I am heaing rumblings of a move by a group in Walton County that wants to place a referendum on the November Ballot to repeal the 1% discreationary sales tax. They seek to redirect those funds (12.5 million LY) to widen CO HWY 3280 and build a bypass around DeFuniak Springs and other paving projects.
The current 1% tax goes to pay for your garbage collection, Economic Development, operate the County landfill, and pay for Capital Improvements, like the court house, jail and the expanding parks in Freeport, South Walton and DeFuniak Springs, and 1.5 million for paving projects.
They propose that we individually pay for garbage and refuge collection (estimated at about $35.00 per month - in todays dollars), and further reduce the capital projects funding.
If this referendum were approved by the Board of County Commissioners would you be in support of this effort ?
Replies
33
SoWal Insider
So does that mean I saved you $30 a month? Kewl! lol
I gave rep for that!!!!!!!!! Thanks
Beach Fanatic
Seems like a bad idea to me.
Me too. Thanks for your explanation, Rebel. I think I have the picture now. I pay $360 a year so the developers can get their roads paved. You gotta give them credit for ingenuity, though.
Who would have thought you could solve the traffic concurrency problem by hijacking the garbage trucks. :shock:
SoWal Insider
Me too. Thanks for your explanation, Rebel. I think I have the picture now. I pay $360 a year so the developers can get their roads paved. You gotta give them credit for ingenuity, though.
Who would have thought you could solve the traffic concurrency problem by hijacking the garbage trucks. :shock:
Sounds like an episode of the Sopranos............Bada Bing
Beach LoverAuthor
RebelRider -
You are a day late and a dollar short ! Have all the blue bags you want - you are going to be paying for them.
Notice of Special Meeting to Discuss
Four-Laning of Highway 331
The Walton County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:00 noon at the South Walton Courthouse Annex located at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., Santa Rosa Beach, FL. The Commission will be meeting with Representative Ray Sansom to discuss the four-laning of Highway 331.
You are a day late and a dollar short ! Have all the blue bags you want - you are going to be paying for them.
Notice of Special Meeting to Discuss
Four-Laning of Highway 331
The Walton County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:00 noon at the South Walton Courthouse Annex located at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., Santa Rosa Beach, FL. The Commission will be meeting with Representative Ray Sansom to discuss the four-laning of Highway 331.
Beach Lover
You need to read this carefully.
Can you read between the lines - goodby garbage collection.
From the WZEP News
Walton Commissioners Meet With Sansom
Not letting any opportunity go, the Walton Commissioners met with Representative Ray Sansom to discuss the needs of four lanes for all of U.S. 331. While most of the numbers and current work has not changed, the commissioners pitched their desire to see construction move forward. The meeting also noted a change towards the positive, the state will allow the use of the causeway for a new bridge.
Previous the state has said they would not let a new bridge be built unless it was from shore to shore. The requirement pushed the cost up tremendously. FDOT, DEP and County staff have been looking at alternatives, including a toll bridge, and now the state has agreed to using the current causeway. This means a drop back to $300 million for a new bridge to supplement the current Clyde Wells bride across the bay. County officials have not been receptive of a toll bridge since there is no other driving option if one was built. One reason a new bridge is needed is to help with emergency evacuation. Walton is reported to have the second slowest evacuation time next to Key West.
Sansom is scheduled to become the Speaker of the House in November. He told the commissioners and other assembled, the Northwest Florida Delegation has 331 as a high priority. He said he wants to build partnerships between the state and local government.
Walton Administrator Ronnie Bell agreed with partnering, but included not just the state and county, but local government and private enterprises. Commissioner Larry Jones said they need a letter from the FDOT to get federal aid moving. Jones and others from Walton recently visited D.C. to push Walton projects including 331 widening. Sansom said he would talk to the FDOT about a letter.
Freeport Mayor Mickey Marse said all growth is practically stopped because of concurrency. Walton County and the cities are working on new state laws requiring private developers to pay for improving transportation. There is also a similar concurrency law being formed for schools. This will mean a higher cost to build homes, resulting in higher costing homes in a slow market. With the uncertainty in how the concurrency law will work, some developers have chosen to not move forward with projects.
DeFuniak Springs Mayor Harold Carpenter said the widening of 331 is vital for his city. Mayor Pro-Tem Buddy Huffman talked about the economic viability and the bottleneck at U.S. 90 and U.S. 331. DeFuniak Springs has been looking at possibilities for a by-pass, secondary loop or other alternative route through or around town. Huffman told Sansom the bottleneck has already contributed to the move of one distributor.
