Remarks by David Lowery
340 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 8 of 14
- Play at 15:34
“Yeah, so since you're online or via phone, just go ahead and just say, hey, Mayor, or, you know, whatever, just excuse me or step up. There's no harm or foul in that whatsoever, sir. But thank you. Commissioner Ward.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 15:56
“Just how about your initial opinions here first and tell us what you want to say and we'll...”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 16:35
“Yes, ma'am. All right, so anything else, sir?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 16:44
“So I'll be the caboose here. I agree with almost everything that's been said up here. I am most concerned about our residents, especially our seniors on fixed incomes, disabled veterans, everybody, but especially those that are most susceptible to increases in taxes. I'm a proud Republican, I'm a proud conservative, have been my whole life, and I will tell you that I do not know of a good tax increase. The way you typically force efficiencies is you give government less money. I will tell you in the seven and a half months that I've been here, though, our city, we were over $20 million in…”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 20:23
“Understood. And I just wanted, you know, guys, bear with me. I'm a college professor in real life, retired military guy. If I explain a little too much, I'm sorry. I would rather you all have a better understanding than not enough. And this is full transparency and openness here and public sausage making and work.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 21:06
“So effectively we double, give or take, we effectively double our surplus.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 21:15
“Okay. I just wanted to run that number to everybody. It's been brought up by three of us now, three of the five. I wanted to make that clear what that would entail. It would basically double our emergency reserve for the budget and the general fund. Okay, so next round discussion thoughts. Not quite sure we're at presentation yet, but any general discussion about the millage rate and any final tweaks?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 22:04
“Yes, sir. My only retort to that, and I fully hear you, Commissioner Ward, is I honestly and openly wonder if the CRA will even exist in anything close to its current form if Amendment 3 passes this November. That's a very real question none of us can answer.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 24:33
“Understood. One other thing I want to share with the public, just for reference, I've actually shared this online. Lynn Haven Neighbors has it as well, but it's the last 10 years of our historical mill rate, our millage rate. In 2015... through 2019, so through Hurricane Michael, we were at 3.900. In 2020, we went to 4.30. In 2021 and 2022, we were at 4.1. Then in 2024 and 2025, we were at 4.05. So our high water mark, just looking at the last decade of millage rates for the city of Lynn Haven, We've gone from a low of 3.9 before Michael, effectively, after Michael hit and we were really…”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 27:40
“Well, thank you for that. I have a motion from Commissioner Pernaut for a 4.55 millage. Is there a second from the rest of the Commission? Okay. Acknowledged. So let me clarify one thing with you, Commissioner Pernaut. I'm the youngest No, no. Here's my personal thought, and I don't know, because this is my first budget rodeo. You've been here seven years, and I want to make sure I'm not missing something. Would it not be better to go ahead, and if we can, nail down a final mill rate tonight amongst the five of us?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 28:46
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 29:17
“if we do the 4.25 in the CRA at 50%. They're close. Right. Okay. So 4.35 is what we discussed last time, but for not only the commission's clarity, Kiki, but also the public at large. I know that's what we all walked away from, and four of us said we didn't like it, but we could live with that. And then we had one big fat maybe in air quotes. So... You got some additional planning factors in that changed that number from the state.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 29:53
“That drove it to 4.25. Can you speak to that briefly?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 30:06
“Right. Based on the new state planning factors.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 30:12
“Now you have all of the new state planning factors that you need?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 30:27
“And the rest of the Commission, y'all are clear on that? A 4.35 will now be a 5-0 vote. Correct. And a 4.25 would be a 4-1 vote. 4-1 vote. Based on our historics, just looking at our current millage rate to our new millage rate, roll back aside for a moment, current mill rate to new mill rate, the 4.05 to a 4.25 is a 4% increase. A 4.35 would be about a 6.5% increase. percentage-wise.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 31:03
“So that's what we're talking about, y'all, with a mill rate that has actually gone down over the last five years. We're talking about a very small margin and room for error here. So I just wanted to share that with everybody. As we're going through that, looking at the historics, that's what we're looking at. It's now a 4.35% or potentially a 4.25%.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 31:32
“So now that we have clarification, we have a motion from Commissioner Ward. Do we have a second for 4.35? Okay. Hearing none, the next step would be a 4.25. Which is the next logical?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 32:25
“Sure. The only, yeah, but, and I say this with all due respect, I love you like an uncle. And I mean no disrespect, so I hope you don't take it that way. This is a very big piece. This is the core funding of our city budget. But we also have the utility rates. There's other expenses. So this is a big piece, but it's not the entire piece of what we're going to have our residents pay. So that's why I'm being a little timid here, because I don't want to make that any bigger than we have to. That's all.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 33:02
“So we have a motion and a second for a 4.35. Any discussion amongst the commission before I open this up to the public? Yes, Sam, go ahead.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 34:22
“Okay. Well, thank you for that. And I'll ask both you, Sam, and Commissioner Pernod, because I'm literally, if we can come together as a commission tonight and walk away with a firm set millage rate, why set a ceiling and re-talk and go down again? If we can nail it down tonight, let's do it. Well, understand, if we all come together now and agree to a millage rate, we formality sign off on it next meeting and we're done, versus set a higher number and then play with it again for two weeks. I'm just trying to understand. This is my first budget rodeo. So y'all please, y'all school me a little…”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 35:36
“Okay. Well, I appreciate that. Again, seven and a half months in the job and my first budget round with y'all, so thank you for schooling me on that. Commissioner Warrick, Commissioner Tender, y'all got any thoughts on this?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 36:21
“And to my point earlier, we have a couple of different pieces of the puzzle before it gets to a bottom line of what our citizens are going to owe. we'll have an opportunity to make a couple of meaningful discussions. So yes. And the rest of us agreed to a 4.35 at our budget workshop last week. So for that, for this, If that's the way I want to do it, you want to take a two-prong process, I can live with that.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 37:01
“Yes, ma'am. So we have a motion and a second. We've all five now been able to discuss it. I want to open up the floor.”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 38:33
“That's a fair question. I'll open it up to my colleagues here. The CRA has been a discussion item. The animal shelter has been a discussion item. But most of the rest of the budget we seem to be fairly in alignment with. Is that a correct assumption? We have some discussion back and forth on utility rate or garbage rates, and we can even talk about stormwater rate, the non-avalorum, but those are kind of the three financial pieces. Is there anything else that would merit a seventh budget workshop or discussion?”
Commission · Sep 8, 2026