St. Petersburg voters could be asked to decide on new tax to upgrade infrastructure
City officials are responding with a plan to fast-track resiliency projects that had been scheduled to begin in a decade or later.
How to fund that plan — $614 million to do some of the needed projects within the next five years — remains an open question. The city is already doing some upgrades funded through utility bill increases. But council members are considering bringing voters a referendum to pay for upgrades with a new property tax in lieu of hiking utility rates again for the plan.
City Council members will continue the discussion in future committee meetings. But if ultimately approved by around May, voters would see a referendum on their November 2026 ballot to decide whether they want a new cost on property tax bills to accelerate planned resiliency projects.
Among the identified projects are improvements to stormwater drainage and wastewater collection systems, stormwater flood protection and pump stations and wastewater treatment facilities.
'I understand not wanting to put more debt onto future generations,' council member Brandi Gabbard said. 'Our city is less desirable, less sustainable and less resilient for future generations if we don't act now.'
If approved with a majority vote, the referendum would authorize taking out general obligation bonds to be paid back over 30 years. Projects would begin following the second quarter of 2027.
City officials said they wanted to spread the burden of paying for upgrades to renters, tenants and property owners through a combination of both hiked utility rates increases and an extra property tax. And the city would have more cash up front take on less debt. The city is also expecting to use $25 million from a federal disaster grant to go toward the total tab.
But some council members didn't embrace the idea of large utility bill increases.
'The rate increases by themselves, without this program, are starting to become unsustainable,' said council member Mike Harting. 'Selling this on top of that is just one more reason that I think it becomes more difficult to look at rate increases.'
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