It's nice of the Palm Beach Post to point out the raw deal that was served to the people when the Lake Worth City Commission refused to put the building heights initiative on the ballot in November, as we're now going to have to hold a special election which will cost taxpayers about $30,000.
But the Post editors see no problem with six-story buildings in Lake Worth's downtown and see no reason the 65-foot height limit decided on by the mayor and two commissioners should be changed.
"We see no need for voters to alter these height limits," writes Andrew Marra, for the Post's editorial board. "A 65-foot building (about five or six stories) east of Federal Highway would not be out of character with the Gulf Stream Hotel and the condominiums around it..."
But no one builds anything like the Gulfstream Hotel anymore. That's part of the problem.
Read the editorial here:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-lake-worth-goes-low-in-delaying-height-l/nP7fx/
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Amoroso: Go After the Churches
Commissioner Andy Amoroso says it's time to go after the churches and their tax exempt property to find more revenue for the city.
"As we grow, churches continue to buy up property. So that's a problem," he warned during the budget workshop at City Hall last night.
Forty percent of properties in the town do not pay property taxes, Community Development Director William Waters told the commissioners. Some of them are churches.
The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013 shows a deficit of $421,000, which will be taken from the city's fund balance in order to "balance the budget."
Property tax revenue to the city has dropped off dramatically since the housing bubble burst and many properties in the town have lost half their value or more.
In Fiscal Year 2010, the city raised $7.7 million from property taxes. This year (Fiscal Year 2012) it's on track to bring in just $5.8 million. In Fiscal Year 2013, which starts on October 1, it's projected to bring in $5.5 million in property tax revenue.
"As we grow, churches continue to buy up property. So that's a problem," he warned during the budget workshop at City Hall last night.
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| Calvary United Methodist Church at 301 First Avenue South |
The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013 shows a deficit of $421,000, which will be taken from the city's fund balance in order to "balance the budget."
Property tax revenue to the city has dropped off dramatically since the housing bubble burst and many properties in the town have lost half their value or more.
In Fiscal Year 2010, the city raised $7.7 million from property taxes. This year (Fiscal Year 2012) it's on track to bring in just $5.8 million. In Fiscal Year 2013, which starts on October 1, it's projected to bring in $5.5 million in property tax revenue.
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