Remarks by Steven D. Losner
633 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 22 of 26
“Councilman Fletcher, if you'll move it, I'll second it. Second. Co-second, co-second. Okay. Any further from council? Seeing none, let's have a roll call vote on this item.”
“committee any different stature or standing in terms of of budgeting or or authority no no standing committee will ever in an ordinance will ever have money allocated that's a budgetary decision”
“The last line where it says to preserve and promote the city's agricultural identity. I think it would be more accurate to say, and again starting at the beginning of the last line, initiatives intended to recognize the city's agricultural heritage. We're not preserving and promoting any agriculture by the establishment of this committee. Let's get real about that. That's out of our control. And I don't want this to be used in the future to springboard into something more than it was ever intended to be.”
“That's your people all know where homestead begins and ends and the theory of homestead still being agriculture is misplaced because of a general public knowledge or misunderstanding of where the the boundary lines of homestead are we have a heritage of which means in the past. We have a past agricultural heritage. And we're going to recognize that, and we're going to promote that. But the word preserve to me has a whole different meaning.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“No, different in terms of the thoroughness of the language, which, you know, the attorneys represented that, you know, no difference. You know, two different sides of the same quarter.”
“I appreciate it. No, it's just that, you know, We're really kidding ourselves if we think we're going to preserve agriculture by any action we take here.”
“So would you like to make a motion on the item?”
“Okay. We have a motion. We have a second. Seconded by the farmer's daughter.”
“Thank you. Any further? We have a motion and a second, so let's have a roll call vote.”
“SO WE'LL RECORD COUNCILMAN FLESHER AS A YES. OKAY. MOVING ON TO TAB NINE.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“Okay. We have to see. But what we know is there's a phasing in of up to 250. So to answer your immediate question, those homes and those subdivisions are going to be selling at a lot more than 500 or 600 thousand dollars so if they're exempted for their first 250 of value they're still taxable value there and we're talking about i think 24 houses that in those two subdivisions um the other the other parcel further to the east uh constitutes one home on a very large piece of property if you're familiar with the home of former mayor fred rhodes on 21st street the big house with the with the…”
“And you're speaking of the four immediately to the north of that parcel?”
“The one to the north of Fred Rhodes' former home is in the city, absolutely. So those four would bring in 296 frontage?”
“Well, you know, we could, I think we probably need to, you know, in terms of, and it makes sense on one hand to square it up. They already use our electricity. They use our water. I don't know if they're on sewer there. I don't think they are. So we're already deriving income from those properties. Probably going to be a policy decision I don't know what each one of those are assessed at. Some may continue to produce tax revenue, some may not.”
“Well, again, the new houses are going to be beyond that cap. They would still produce revenue. right and the valuation of the of the one on 21st street its taxable value is in excess of a million dollars now so again if you bring that in and the tax exemption is even a half a million dollars you're still deriving revenue on the difference between a half a million and a million plus okay”
“I don't really see what we're proposing. I don't really see as a drain given the math right now. Yes, Councilwoman.”
“i believe that based on that very same thing that city of homestead could do it better than what may be permitted under the county rules right now and it faces and abuts a lot of city properties from that perspective i can understand the benefit of having at least a regular regulatory developmental control um but as long as i think that's important all right thank you thank you Okay, so do we have a motion and perhaps include those four residences to the north?”
“Oh, that's, that's, I'm asking for the motion. Councilwoman Lekoski, would you like to make the motion and also, you know, amend this item to include those four residences north of the smaller parcel?”
“There's four single-family residences that would round out that block.”
“Square out the block. Okay, so we have a motion and a second. Is there anything further? Yes, Councilwoman.”
“Well, there's a huge annexation process.”
“Yes, and at some point it's out of our hands and is in the hands of the county.”