Just because it's a small city doesn't mean it's been dull

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER, Times Staff Writer
Published December 27, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Richard Rober was elected mayor of Port Richey in April. Jerry Calhoun left in August to take a job in Iraq advising local governments.

PORT RICHEY - Keeping with its reputation as a hotbed for controversy, this little city spent the year tackling some of the same old issues: dredging, dissolution and the changing face of the City Council.

By the year's end, the city of 3,200 decided not to dissolve, lost a city manager and wrangled over the budget longer than places twice its size.

City officials say next year the city will end its reliance on New Port Richey for water by utilizing two new wells that will be up and running by the spring, just as a new election season rolls around.

And they have high hopes of securing permits to dredge the city's 29 canals, and finding another city manager.

Here's a rundown of the city's most notable 2007 events:

-In April, voters rejected a nonbinding referendum - 54 to 45 percent - to spend $250,000 or more to dissolve the city. Meanwhile, Richard Rober was elected mayor after defeating incumbent Mark Abbott and Stephen Johnston of the now-defunct political action committee Port Richey Citizens for Lower Taxes.

Voters also elected Mark Hashim, who ran on a platform to dissolve the city, to the council. Hashim joined three other council members - Nancy Britton, Steven O'Neill and Dale Massad - who joined the council last year after signing a pro-dissolution petition.

-In August, then-City Manager Jerry Calhoun left to take a job in Iraq advising local governments. Soon after, Jim Mathieu, the city attorney, was appointed to serve as interim city manager.

-In September, the council abruptly cut the proposed tax rate from 4.163 mills to 3.9 mills, creating a shortfall of $117,000. After a round of budget workshops, the council pulled money from reserves to cover the shortfall. Then, it adopted the tax rate of 3.9 mills. A mill produces $1 in tax for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Also in September, the search began for someone to replace Mathieu as city manager. After a round of interviews, the council narrowed the 35 applicants to four. By December, all four had turned down the job, placing the council back at square one.

As the month came to a close, a memo surfaced alleging that the city's first public safety director, Mathias J. Brewi, used the "n" word during a conversation with then-police Chief Bill Sager. Brewi defended his usage of the word, saying he was paraphrasing someone else.

-In October, the City Council voted unanimously in favor of a recommendation by the Port Authority Board to find a backup consulting firm to work on the city's sputtering dredging project. About $457,000 has been spent so far without obtaining permits for the project. Meanwhile, the council wants the LPA Group to finish the work it started last year on the 29 canals.

-In December, city officials discovered they've been losing about a quarter of their water supply for at least the past three years. At $500,000 per year, city officials are trying to find out who owes them $1.5-million or more.

Camille C. Spencer can be reached at 727 869-6229 or cspencer@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 26, 2007, 21:46:25]