Potential Schedule

This action will be to advertise that Council will be holding a public hearing in December. The hearing will be for the capital component and for the maintenance component.

Salvatore T. Territo. Legal Department, City of Tampa, clarified the purpose of the Dec. 18th Public Hearing at Council's meeting on Nov. 15th.

The public hearing is "to set a methodology, not to actually impose the assessment. This gives you the option at a later date, if you want to impose the assessment. If you don't approve the methodology on Dec.18th then you don't have the option of going forward with the Special Assessment [and project]. This gives you the option, you can still say no to the assessment when it comes before you, but you won't have the option of saying yes if you want to go forward."

The result of this public hearing is to provide notice to the Property Appraiser that the City will be using the special assessment procedure. The Hearing will be for the Capital assessment and for the Maintenance assessment. The maintenance component would be held at this position in the processing until June 2009.

Validate Level of Service Areas: April 2008
A report to Council will be prepared that shows the areas that do not meet the Level of Service definitions.

May 2008
Voting procedure implemented on canals to be included in special assessment.

Council Action, Public Hearing: June 2008
Hold a public hearing to validate the roll and establish preliminary rate.

July 2008
Property Appraiser to send out Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices to property owners.

Council Action, Public Hearings/Meetings to Implement Assessments: July/August 2008
These actions (which will probably occur over 3 meetings) will be:
(A) the adoption of a “home rule” procedural ordinance which will specify how the City will utilize its home rule powers to establish waterway management assessment areas and will lay out the general requirements for notice and the content of each initial resolution/final resolution which implements a specific assessment area (this will deliberately general in nature so that the current and any future assessment areas can utilize this as an enabling authority).
(B) the adoption of the specific initial resolution(s) for each of the current assessment area(s) – these will contain the “guts” of the special assessment and describe the purpose, special benefit findings, allocation methodology, annual computations, provisions for prepayment, description of assessed area, set a public hearing date and authorize forms of mailed/published notices, etc. Property owners who wish to use the deferred assessment procedure would make their one-time election prior to an established deadline.
(C) the adoption of the specific final resolution(s) for each of the current assessment area(s) – these will contain the maximum rates for the assessments and final rolls of assessed properties to be submitted to the tax collector as well as confirmation of the collection method and various forms of recorded notices, etc. These resolution(s) will be adopted at the public hearing(s) established and noticed per item (B) above

September 2008
Amortized Assessment Roll electronically transmitted to the Tax Collector.

The schedule from this point may extend based on permits and other external management issues.

January 2009
Final Project plans go out to bid.

Council Action, Public Hearing: June 2009
Public Hearing to establish the roll and rate for the maintenance assessment.

Council Action, Public Hearings (2): October September 2009
The capital assessment would be part of the “regular” budget process as long as no change in rate is proposed. The “new” maintenance assessment would show up for the first time.

December 2012
Re-survey of the canals to inspect for LOS deficiencies. Plan to address LOS deficiencies to be implemented.