of them, only one -- Bert Cutler, a former member of the council -- asked any questions.
One sticking point was a question raised by Councilmember Lynn Rives who pointed out that by voting for the budget he would be voting for an amendment to the current budget year that had not yet been approved by the council.
It was a technical matter, but he insisted the process was illegal.
City Manager Reid Silverboard said that the matter would be cleared up by council action before the October 1 implementation of the budget.
But Rives was adamant. Paul Marino, the city attorney, said it was more a prodecural matter rather than a legal matter.
After some wrangling which only further cemented the deadlock, Melanie Neuman, the city's finance officer, offered a solution that was accepted.
The matter that Rives was focused on was the funds in the current budget for new tennis courts that the council has not voted on.
Neuman suggested removing that part from the new budget and allowing the council to act on the matter later.
That satisfied Rives and Silverboard accepted it also. Silverboard said it all came to the same thing.