St. Pete voters to decide on property tax to speed infrastructure upgrades

State of play: City Council members voted 7-0 at Thursday's meeting to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters to approve the tax. (Council Member Gina Driscoll was absent.)

• The estimated rate for homeowners would be about $96 per year for every $100,000 of assessed, taxable value, per the city.
• The rate could change based on how much debt the city takes on each year and whether voters approve a state constitutional amendment overhauling property taxes.

The big picture: The funding ask is part of the Welch administration's St. Pete Agile Resilience initiative, which identified $2.7 billion worth of projects that require more urgent attention.

• Some projects, such as $66 million in electrical upgrades to the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility and $713,000 to install an AquaFence at a sewage pump station, have already been completed.

• Several more are under construction or in the design phase. The work is paid for with utility rate revenue, but those funds take longer to accumulate, per the city.
• Bond financing would shorten the timeline from 24 to 19 years, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Zoom in: Projects the new property tax would pay for include upsizing drainage and sewage pipes, widening ditches and canals, and hardening sewage plant buildings to better withstand storm surge and wind.

• The city has a map of proposed projects here.