Budget. Parks. Community

Hallandale Budget Hearing...



This past Monday Hallandale Beach City Commission held the first of two public hearings for the 2014-2015 annual budget. The budget was passed with the roll back millage rate of 5.1918 mills. This is reduction from last year. I recently wrote that we were planning on utilizing only 5,800 dollars of reserve funding as discussed and adopted at our workshop. After making adjustments prompted by the commission, staff came back with a finalized budget that did not use reserves at all. We will be adding 80,000 to our reserve fund.



In basic terms homesteaded property owners will see a decrease in their taxes due to the roll back rate. Taxes on non-homesteaded properties will depend on the assed valuations. There were no increases in any fees. If you reside in one of the two safe neighborhood districts the millage rate remained the same. These rates were not reduced due to the fact the districts are make improvements to camera systems and the neighborhoods wanted to maintain the level services.



The city has maintained in some cases increased services this budget. As I have shared with our readers we continue to move the city forward by making strategic improvements to our infrastructure. We are opening two new parks, installing automated water meters, setting and the stage for a comprehensive citywide camera system to improve safety, designing and beginning to build a brand new main fire station and conducting a complete street audit in preparation of upgrading areas that do not have sidewalks, lighting, proper drainage and other basic amenities.

The next and final budget hearing will be held on Tuesday September 30th starting at 6 PM in City Hall Chambers.



SOUTH BEACH AND NORTH BEACH MOVING FORWARD…



Over the past few weeks I have had the opportune to meet with many groups to discuss the budget and our Parks GO Bond. During those meeting a few question stood out that I would like to share with our readers. Our North and South Beach parks are under construction. There is some confusion over the north beach facility that needs to address. This park is a city park and will remain a city park. The developer of Beachwalk has paid for and is performing all the construction as part of their development agreement.



As part of the DA they can recommend a vendor for the concessions but the vendor must be approved by the city commission. More importantly the concession agreement must be approved by the commission at a public meeting. The city manager will be negotiation charges for service, operational hours, security controls and other operation aspects along with the developer to ensure we have a quality venue. It has also been made clear to the developer and vendor that a Hallandale Beach resident rate for services must be part of the concession agreement.



This is not a private club and not for the exclusive use of Beachwalk. Just as South Beach has a concession area where you can rent chairs umbrellas and pay for refreshments. The city will receive a shared revenue from the operations. The North Beach vendor will be guaranteeing a minimum of 60,000 dollars of revenue up front annually and then a percent of sales. This item will be placed on the agenda when ready. Currently the North Park is schedule for a February opening and South Beach in January.



HELP NEEDED BY DONATION FOOD AND CLOTHING...



Another good question was about where resident scan donate old clothes and slightly used household items. Our city is very fortunate to have a human service department called The Hepburn Center located at the corner of MLK Blvd. (NW 8th Ave.)and Foster Road. They have a small thrift shop that helps to benefit the needy. There is a food pantry run by the center that provides food distribution to qualified residents. Residents can also drop off canned or unopened dry goods to help keep the pantry stocked.



I have also been asked about the city’s comprehensive planning efforts. Our city does have a comprehensive plan. It addresses everything having to do with development and the level of service for water, waste water, sanitation, drainage, affordable housing, transportation, schools open space, etc. The plan is reviewed and amended every five years.



HALLANDALE ADDRESSING REDEVELOPMENT PLAN...



The city also has a Master Plan to guide redevelopment. This focuses on where and what types of development our residents want to maintain. The city has hired Treasure Coast Planning to develop the guidelines for the master plan. After many months of meeting with residents, property owners developers and focus groups the first draft was presented to the Planning and Zoning Board last month for discussion. On September at 6 PM the P&Z Board will be reviewing the item again to provide recommendations to the commission.



P&Z meetings along with all our commission meetings and CRA Board meetings are televised on Comcast Community Channel and streamed live and recorded on our website. I continue to encourage everyone to sign up on our website site at www.cohb.org to be notified of all our meetings and upcoming events. You will also find robust accessible public information on all our services, departments and financial information.



I want to wish all our Jewish friends and neighbors a blessed and peaceful New Year.



As always, please feel free to contact me anytime with your question concerns and ideas to make our city a better place at office 954-457-1318, cell/text 954-632-5700 or visit my website at www.MayorJoyCooper.com