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Port Richey goes wading in water issues

In a long, heated meeting, Port Richey's City Council members approve measures involving canal dredging and flooding at Lake Cox.

By PHIL DAVIS
Published July 28, 2005

PORT RICHEY - The Little City by the River has water on its mind.

At an often contentious, five-hour meeting Tuesday night, the City Council approved $100,000 to pursue canal dredging in the city's prime neighborhoods and $30,000 to address flooding at Lake Cox. Council members also set a date to discuss a controversial new marina ordinance.

The meeting was marked by heated exchanges. A standing-room-only crowd cheered as council member Phyllis Grae and Port Authority members Mike Latini and Dale Massad clashed with council member Jim Priest. One resident was ejected for a loud expletive.

As the meeting wound down at 12:30 a.m., the few remaining residents were fed up.

"We're the laughingstock of the county," Sunset Boulevard resident Don Schnitzhofer said. "Don't you see that? I'm tired of it. I love this city. It's such a beautiful place, and look what we're doing."

The main issue of the night was the Port Authority's demand for a $100,000 budget line item to finish a 4-year-old effort to get state dredging permits.

The Port Authority has already spent about $60,000 to get permission to dredge silt-clogged canals at the city's pricey waterfront homes.

"I'm hoping you all are ready to put your money where your mouth is," Latini told the council. "I think we would feel extremely insulted by your business intelligence if you can't recognize that (waterfront residents) are paying their fair share of the dollars that come into this city ... and they are not getting their fair share of dollars back."

The council voted 4-1 to use $100,000 from the city's $567,000 Community Redevelopment Agency budget to pay for the dredging. The money will be used to complete the permitting process and lay the groundwork for dredging. It remains unclear how much it will actually cost to dredge the canals.

Priest cast the dissenting vote.

In other water news, engineers asked for $30,000 to find ways to divert overflow and prevent flooding in the Candlelight subdivision.

City Manager Jerry Calhoun said Lake Cox is the first project in the city's federal government-mandated efforts to deal with stormwater runoff.

"We don't have a choice," Calhoun said. "We have to address these issues."

The council approved the $30,000 request in a 4-1 vote. Mayor Mark Abbott dissented. He wanted to cap the cost of an initial study at $5,000 to $10,000.

The meeting grew more heated when Grae accused Priest of being "a council of one" by circulating a draft of proposed marina rules before other council members saw it. Priest said he was seeking suggestions from the affected businesses.

A handful of residents said Priest's display of the ordinance appeared to be a vendetta against his Sunset Boulevard neighbor, Sunset Landing Marina. Calhoun said the memo was drafted by the city attorney as the basis for discussion.

The council unanimously agreed to hold a workshop on the ordinance on Aug. 23.

As night turned to morning, the council voted 4-1 to lock in the millage rate at no higher than 5.82 mills. A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property. Abbott dissented because he wanted to immediately lower taxes.

[Last modified July 28, 2005, 01:10:15]