FORT WALTON BEACH — City Councilman Trey Goodwin said a letter he sent to constituents earlier this week has been well received.
It calls on Fort Walton Beach residents to contact four fellow council members who voted to increase the property tax rate to fund across-the-board pay raises, new equipment and two new employees.
“Surprisingly, some council members supporting the 28 percent (5.7907 mills) say they have not heard from citizens opposed to the tax increase,” the letter said.
Goodwin told constituents they need to urge council members Bull Rigdon, Joyce Gossom, Amy Jamieson and Dick Rynearson to change their votes in favor of the tax hike before a final decision on the city budget and tax rate is made Sept. 16.
“It’s not too late,” Goodwin said Thursday. “If the council doesn’t vote to adopt a budget it can’t take place.
“I’m hearing from a lot of surprised residents” regarding his letter, he added.
“I’ve been getting phone calls and emails,” Goodwin said. “A lot knew it was coming, but a lot are saying they didn’t know.”
Resident Tom Osborne, who owns several rental properties in the city, has lined up behind Goodwin.
“Thank goodness we have Councilman Trey Goodwin that understands the public outcry and is challenging this increase,” Osborne said in an email. “He certainly has my backing and that of many others that I speak with daily.”
Rigdon said he’d “had the whole amount of three phone calls” since Goodwin sent out his letter. He remained disinclined to change his vote to raise the millage rate.
Rigdon said 20 years of City Council experience have given him the insight to know when an alternative to spending cuts is required.
“I’ve always been against raising taxes,” he said. “Nobody wants their taxes raised, but sometimes you’ve just got to bite the bullet.”
Rigdon said city employees have not had a raise since 2006, and noted that Fort Walton Beach residents rejected an offer last year to liquidate the Police Department and turn law enforcement over to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
“If you want police, then you have to pay for it,” he said.
Among the expenditures planned for fiscal 2013-14 with the extra $1.3 million the tax hike would generate are replacing eight Police Department vehicles and hiring an administrative assistant for Chief Ted Litschauer.
Litschauer said the cost to replace the eight vehicles will be about $33,000 each. Some of the cars have 250,000 miles on them, he said.
Goodwin has announced his intention to run the Okaloosa County Commission in 2014. Rigdon suggested that might have motivated him to reach out to potential voters with his letter.
“Let’s put our cards on the table,” Rigdon said. “Trey’s running for County Commission. It’s good if you’re running and you’re against raising taxes.”
Goodwin insisted his letter had nothing to do with his political aspirations. A disclaimer at the bottom states “Not printed at taxpayer expense. Paid for by Trey Goodwin.”
“The money that paid for this letter came out of my savings account,” Goodwin said. “I put the disclaimer on in an abundance of caution.”