The city says West Oldsmar homeowners will save on taxes if the enclave joins Oldsmar. But before a vote, the city must overcome a logistical glitch.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published June 8, 2004
OLDSMAR - In the annexation game, the price seems right for almost everybody, a new study shows.
West Oldsmar homeowners would save $100 or more a year, and Oldsmar would see more than $100,000 in additional revenues annually if the city incorporated the 142-acre enclave into its boundaries.
And despite a pair of procedural hurdles, city officials say they will pursue plans to annex the small peninsula at its southwest border.
"We should move forward," City Manager Bruce Haddock told City Council members last week. "It's financially advantageous to the city and the residents of West Oldsmar."
Council members learned last week that a referendum will not be ready in time for November's presidential election as they had hoped. Instead, Haddock said, the city could hold a special election for West Oldsmar voters early next year.
In the meantime, city officials still need to work out a logistical glitch, a report prepared for the city by the Pinellas Planning Council shows.
Chiefly, West Oldsmar does not have enough local property owners who vote to qualify to be annexed. According to state law, 30 percent of West Oldsmar's land must be owned by people registered to vote at a corresponding address.
But because of several rental units, commercial property and 26 acres of vacant land, only 27 percent of property owners are registered to vote in West Oldsmar, 3 percent short of the required figure.
Michael Crawford, principal planner with the Pinellas Planning Council, told council members they have several options to remedy the legal disparity.
First, he said, the city could register more voters locally. To qualify, the city would need to register property owners of 3 additional acres, out of a potential 8.5 acres available in West Oldsmar, Crawford said. A total of 769 people live in the enclave, which is bisected by State Road 580.
Second, non-voter owners could voluntarily agree to be annexed into the city, reducing the overall size of the referendum. Crawford said the city would need 10 acres to come into the city using that method. The city could register some voters and have others voluntarily annex, Crawford said.
"The combinations are endless," he said. "All that is important is getting that final number to 30 percent."
However they come, Crawford said, residents would be better off financially. Even renters, who don't normally see a saving, could save between $11 and $38 annually, he said.
Homeowners with the largest properties would save the most.
"The higher your property value goes, the more money you save," Crawford said.
For instance, a person owning a home with a taxable value of $175,000 would save up to $265 annually. A person owning a $75,000 home for tax purposes would pay between $108 and $135 less a year in property taxes and other bills.
That sounds good to Loyd Jones, a 20-year West Oldsmar resident, who was worried about the potential costs of annexation.
"It sounds like a win-win," Jones said.
The city would also make out financially if West Oldsmar is included in its borders, according to the report.
Annexation of West Oldsmar would produce increased property, sales and utility taxes, the report stated. After appropriating money for fire and police protection, as well as street and sidewalk maintenance, the city would profit $103,000 annually.
Plus, Crawford said, future development could increase revenue streams.
"There's a lot of potential," he said.
At their meeting last week, council members agreed to spend $2,500 to begin a public relations campaign geared to West Oldsmar residents. Council members also said they would go door-to-door hoping to locate more voters to reach the 30 percent threshold.
Jones, who remains interested in the idea of annexation, said the council's presence in West Oldsmar will be welcomed.
"It is a good to educate everybody about all these numbers," he said. "We all need to be on the same page and know what's going on."
The Pinellas Planning Council estimates that annexing the unincorporated area known as West Oldsmar into the city of Oldsmar would save money for the residents of West Oldsmar. Those savings would come in the form of lower property taxes, as well as reductions in taxes, fees or surcharges that residents now pay for garbage collection, water, and sewer service. Annually, those savings would be estimated to be:
Taxable value of home/Estimated total annual savings
