Elected officials in Crescent City voted on numerous financial items and eventually retained the services of an engineering company after a heated back-and-forth between officials.
During the Sept. 10 Crescent City Commission meeting, there was a unanimous vote to adopt the tentative millage rate of 8.7164 mills per $1,000 of taxable value regarding the ad valorem taxes. If the tax rate is improved on second reference, this means there will be zero increase in taxation from the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
The commission discussed the five-year capital improvement plan, which is partially funded by grants secured by Crescent City staff. The total cost of the improvement plan is $30.4 million.
This first reading was approved by the commission and will move to the second reading.
The plan will run from fiscal years 2026 through 2030, addressing the need for long-term planning from staff and commission to maintain and improve public infrastructure, utilities, facilities, parks and public safety resources. Different funds have been sourced from federal and state agencies to fulfill capital expenditures for the city’s general fund, Better Place Plan infrastructure surtax, Community Redevelopment Agency district, and gas, water and sewer funds.
Adoption of the five-year improvement plan would involve approving $1.65 million for the paving of dirt roads, fire truck reserve funding, a parking lot, lift station upgrades and a trailer-mounted diesel pumping system.
The Better Place Plan improvements would necessitate $1 million to fund park improvements, citywide cameras, street sign upgrades, stormwater upgrades, lift station generators, recreation resurfacing and park structures.
An important resource the city is using to improve the quality of life for residents will be $211,138 in the Community Redevelopment Agency improvements to pave the historic Grove Avenue redevelopment, make park pavilion upgrades and perform a lighting infrastructure upgrade.
Gas Fund capital improvements would cost the city $9.2 million, the Water Fund capital totals $7.4 million and the Sewer Fund improvements would total $10.96 million.
After a heated discussion initiated by Commissioner Lisa Kane DeVitto, the commission approved retaining CPH Engineering Services for the next fiscal year.
DeVitto said she thought CPH had not conformed to what they had been contracted to do. In particular, she noted their treatment of the trees lining Prospect Street in Crescent City.
“Are you aware, Commissioner DeVitto, of a tree that has suffered?” Mayor Michele Myers asked. “Have you seen any suffering from the trees?”
“Yeah, I have,” DeVitto answered. “The trees are showing signs of suffering.”
Commissioner Cynthia Burton disagreed with DeVitto, saying workers contracted by CPH had treated the trees and infrastructure respectfully. Burton also felt CPH was not remiss in the execution of their task.
“I thought they did a great job in trying to help maintain the trees that were in the way, including the nuisance trees,” Burton said.
City Attorney Don Holmes reminded DeVitto of CPH Engineering’s functions for the city. There was a distinction, Holmes reminded DeVitto, between project management and the contractor hired to do the work.
“Their task was to design a project and then certify the work had been completed,” Holmes said. “That is different than being out there day to day.”
Myers summed up the company as a steward of the community.
“Do we want to provide good water pressure and do water lines, or do we want to preserve the trees?” Myers asked the commission. “I think they tried to do both to the best of their ability.”
The amending of the city’s schedule of fees, which includes special event fees, natural gas fees, code enforcement fees and water usage fees, was approved on first reading and will move to the second reading at the Sept. 24 commission meeting.