Pinellas County - Clearwater Beach - Sand Key - Belleair Shore/Beach
Indian Rocks Beach - Indian Shores - Redington Shores - No. Redington Beach
Redington Beach - Madeira Beach - Treasure Island - St. Pete Beach
North Redington Beach news
By Aaron M. Coder
NORTH REDINGTON BEACH — The Board of Commissioners assembled Thursday, Sept. 11 to adopt a millage
rate and budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
Vice Mayor Jerry Knight said the board decided to retain the current millage rate of 0.7511 mills, resulting in a rate eight percent lower than the projected increase for the coming year’s “rollback” rate.
The municipal government uses the millage, a tax based on property values, to help fund operating expenses.
Mayor Bill Queen, absent from the meeting, explained at an earlier hearing the projected increase of the millage rate would have offset a loss of revenue due to an overall decrease in property values. He said the board ultimately decided to maintain the current millage rate to help ease financial strain on residents during the current economic downturn.
The mayor indicated North Redington Beach boasted the lowest millage rate of any municipality in Pinellas County that keeps a staff on payroll.
Mayor Queen was attending the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s 2008 Conference held at
the South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island.
Commissioners take aim at offshore drilling
At the Aug. 28 meeting the board of commissioners spent several minutes focused on the prospect of offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and any possible impact it may have on the beaches and local economy. The issue was raised just nine days after Republican presidential candidate John McCain touted his drilling-friendly energy policy from the deck of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and at a time when members of Congress are pushing legislation to extend drilling leases to oil and gas companies looking to place additional oil rigs offshore, including in the Gulf of Mexico.
Fears of sunsets obscured by offshore platforms and tar balls washed up on beaches were cited by members of the board, along with complaints of rising energy costs and the risks associated with dependence on foreign sources of crude oil.
Vice Mayor Jerry Knight said the issue had also been raised at a recent meeting of the Barrier Islands Government Council and that the BIG-C was considering passing a resolution* to oppose offshore drilling. Knight recommended an official letter be sent to the council stating the town’s position in support of
the resolution.
“The fallacy is that if you extend the leases, it’s going to lower the price of gasoline,” Knight said. He suggested the issue was more about political pandering to energy companies than about rising energy costs or security. “It’s just a red herring that someone needs to stand up to,” he added.
Mayor Queen is the town’s delegate to the BIG-C. He suggested it was up to each member of the board and the public to do research, but stated his position in opposition of drilling. “Our economy on this coast is based on tourism. If we lose our beaches, we lose our economy.”
Commissioner Gary Curtis suggested the topic required more research. “I need to be educated as to what it means to drill off our coast,” he said, but added that he would ultimately stand behind the board’s decision and motioned to draft a letter to oppose offshore drilling. The motion passed unanimously.
*The resolution passed.
10|01|08