ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy recently presented his $10.4 million proposed capital plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The plan was based on a proposed 1.75 tentative millage rate that would have lowered taxes for city residents and provided an estimated $1.21 million contingency fund to cover unanticipated expenses or project expenditures.
In a desire to give Anna Maria property owners an even greater property tax decrease, commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of setting the tentative millage rate at 1.65, creating a slightly lower anticipated contingency fund of $987,000.
When presenting his plan to city commissioners on July 25, Murphy broke the proposed capital improvement project expenditures into two main categories – existing projects that were previously budgeted for but not yet completed, and new projects that were previously discussed but not budgeted for until now.
EXISTING PROJECTS
The capital plan proposes spending a total of $6.94 million on existing capital projects.
Murphy’s capital plan proposes spending $250,000 on street and road paving and maintenance. That marks a significant decrease from the $673,000 budgeted for the current 2023-24 fiscal year that ends on Sept 30. Murphy said Anna Maria’s streets and roads have all been repaved in recent years and are in good shape, with no existing potholes that he’s aware of, but there’s still some pavement striping needed.
“I get compliments on our roads,” Murphy said.
The capital plan proposes spending $3.65 million for new Pine Avenue sidewalks, using money carried over from the current fiscal year. The sidewalk installations will be primarily funded by a state appropriation and some additional state and federal funds being carried over from the current fiscal year. Murphy said no ad valorem property tax revenues will be used to fund the sidewalk installations.
The capital plan proposes spending $2.47 million for stormwater and drainage improvements and $525,235 for stormwater and drainage maintenance.
NEW PROJECTS
The capital plan proposes spending $3.5 million on new capital projects previously discussed by the commission.
The plan proposes spending $70,000 to install shade sails above the children’s playground at City Pier Park, and $75,000 to install some type of shade structure above the city-owned uncovered deck area at the T-end of the City Pier.
The plan proposes spending $288,000 to construct a stand-alone comfort station near the Island Players building and public parking lot next to the Island Players. Featuring public restrooms and an outdoor shower for beachgoers and other visitors, the comfort station will be built using tourist development tax revenues received from Manatee County. The capital plan proposes spending an additional $175,000 to redesign and reconfigure that public parking lot to make it more efficient and more disabled-accessible.
The capital plan proposes spending $305,000 in resiliency grant funds to replace the city hall roof and install hurricane windows and hurricane doors.
The plan includes $95,000 in state funds to study a long-term alternative to dredging the Lake La Vista jetty entrance every two or three years. The plan also includes $2.49 million to remove the silt left behind by Hurricane Idalia in 2023 that covers and renders ineffective many of the city’s drainage trenches.
