State Of Parkland: Bright But Budget Cuts Loom

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

The outlook for Parkland is rosy but may have some thorns.
Parkland Mayor Michael Udine recently discussed the city’s 2007 accomplishments and looked at the year ahead in his State of the City address.
“Things are going extremely well right now in the city,” said Udine at a recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas Partners meeting. “The last few years we have been a fiscally responsible city that provides residents with quality services. We’ve lowered our mileage rate two years ago.”
However, Udine admitted that the year ahead would be fiscally challenging due to the passage of the property tax amendment.
“Our biggest challenge after the tax vote will be maintaining supreme services with less revenue,” said Udine. “But Parkland is up for the challenge.”
The city’s leisure services department will take some cuts but at the same time will gain other services. Budget cuts have already cut hours at the Parkland library.
On the other side of the coin, the city has recently unveiled its new amphitheater and YMCA at the community center.
“There is a misconception about the community center and the YMCA. The community center was never going to be a free facility before we decided to partner with the YMCA. This partnership is an $800,000 savings to the city,” he said.
Other entertainment services include a monthly concert series at the amphitheatre at no cost instead of having only one major concert a year. A monthly Farmer’s Market, sports leagues, and ice cream socials will also be available to residents.
Environment Friendly
Parkland is also leading the way in the green movement.
“We’re taking steps that are not only leading the state but the nation in environmental issues. We’re offering rebates for the environmentally conscious for driving hybrid cars and for solar heating,” Udine said.
In April, Parkland will be the first city in Broward to have single stream recycling for garbage. A single stream recycling program will eliminate the need to sort recyclable materials by allowing residents to fill up a Waste Management provided 64-gallon rollout cart with all recyclable materials mixed together.
Housing Market
The depressed housing market has hit residents statewide and Parkland is no exception. The city has laid off three inspectors in its building department due to budget cuts.
“There are not enough new permits coming in to keep these people on the building staff. It’s the first time we’ve had to lay off people in the building department,” he said, adding, “WCI has slowed down the building of new homes. Hopefully this issue will correct itself sooner rather than later.”
Property Taxes
The passage of the property tax amendment will play a major role in the fiscal climate of the city. About 75 percent of Parkland residents voted for property tax cuts.
“What this says to me is that people are hungry for property tax relief,” Udine said.
What it also foreshadows is a loss of funding for city services. Udine predicts about $700,000 a year lost to tax revenue for the additional homestead.
“It’s going to take a hit on Parkland and how we provide services to our residents. The city cannot sponsor as many events as we have in the past,” he said.
The Mayor concluded, “But Parkland is up for the challenge.”

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