By Lisa ZahnerSEBASTIAN — Though the City Council intends to lower residents’ taxes when the final budget comes down in September, members voted Wednesday to retain the flexibility to be able to address urgent needs and public concerns when the budget is aired in August.As a housekeeping matter for filing requirements, the City must forward on a maximum millage rate to the Property Appraiser so homeowners can get an estimated tax bill for the coming year. The rate of 3.8038 approved at the City Council meeting is called the roll-back rate, meaning that it would generate the same amount of tax dollars as last year’s rate of 3.3456. Millage is the amount per $1,000 that is used to calculate property taxes. On a home valued at $150,000 – a millage rate of 3.3456 would equate to $518.40.Though City Manager Al Minner and the Council hope to be able to settle on last year’s rate once the budget is further tweaked and heard by the public in August, they wanted to leave that space — amounting to about a half million dollars — should urgent needs arise once the public has the time to digest and pick apart the significant cuts proposed for 2009-2010.The cuts, which include furloughing City employees one day each month, not filling the Deputy Police Chief position and reorganizing administrative departments to share more work among fewer people, are in response to a 12 percent reduction in property values in the City of Sebastian due to the economic conditions and massive job loss in the North County causing people to move out, often abandoning homes.To balance the 2009-2010 budget as it stands without raising taxes, the City will need to take $260,000 out of reserves. Minner announced during the meeting that the City was not awarded a community policing grant that would have paid for two extra police officers through federal stimulus dollars and that Council should take up the question of whether to fill those positions.Ed Herlihy, chair of the Citizens Budget Review Advisory Board, urged the council to keep the millage at last year’s rate, due to worries over further cuts in the coming year.”Our committee was really concerned and continues to be concerned about where we’re heading in 2011,” he said. “The 2011 budget will be based on 2009 valuations.”The Sebastian budget workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m. August 24 in Council Chambers at City Hall on Main Street in Sebastian.
