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Politics

Water district to put expansion to a vote

In December, affected voters can decide on a request by the Homosassa water district.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published October 31, 2006

HOMOSASSA - Less than a month after the general election, a group of residents here will head back to the polls.

But only one issue will be on their ballots in the Dec. 5 referendum: whether the boundaries of the Homosassa Special Water District should expand.

That, according to officials with the nonprofit taxing district, would lead to increased revenue and better services for more residents. But opponents of the proposed expansion say the service is unnecessary and costs too much.

Three possible expansion areas are on the table: Halls River Estates, Spring Gardens and a large area surrounding Grover Cleveland Boulevard. For detailed maps, go to www.homosassawater.com.

Residents in those areas and the existing district, which includes more than 5,000 customers, will have the final say.

In order for a new area to become part of the district, residents living there and residents within the existing district boundaries must approve adding that area.

Requests to hook up from customers living outside the existing district sparked the referendum, district board chairwoman Diane Schultz said.

"This district exists. It's going to continue. It's not going bankrupt," she said. "The driver was people contacting us and saying, 'We want water.' "

The boundary changes would be the first to the water district since the 1980s, superintendent David Purnell said.

Purnell said it's difficult to estimate how many new customers would be included in the proposed expansion, because many lots in those areas are vacant. Estimating the costs for new customers is also difficult, he said, without knowing detailed costs for building water lines.

Currently, the district's millage rate is 0.6948. One mill equals $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessed, nonexempt real property.

That means the owner of a home assessed at $150,000 who takes the standard $25,000 homestead exemption would pay $86.85 in water district taxes.

New customers would have to pay about $600 to connect to a water meter, Purnell said, in addition to paying for monthly usage. He said the average monthly water bill for customers in the district is $18.25.

New customers in areas where district water lines don't exist would also have to pay for the construction of new water lines. Costs could run at least $8 to $21 per foot.

The expansion has been in the works for years, Schultz said. In June, Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill paving the way for the referendum.

James Collins, who lives south of Grover Cleveland Boulevard in the largest proposed expansion area, said district officials haven't done enough to inform voters about possible changes.

Collins, 63, said he found out about the proposal accidentally when he attended a district board meeting in September. Since then, he's been trying to get the word out, distributing about 150 homemade fliers to neighbors and businesses along Grover Cleveland.

"A lot of senior citizens can't afford this," he said.

Local opposition has been mounting.

Lillian Baner, who owns Country Feed on Grover Cleveland, said she's talked about the proposed expansion regularly with her customers. Nearly all of them, she said, plan to vote against it.

"We're getting decent water out of these wells. ... They're offering us something we don't need right now," said Baner, who will not be able to vote on the expansion because she does not live in a proposed expansion area.

Schultz said the district has publicly discussed the proposed expansion at numerous meetings. Officials hosted an open house Monday and are scheduled to speak at the Homosassa Civic Club meeting next week.

And eventually, she said, the district will send out information in the mail.

"We felt like if we tried to send out fliers before the November election, it would get lost," Schultz said.

The referendum will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Homosassa Civic Club, 10974 W Creek Lane, Homosassa.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

[Last modified October 31, 2006, 08:59:47]