City of 14,000 may dissolve

Broward County tax reform vote will decide West Park's fate.

WEST PARK - A south Florida city of 14,000 could be the first of its size to dissolve if Broward County voters choose property tax changes that would save individual homeowners but drain what little tax base the city has left.

The struggling city of West Park, comprised of four low-income, blue-collar neighborhoods, is down to three employees. City authorities also recently raised fees for fire services and garbage collection by $206 a year - a hefty increase for a community where the average income is $29,000 a year, according to the latest U.S. Census figures.

County residents will decide West Park's fate in January.

City Administrator Russell Benford said homeowners based their 2004 referendum measure to establish the city on a flawed study paid for by the county. At the time, commissioners were aiming to rid the county of unincorporated areas by 2010.

"We have to point the finger at ourselves," said West Park Commissioner Felicia Brunson, who helped spearhead incorporation efforts. "We didn't ask the right questions, but we didn't really know any better."

West Park's potential dissolution would make Florida history. There is no state record of the dissolution of a city with as many residents as West Park. Most involve only a few hundred people, said Lynn Tipton of the Florida League of Cities.

Golfview in Palm Beach County had only 140 residents when it disbanded 10 years ago to make way for airport expansion.

"There is no modern precedent for a city that size. It would be historic," Tipton said.

The last Broward city to fold was Hacienda Village in 1984, which caved to make way for a major highway.

[Last modified August 27, 2007, 00:47:24]