City council plans for budget cuts due to millage rate

Ormond Beach Observer
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The Port Orange City Council has been presented with budget cuts due to the proposed millage rate of 4.5673 for fiscal year 2018. This is an increase of 0.1131 in the operating millage from last year.

Council members went over the cuts during the Tuesday, Aug. 22 workshop. The budget had been balanced on Aug. 10.

Settlement agreement

During the workshop meeting, the city council approved a settlement agreement between Cypress Green and the City of Port Orange in regards to the closure of The Tavern at Cypress Head restaurant. The restaurant closed its doors on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Cypress Greens had previously entered into the restaurant lease at the Cypress Head Golf Course with the city around Sept. 2015. According to the settlement agreement and release document, the settlement agreement was formed to avoid litigation.

Cypress Greens will now pay the city $6,000, which must be paid within 10 days of the agreement. There was also additional property that will need to be returned to the city. This includes seven barstools, copies of records and documents, two 42-inch televisions, one 32-inch television, one cable box and table linens.

Each of the council members presented their thoughts on what should and shouldn't be cut from the budget.

"I don't want to cut anything," Councilman Drew Bastian said as council members discussed cuts within programs and departments.

Councilman Scott Stiltner asked if the decision as to what cuts need to be made should even be up to the council. One main point Stiltner brought up was that residents don't want an average city but "want events, not bare bones."

The council voted to not change the proposed millage rate, though Council Member Chase Tramont and Vice Mayor Bob Ford voted against keeping the rate.

Ford said he would like to reduce the 10% tax increase while also recommending cutting $40,000 in consulting fees for lobbyists.

Mayor Don Burnette proposed funding some portion of the budget toward working on the issue of homelessness in the area. Mitigation of funding toward the area of homelessness will now be added to the next budget outline to be reviewed.

Alternative sewage plans

A study presented during the Tuesday workshop is recommending the city use an alternative sewer plan as part of a multi-year sewage project. Daniel Burton, senior associate at Wade Trim, which conducted the survey, said the Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Evaluation Study looked at approximately 2,242 properties that were identified to be using septic systems.

An estimated 733 residential and commercial properties, the majority being in residential subdivisions, within Port Orange were found to be using septic systems. According to the report, three systems are being recommended : vacuum sewers, low pressure sewers and gravity sewers.

Burton said that the conventional gravity sewers cost more than alternative options. He noted that while approximately $50 million would be needed to sewer the more than 2,000 properties using an alliterative sewer system, around $80 million would be required to sewer these properties if the city used the conventional gravity sewers.

According to the study, in addition to "capital improvements to reduce the number of septic tanks located in the city’s wastewater service area, an evaluation of policies, ordinances and rulemakings was undertaken to identify where recommended changes could be considered for the purpose of protecting the City’s natural resources and improving the quality of its rivers and coastal waters."

It was recommended that the city make sewer connections mandatory for new developments in the Spruce Creek and Halifax River and Spruce Creek watersheds. It was also recommended the city implement temporary connection fee wavers.

The writeup of Tuesday's budget also included cuts to Team Volusia within the city. However, after discussion, the council came to the conclusion that city officials should relook at Team Volusia's contract to help with the decision of using or taking away funding in this area.

A decision was also made to allocate around $12,000 toward the Babe Ruth athletic program. The council also indicated the contingency of the city manager's budget should be reduced and that the city attorney's budget should be cut by $25,000. Further discussion on these items is expected during upcoming meetings relating to the budget.

The initial total proposed expenditures came out to $36,726,931.

The city will hold its first public hearing on Tuesday, Sept 5 at 6:30 p.m. A second public hearing will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m.

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City council plans for budget cuts due to millage rate

The city is also expected to receive $6,000 in settlement fees after the Tavern restaurant closure.

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