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Candidates discuss cutting fees, taxes

Hopefuls for the New Port Richey council and mayoral races gather for a forum at City Hall.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published March 31, 2006

NEW PORT RICHEY - The candidates for mayor and City Council shared lots of common ground at a forum Wednesday night:

Increasing the tax base? Good.

Rising construction costs that pushed the price tag on the new recreation center from $9.1-million to $14.2-million? Bad.

Buying land to promote redevelopment? Good.

Taking people's property through eminent domain for a private venture? Bad.

Illegal drinking at the Chasco Fiesta? Very bad.

Still, by the end of the 90-minute City Hall forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the six candidates differentiated themselves on issues including reducing taxes and envisioning a replacement for Community Hospital.

Former council member Ginny Miller said she would like to repeal the city's street light and stormwater fees, which she called "disincentives for redevelopment," but she said she doubted she could get a council majority behind her.

Deputy Mayor Bob Langford, who initially opposed the fees, said the drainage improvements from the stormwater fee have "put us well ahead of other cities."

Former council member Tom Finn said the fees should stay in place, and council candidate Frank Ferreri called the fees "an unfortunate evil" that would be difficult to repeal. Mayor Dan Tipton and council member Matthew McCaffery said they doubted the city could afford to cut them.

Those fees aside, however, the candidates largely agreed that as New Port Richey's tax base swells with new development and annexed land, the city should cut its property tax rate.

"As our tax base increases, it's very likely we can reduce our (property taxes), giving relief to the people in our city who need this relief due to increasing insurance costs, increasing property values and other increases," Langford said.

Most of the candidates also supported building Railroad Square in phases, since the locomotive-themed streetscaping project for Nebraska Avenue will cost twice as much as officials planned. Tipton said the city should first do the block from Grand Boulevard to Adams Street, then do other stretches as money becomes available.

Langford, McCaffery and Ferreri also supported the incremental approach. Miller said she wanted to see a master plan for the project first, and Finn criticized officials for increasing the project's scope and taking so long to get started, as both actions drove up costs.

How about a new city library? Several candidates said the popular library is quickly outgrowing its Main Street location, but Tipton, Langford, McCaffery and Finn said it will be years before the city has enough money to consider building a new one. Miller suggested adding a smaller satellite library elsewhere in the city to take some pressure off the main branch.

Ferreri saw no need for any of that: "The library as it stands now is more than adequate."

The candidates brought different perspectives to one of the biggest issues facing the city: the pending departure of Community Hospital, New Port Richey's largest taxpayer. The hospital plans to start construction soon on a facility in Trinity, leaving behind its 23-acre campus on Marine Parkway.

The current council members all noted that the city is working with hospital officials to explore possible uses for the site. Ferreri suggested a mixed use development with shops, restaurants and apartments or condos. Langford suggested a "community within a community," where young families could live alongside retirees.

Tipton envisioned shops, or perhaps another medical facility.

"They are the largest taxpayer in the city right now, and I really hate to lose that," Tipton said.

Still, McCaffery said he was "almost positive something will go in there and we will recoup that loss." Finn said the new taxes from Main Street Landing, an upscale mixed use development being built along the river, will offset the loss.

Miller, who spoke several times about the middle-class families who are struggling to buy homes and keep up with tax and insurance bills, lamented the loss of "good jobs" from Community Hospital and the surrounding medical offices.

She said the city should work with the Pasco Economic Development Council to bring a "clean employer" to the area.

"We need to keep those jobs, keep people working," Miller said.

Bridget Hall Grumet covers New Port Richey. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bgrumet@sptimes.com

New Port Richey voters will pick a mayor and fill two City Council seats at the April 11 election. Mayor Dan Tipton, who is seeking another two-year term, faces a challenge from Deputy Mayor Bob Langford. Council member Matthew McCaffery, former council members Tom Finn and Ginny Miller, and newcomer Frank Ferreri are vying for the council seats, which will go to the top two vote-getters.

[Last modified March 31, 2006, 01:09:18]