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Paul “Andy” Stewart
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Tab 11
Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
September 7, 2010
Dundee Budget Called No-Frills; Taxes Steady
Author: Rick Rousos
DUNDEE The Town Council is expected to this month approve a $5.4 million budget for the
2010-11 budget year described by city supervisors as no-frills and bare bones. The budget for the
fiscal year which starts Oct. 1 has the same tax rate as now, $7 per each $1,000 of assessed
property value.
The number of full-time employee staff will shrink from 23 this fiscal year to 20 in the 2010-11
year. Nobody is getting fired, but three jobs were eliminated after people left them. The part-time
staff will be reduced from nine to seven. There will be no employee raises.
The $5.4 million budget is slightly less than half of this year's $11 million budget. But most of
the difference comes from spending $4.6 million to build a water treatment plant. That money
came from a loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Town Manager Andy Stewart said city will pay an additional $130,000 in debt service for the
water treatment in 2011, but there is no plan in place to raise water rates. Town Clerk Joe
DeLegge said another challenge is the reduction in property tax collection.
In this 2009-10 fiscal year, property tax collections will total $1.13 million, but in the 2011 fiscal
year, that number will slide to $914,939. That 19 percent drop of $218,886 mirrors a 19 percent
decrease in assessed property values.
The town will have two public hearings on the budget, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Sept. 28 at
Town Hall, 105 Center St. The budget is expected to be passed at the second hearing.
Stewart said the town is hoping growth along U.S. 27 will pick up and generate more tax
money.
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