CLEARWATER - City commissioners on Thursday agreed not to raise the tax rate next year.
With virtually no discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to hold the rate steady at $5.75 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. Under that rate, the owner of a home valued at the city average of $91,740, qualifying for a $25,000 homestead exemption, will pay about $384 in city taxes.
Holding the rate level will require a series of budget cuts, and City Manager Bill Horne has suggested closing the Clearwater Beach library branch.
A handful of beach residents, including Anne Garris, showed up at City Hall and pleaded with commissioners to find a way to save their library.
"If we didn't care, if we didn't use it, okay," said Garris, adding later: "It's ours ... We need the facility as part of our community."
City commissioners did not address the issue Thursday. They will discuss the proposed cuts during a workshop on Aug. 10 and at public hearings set for Sept. 4 and 9.
The spending plan will take effect Oct. 1.
In other business, commissioners:
- Approved spending $19,346 to add 15 new school crossing guards.
- Awarded this year's $1.7-million street resurfacing contract to Nokomis-based Ajax Paving Industries.
- Approved a $1.45-million contribution for a parking garage planned at the Pelican Walk shopping Center on Clearwater Beach.
