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Letter to the editor

A challenging - but successful - year

That how Clearwater officials sum things up, though a critic says the city is headed in the wrong direction.

By MIKE DONILA, Times Staff Writer
Published November 17, 2007

CLEARWATER - More beach parking is desperately needed, and at least half a dozen businesses have closed because of construction on the city's BeachWalk and Cleveland Street makeover projects.

But overall, it's been a successful, albeit challenging, year for Clearwater, city leaders say.

City Manager Bill Horne had planned to deliver his annual "state of the city" speech to the City Council on Thursday night, but he postponed it until early December because ofa sore throat.

Earlier this week, however, Horne discussed his conclusions, which will be included in Clearwater's annual city report distributed on Thanksgiving as an insert in the St. Petersburg Times.

Horne said Clearwater still strives to maintain the vision it established several years ago when officials held public meetings and asked residents to list services they wanted to see improved.

Looking ahead, Horne said he expects that at some point next year - whether through public statewide referendum or Legislature-driven mandates - cities across Florida will again be forced to cut down on the amount of property tax revenues theycan collect.

This year, the city cut close to $4-million from its budget, eliminated some jobs and services, consolidated the beach library and recreation center, reduced library operating hours and eliminated some landscaping initiatives.

But more cutbacks could be "unavoidable" if on Jan. 29 Florida voters approve proposed expansions of the Save Our Homes tax cap and the state's property tax exemption for homesteads, he warned.

Mayor Frank Hibbard said he, too, is happy with the city's progress, adding, "I don't think you'll see as many large-scale projects going forward. I think we'll refocus a lot of our efforts on neighborhoods, traffic-calming and police protection."

Not everyone, however, is satisfied with the direction in which the city is headed.

Anne Garris, a frequent critic of the City Council, said the "willingness of the officials to listen to the average citizen is considerably less than it used to be."

She said the city doesn't spend money wisely and doesn't put together long-range plans, something city leaders deny.

"We have a whole lot more tax income coming in than in the past, and we can't keep our libraries and recreation centers open," said Garris, a member of Save the Bayfront, which has battled City Hall over a number of proposals to build along the downtown waterfront. "I don't know where the money is spent, but cutting back on services is not the way to run a city."

Mike Donila can be reached at mdonila@sptimes.com or 727 445-4160.

City highlights

While the economic climate has been fickle, Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne says the city has tried to set its priorities on a solid foundation. Among his highlights are:

- Public safety: Violent crime has dropped 13 percent this year. The Clearwater Police Department has upped its efforts to combat human trafficking through grants. The fire department broke ground on a state-of-the-art training facility on Belcher Road.

- Economic development: The BeachWalk promenade is moving along. The Sandpearl Resort opened on the beach. The $10-million Cleveland Street rehabilitation effort should be wrapped up by mid-December.

- Infrastructure: The city made improvements along Coronado Drive, one of the beach's main thoroughfares, and construction on the Mandalay Channel pedestrian bridge began.

- Quality of life: The city has begun building a library addition at the city's beach recreation center.

-Human resources: The city cut back on its workforce mostly through attrition and continued to develop and expand its employee wellness program.

FAST FACTS

City highlights

While the economic climate has been fickle, Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne says the city has tried to set its priorities on a solid foundation. Among his highlights are:

- Public safety: Violent crime has dropped 13 percent this year. The Clearwater Police Department has upped its efforts to combat human trafficking through grants. In addition, the Fire Department broke ground on a state-of-the-art training facility on Belcher Road.

- Economic development: The BeachWalk promenade is moving along. The Sandpearl Resort opened on the beach. The $10-million Cleveland Street rehabilitation effort should be wrapped up by mid-December.

- Infrastructure: The city made improvements along Coronado Drive - one of the beach's main thoroughfares - and construction on the Mandalay Channel pedestrian bridge began.

- Quality of life: The city has begun building a library addition at the city's beach recreation center.

-Human resources: The city cut back on its workforce, mostly through attrition, and continued to develop and expand its employee wellness program.

[Last modified November 16, 2007, 21:56:18]