Mayor Jane Castor today presented a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024 that aims to keep Tampa thriving by ramping up the paving of deteriorated roads and construction of missing sidewalks, as well as greater investments in affordable housing, public safety, and parks and recreation.
"The public is demanding that we start tackling these challenges head-on, that we invest in our infrastructure and increase service levels. Today. Not tomorrow. Not in the next Administration or under the next City Council, but now. And we’re listening," said Mayor Castor to Tampa City Council members as she presented the proposed $1.92 billion budget.
It includes a millage increase of 1.0 to help address long-deferred maintenance costs, more public safety personnel, updated equipment to keep up with population growth, and more. The increase would cost the average Tampa homeowner an additional $19.21 a month and generate about $45 million that can be leveraged to deliver significantly more resources to serve every Tampa neighborhood.
Currently, the City is able to pay for repaving projects in about 30 neighborhoods every five years. The additional mill would raise that to more than 100.
Mayor Castor said the budget proposal she is asking council members to approve would help ensure Tampa continues to thrive as it keeps growing. Twice in recent years, Tampa residents voted to raise the sales tax to tackle deteriorating roads and transportation gaps, but the added resources never materialized.
"Over 50,000 new residents in the past decade and tens of thousands of new jobs means higher demand for services and more wear-and-tear on our infrastructure," Mayor Castor said. "With an expected 150,000 new residents and 250,000 new jobs in the next 22 years, protecting our quality of life requires better infrastructure and smarter growth."
The budget can be reviewed here.