Note from Exective Director of the LW CRA re Fire Rescue Merger

CRA Board Members:

At last night’s City Commission meeting, the Commission voted 4-1 in favor of executing an agreement with the County for the provision of fire/ rescue services. Commissioner Mulvehill was the only dissenter. The full impact to the CRA is not determined at this point. It will depend on a few factors. These include the estimate of property values for 2009. The information provided to this Board indicated a 3% decrease in values. The likelihood that this number could be significantly higher is probable. In response to the valuations, the City may or may not increase their millage from the projected 4.7 (7.65 minus the 2.95 MSTU) to a higher millage. The higher the millage, the more increment the CRA will receive.

Once a City budget is prepared, it will be up to the City to determine how much of the “savings” or “supplement” to give back to the CRA. The information provided by the City Finance Director, Mr. Bates, indicates the CRA would receive approx. $1.1M less than 08/09. It has been indicated that the City may give the CRA anywhere from $300K to $700K to partially make up the $1.1 loss.

All that information will be discussed during the budgetary process.

In April, the County Commission will vote on the merger.