Water rate increase likely in High Springs

 High Springs residents will have to find a way to stay afloat despite higher billing rates in the coming year.

Despite efforts to avoid it, the High Springs City Commission voted last week to adopt a tentative budget that includes a $3 monthly rate increase for water, making the base rate for billing $6.03, rather than the current $3.03.

Since the beginning of August, the commission has met numerous times to tackle balancing the budget for fiscal year 2010-2011.

Staff and commissioners stayed at City Hall as late as midnight on more than one occasion, debating cuts and crunching numbers.

From the beginning of the budget process, all four commissioners, as well as the mayor, emphasized their priority to keep the financial burden on citizens to a minimum. Before the initial draft was presented, they directed City Manager Jim Drumm to prepare the budget with that in mind.  

Leading up to and going through budget revisions, the commission didn’t raise the ad valorem tax rate, and they didn’t increase the fire assessment fee. They also opted to extend the city’s temporary suspension of sewer impact fees, and agreed on pay cuts for the commission and city staff.

As commissioners continued to struggle to come up with ways for the city to make ends meet without increasing residents’ expenses, it became apparent that they would have to make a choice.

Because High Springs property values have dropped for the second year in a row, this year a decrease of about eight percent, the same tax rate will yield less revenue in the coming year.

The city is also experiencing a drop in tax revenue due to foreclosures, along with increased expenses for utilities.

Facing a budget shortfall, commissioners could not agree on an alternative to the water rate increase.

There will be one additional public hearing, scheduled to be held Sept. 27, after which the budget will be finalized.