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Strings attached to state funds
County asked to assume
$200 million debt for sewers
BY TRAVIS
JAMES TRITTEN
keysnews.com
The Florida Keys could
be close to a state funding windfall that would protect hammocks and
uplands threatened by growth -- $93 million from the Department of
Environmental Protection to purchase thousands of acres.
And there could be at
least $20 million more in funding through the Department of Community
Affairs, plus much-needed money to build affordable housing for
struggling police, teachers and other workers.
But to maintain the
state's good favor and funding commitments, the county has to heed a
pricey caveat.
It must improve its
poor record of environmental progress by ponying up a whopping $200
million for sewer upgrades across the archipelago, DCA Secretary Colleen
Castille said.
"Any person can look
at [the county's record on wastewater and land conservation] and say
gosh, it doesn't look like much progress has been made," she said.
That is the gist of
statistics Castille is putting together for Gov. Jeb Bush and the state
Cabinet.
Castille will report
Keys environmental progress to the governor and Cabinet in December, and
she said a $200 million commitment by the county is crucial to whether
her assessment will be positive or negative.
The $200 million could
come through bonds, not new taxes on residents, Castille said.
The most the county
has ever bonded out for a particular project is $30 million for the
Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island, County Administrator Jim
Roberts said.
"There is some
question whether all that is needed for wastewater and there is some
question whether the county can go into that debt," Roberts said.
The debt would be paid
through an existing infrastructure sales tax, but that revenue source
will expire in 2019, he said.
It may not be enough
time to pay off the debt, considering bonds would be sold as projects
evolve and wastewater systems can be delayed for various reasons,
Roberts said.
Castille plans to
formally present the plan to the Monroe County Commission during its
Nov. 19 meeting.
Playing ball with the
state could have significant benefits for the Keys. The county has
struggled with meeting a state-mandated timeline for conserving land,
and it rejected a building moratorium this summer that would have
protected sensitive hammocks and natural lands from developers.
The $93 million
promise last week from the DEP could take a huge liability off the
county's shoulders. The expenditures must first clear the governor and
Legislature.
Also, Castille said
the county could look forward to affordable housing funds that have no
cap, possibly a "substantial" amount of money for one of the Keys' most
pressing problems.
Putting off action yet
again could mean serious consequences from Tallahassee.
The governor and
Cabinet could cut the county's yearly allocation of building permits by
20 percent if they deem the county is not living up to its environmental
responsibilities.
They will also review
any land purchased through $93 million in DEP funding, said Kathalyn
Gaither, DEP spokeswoman.
Gaither said the money
will be available over three years and will cover 3,000 to 4,000 acres
of natural lands in Monroe County.
Meanwhile, Congress is
still hammering out a federal appropriations bill that could include $12
million for Keys wastewater funding.
Some expected the 2004
Energy and Water Appropriations bill to be completed by Friday but the
legislation has been delayed due to issues unconnected with the Keys,
said Debra Harrison, Florida Keys program director and lobbyist for the
World Wildlife Fund.
If included, the
federal money could help upgrade aging sewer systems in the islands -- a
match to $12 million contributed by the state last year.
The Keys are under
state mandate to upgrade sewage treatment by 2010.
Many believe the old
systems are a prime source of pollution in nearshore waters but the
upgrades could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
ttritten@keysnews.com |
