District Sets FY2006 Millage Rates and Budget

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 millage rates and combined budget. The District’s millage rate remains the same as last year for the General Fund. The millage rates for the eight District Basin Boards also remain the same. FY2006 will run from Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.

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The total FY2006 budget for the District is $333,804,756. The FY2005 budget was $279,252,797. The total budget includes the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds and Capital Projects Funds. Special Revenue Funds include the Basin Boards, Surface Water Improvement & Management (SWIM) program, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Mitigation program and the Partnership Trust Fund. The increase over last year’s budget is primarily due to an additional $25 million in matching funds the District anticipates receiving from the state’s new Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund for alternative water supply development. The increase in the budget is also due to an increase in property values.

The state’s new Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund was created by the legislature this year. The new 10-year program will provide $25 million to the District this fiscal year and an additional $15 million each fiscal year through FY2015. This state funding provides matching funds to assist the District’s highly effective partnership programs, including Water Supply and Resource Development, New Water Sources Initiative and Cooperative Funding programs.

A historic 17.6 percent growth in property values led to an additional $27.9 million in ad valorem tax revenue. This increase in funding was not the result of an increase in millage rates. This is the 13th consecutive fiscal year that the District’s millage rate has been 0.422. For the owner of a $125,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption, the FY2006 Districtwide tax would be $42.20 a year, or about $3.52 per month. The Basin Boards have not increased millage rates for 12 years. This fiscal year the Basin Board taxes range from $16 per year in the Manasota Basin to $40 per year in the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin.

The District’s FY2006 budget includes:

• $79.2 million invested for Water Supply and Resource Development (WSRD) projects and reserves. Based on the long-term water supply needs, the Governing and Basin Boards collectively determined that they must maintain a financial commitment through 2020 to meet regional water supply and resource development needs. This program began in 2000 to help meet the long-term water supply needs in the Southern Water Use Caution Area and the continuing challenges in the Northern Tampa Bay area.
• $42.2 million in Cooperative Funding. The Cooperative Funding program began in 1988 and offers a 50/50 dollar cost-share for water resource projects approved by the Basin Boards. Cooperative Funding is provided by the District’s eight Basin Boards and is available to local governments, associations and individuals for water management projects that support the District’s responsibilities of water supply, flood protection, water quality and natural systems.
• $26.2 million in New Water Sources Initiative (NWSI) funding. The NWSI funding includes $12.5 million in the General Fund for the 13th consecutive year of funding. The remaining $13.7 million represents Basin Board matching funds. This is the 12th consecutive year for Basin Board matching funds. The NWSI program provides a financial incentive for local governments to develop regional, alternative sources of water, such as reclaimed water or desalination. These alternative sources are necessary to ensure a sustainable water supply for west-central Florida. The NWSI funds include $15.1 million for the Partnership Trust Fund, which is the same as in FY2005. This fund was established in May 1998 under the terms of the Northern Tampa Bay New Water Supply and Ground Water Withdrawal Reduction Agreement (Partnership Agreement). The Partnership Agreement is a legal binding contract among the District, Tampa Bay Water and its six member governments. As part of the agreement, the District agreed to provide $183 million for the development of alternative water sources and to fund at least $9 million per year through FY2007 for conservation and reuse projects.
• $11.4 million for the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program. The Florida Legislature established the SWIM program 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 programs to improve these water bodies. The newly created Water Supply and Sustainability Trust Fund is providing $4 million in dedicated matching funds for SWIM in FY2006.

The adopted FY2006 millage rates and budgets are as follows:

N/A = not applicable