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Letter to the editor

New capital budget targets drainage

The proposed $1.3-million plan also would fund new signs, restrooms and more.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published June 6, 2007

SEMINOLE - City officials released a proposed capital improvements budget Monday that looks a lot like the current capital budget, with most money earmarked for drainage improvements.

The $1.3-million budget for expenditures on "bricks and mortar" type projects also includes restrooms at Tennis Park, ornamental stop/street signs and street improvements.

The bulk of the money - $577, 405 or about 44 percent - would go to drainage improvements. This year's capital budget is a bit smaller than last year's $1.4-million plan.

Seminole's capital budget is only part of the overall city budget, which is about $18-million for the 2006-07 fiscal year. The largest part of that is the operating budget. Officials have not yet released the proposed operating budget for the coming year.

The operating budget has been delayed while the Legislature tries to solve the state's property tax crisis. But officials were able to work out the capital budget because much of the money is already there, said Harry Kyne, Seminole's director of administration.

City officials know that they will have to do certain things, such as repair roads, so they put aside a set amount of money each year. Then, when the roads need to be fixed, the city already has the money and the budget does not take a big hit.

It's the same thing many people do in their own budgets, Kyne said. If someone knows they need to buy a car in five years, they can save the money now and pay cash later rather than having to finance the car or come up with a large sum of money at one time.

With the capital budget comes a five-year overview of city plans, including the designs for a senior center and a public works facility. Those designs are in the current capital budget and are being done now.

New to the plan are restrooms at the soccer field. Seminole plans to earmark $120, 000 for those in the 2008-09 capital budget.

But that may not be all.

Kyne said the council plans to discuss the possibility of adding to the long-term plans construction of a building to house the Seminole Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society. Money for that project would come from the Penny for Pinellas program.

[Last modified June 5, 2007, 22:25:40]