District Sets Proposed Millage Rates

The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday adopted proposed Fiscal Year 2007 (FY2007) millage rates. The District’s proposed millage rate remains the same as last year for the District’s General Fund. The proposed millage rates for seven District Basin Boards also remain the same. The Coastal Rivers Basin Board lowered its millage rate.

The eight Basin Boards will meet in August to adopt their final FY2007 millage rates. The final millage rates may decrease from the proposed amounts adopted, but will not increase.

For the District’s General Fund, FY2007 is the 14th consecutive year that the millage rate has been 0.422. FY2007 will run from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2007.

The total proposed FY2007 budget for the District is $343.8 million. The FY2006 budget is $333.8 million. 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.
For the owner of a $125,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption, the FY2007 Districtwide tax would be $42.20 a year, or about $3.52 per month. The Basin Board taxes would range from $16 per year in the Manasota Basin to $40 per year in the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin. The proposed FY2007 millage rates adopted by the Governing Board will be used by county property appraisers when mailing out Truth In Millage (TRIM) notices to residents.

The District’s proposed FY2007 budget includes:

• $70.8 million for Water Supply and Resource Development projects and reserves. This funding includes $9.4 million in state funding. Based on the long-term water supply needs, the Governing and Basin Boards collectively determined that they must maintain the financial course through 2025 to meet regional water supply and resource development needs.

• $44 million in Cooperative Funding. The Cooperative Funding program began in 1988 and offers a 50/50 dollar cost-share for water resources projects approved by the Basin Boards. Cooperative Funding is funded by the District’s Basin Boards and is available to local governments, associations and individuals for water management projects that support the Districts responsibilities of water supply, flood protection, water quality and natural systems.

• $31.6 million in New Water Sources Initiative (NWSI) funding. The NWSI funding includes $16.2 million in the General Fund for the 13th consecutive year of funding, $15.4 million represents Basin Board matching funds. This is the 13th consecutive year for Basin Board matching funds. This funding includes $12.3 million in state funding. 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 FY2006. 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 approximately $9 million per year through FY2007 for conservation and reuse projects. With funding in FY2007, the District will have fully funded its $183 million commitment.

• $7.1 million for the Surface Water Improvement and Management program. 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 programs to improve these water bodies.

Two statutorily required public TRIM hearings on the District’s total budget will be held in September. The first will be Sept. 12 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 public TRIM hearing will be Sept. 26 at 5:01 p.m. at the District’s Brooksville headquarters. At the second hearing, the Governing
Board will formally approve the final millage rates and budgets. The public is welcome to attend any of the Governing Board or Basin Board meetings to provide
comment on the proposed budgets.

The adopted proposed FY2007 millage rates and proposed budgets are as follows:

N/A = not applicable