The meeting also had a discussion about an effort to get the dirt to pave measures out of a proposed bill. Dirt to pave is where counties like Walton are trying to pave the dirt roads. While paving has a high up front cost, the long term maintenance can be much less. Dirt roads also contribute to erosion, sediment, stream blockage and stormwater problems. Several years ago Representative Don Brown was successful in getting legislation allowing Walton to pave roads without having to pay the state DEP for extra environmental work. This was based on the understanding the benefits of the paved road are greater than any problems construction over sensitive areas would generate. Walton has its own paving crew and claims it can pave at a cost about half what a private contractor can do. Apparently road paving contractors are working for legislation changes that will make local government paving not as viable an option.
Can you read between the lines - goodby garbage collection.
From the WZEP News
Walton Commissioners Meet With Sansom
Not letting any opportunity go, the Walton Commissioners met with Representative Ray Sansom to discuss the needs of four lanes for all of U.S. 331. While most of the numbers and current work has not changed, the commissioners pitched their desire to see construction move forward. The meeting also noted a change towards the positive, the state will allow the use of the causeway for a new bridge.
Previous the state has said they would not let a new bridge be built unless it was from shore to shore. The requirement pushed the cost up tremendously. FDOT, DEP and County staff have been looking at alternatives, including a toll bridge, and now the state has agreed to using the current causeway. This means a drop back to $300 million for a new bridge to supplement the current Clyde Wells bride across the bay. County officials have not been receptive of a toll bridge since there is no other driving option if one was built. One reason a new bridge is needed is to help with emergency evacuation. Walton is reported to have the second slowest evacuation time next to Key West.
Sansom is scheduled to become the Speaker of the House in November. He told the commissioners and other assembled, the Northwest Florida Delegation has 331 as a high priority. He said he wants to build partnerships between the state and local government.
Walton Administrator Ronnie Bell agreed with partnering, but included not just the state and county, but local government and private enterprises. Commissioner Larry Jones said they need a letter from the FDOT to get federal aid moving. Jones and others from Walton recently visited D.C. to push Walton projects including 331 widening. Sansom said he would talk to the FDOT about a letter.
Freeport Mayor Mickey Marse said all growth is practically stopped because of concurrency. Walton County and the cities are working on new state laws requiring private developers to pay for improving transportation. There is also a similar concurrency law being formed for schools. This will mean a higher cost to build homes, resulting in higher costing homes in a slow market. With the uncertainty in how the concurrency law will work, some developers have chosen to not move forward with projects.
DeFuniak Springs Mayor Harold Carpenter said the widening of 331 is vital for his city. Mayor Pro-Tem Buddy Huffman talked about the economic viability and the bottleneck at U.S. 90 and U.S. 331. DeFuniak Springs has been looking at possibilities for a by-pass, secondary loop or other alternative route through or around town. Huffman told Sansom the bottleneck has already contributed to the move of one distributor.
The meeting also had a discussion about an effort to get the dirt to pave measures out of a proposed bill. Dirt to pave is where counties like Walton are trying to pave the dirt roads. While paving has a high up front cost, the long term maintenance can be much less. Dirt roads also contribute to erosion, sediment, stream blockage and stormwater problems. Several years ago Representative Don Brown was successful in getting legislation allowing Walton to pave roads without having to pay the state DEP for extra environmental work. This was based on the understanding the benefits of the paved road are greater than any problems construction over sensitive areas would generate. Walton has its own paving crew and claims it can pave at a cost about half what a private contractor can do. Apparently road paving contractors are working for legislation changes that will make local government paving not as viable an option.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
The issue I see with going back to paying for garbage collection is that many folks in the north end would just go back to burning their trash, or taking it to the landfill, or letting it pile up. Some do that now anyway, since they only get pickup once a week compared to our twice-a-week pickup (which isn't fair to NoWal, IMO).
Beach Fanatic
Well that presumes that it would be more or less optional, the way it used to be. I can see SoWal having to do something to insure everyone gets garbage pickup, like adding it onto another utility bill, electricity or water. Somehow I don't think that would work in the north end, and I'm wondering how vacation rental owners, who are already dealing with increased costs for taxes and insurance, would take to an increase in their utility bills, especially for the months when their property sits empty or is lightly used. 
I'm having a hard time thinking of a way to make it fair. And that was one of the reasons why the 1% sales tax was approved by the BCC after voters rejected it.
I'm having a hard time thinking of a way to make it fair. And that was one of the reasons why the 1% sales tax was approved by the BCC after voters rejected it.
Beach Lover
They already have to pay if it is a business or rental property.
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