The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board Thursday adopted a fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) millage rate of 0.1885 mill, which is the same as the current fiscal year. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board covers portions of Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.
This millage rate, combined with a reduction in taxable property values as certified by the county property appraisers, will result in an estimated 9.9 percent decrease in ad valorem property tax revenue from FY2008.
The budget for FY2009 is $9,559,418, which is a decrease of $450,843 from the approved FY2008 budget. FY2009 will run from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009.
For the owner of a $125,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, the FY2009 Basin Board tax would be $14.14, or about $1.18 per month.
The Basin Board’s budget includes funding for Water Supply and Resource Development projects, cooperative funding projects, Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program projects and Basin Initiatives.
Water Supply and Resource Development
The Basin Board has budgeted $3.1 million for the development of additional new sustainable water supplies. Examples of water supply and resource development projects include reservoirs, regional pipelines to connect water supply sources and reclaimed water projects. The Governing and Basin Boards have a long-term financial plan through 2025 to meet regional water supply and resource development needs.
Cooperative Funding Program
The Basin Board has budgeted $2.7 million for cooperative funding projects, which are proposed by local governments, and are usually funded equally by the Basin Board and the local cooperator. Examples of cooperative funding projects include reclaimed water projects, stormwater retrofitting and the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program. These projects must support the District’s responsibilities of water supply, flood protection, water quality and natural systems.
Surface Water Improvement and Management Program
The Basin Board has budgeted $105,385 for SWIM Program projects, which focus on improving water quality and habitat restoration. The Florida Legislature established SWIM in 1987, requiring the state’s five water management districts to maintain a priority list of water bodies of regional or statewide significance.
The districts develop plans and implement projects to improve these water bodies.
Basin Initiatives
The Basin Board has budgeted $1.7 million for Basin Initiatives, which are projects that the Board feels are of a high priority to its basin. These projects are typically initiated by and solely funded by the Basin Board.
Basin Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. They serve three-year staggered terms. Each of the Basin Boards includes a minimum of one person from each county within the basin, and there must be at least three members on each Board. Each Basin Board has at least one of the 13 members of the District’s Governing Board that serves as the Board’s chair ex officio.
In September, the Governing Board will adopt millage rates for the District’s General Fund and the eight Basin Boards after two statutorily required public Truth in Millage (TRIM) hearings have been held. The first will be Sept. 16 at 5:01 p.m. at the District’s Tampa Service Office.
The Governor’s office will review and approve the budgets of all five water management districts before the second and final public hearing.
The District’s second and final TRIM hearing will be Sept. 30 at 5:01 p.m. at the District’s Brooksville headquarters. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Governing Board will formally adopt the final millage rates and budgets. The public is welcome to attend any Governing Board or Basin Board meetings to provide comment on the proposed budgets.