Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Mosquito control services will cost Monroe County property owners another $6 per $100,000 of assessed value, rather than the $13 increase initially proposed.

Despite the increase due to declining property values, the rate is 5 percent below rollback -- the tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue as last year -- instead of the initially proposed rate that was 11.5 percent over rollback.

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board on Monday whittled its controversial budget to almost $18.4 million, instead of the initially proposed $19.1 million. The board also approved a 0.43 property tax rate, which equates to $43 per $100,000 assessed value, instead of the initially proposed $50.

Axed from the budget were the proposed 5 percent merit salary increases for staff, including Director Edsel Fussell; the purchase of an additional vehicle; and hiring an additional biologist Fussell said was needed to use new technology to test mosquitoes for certain diseases, such as dengue and West Nile.

"I'm not in favor of merit raises," board Chairwoman Joan Lord-Papy said. "No one else in Monroe County is getting raises."

Commissioner Charles W. Langstaff, who represents the area east of Tavernier Creek, was the lone dissenting vote, saying he was concerned the district would not be prepared in case of emergency.

"By cutting the budget down to below rollback, we are not going to have money to do anything," he said. "We need to have some money in our pocket ... I don't want to see dengue here."

Two cases of dengue fever were confirmed in Key West this month, and the Monroe County Health Department and mosquito control are responding with more testing, education and spraying.

The board also cut $275,000 destined for reserve funds, which now total almost $3.6 million.

The cuts were made as Commissioner Bill Shaw read down a list of items he felt could be cut; some received consensus from the rest of the board while others did not.

One of the big-ticket items the board preserved was $1 million to buy the Stock Island building it now leases from the city of Key West, or another suitable property in the Lower Keys.

"We need to start looking at where we can locate a facility in Key West," Commissioner Steve Smith said.

At the start of the meeting, several residents expressed concern about the proposed property tax rate increase.

"To come in and ask for anything above rollback is insulting to the entire taxpayers of this county," Big Pine Key resident Bob Hubbard said.

rbusweiler@keysnews.com