The Holmes Beach City Commission’s final review of the 2021-22 municipal budget produced some fireworks.
Sparks were flying Sept. 28 when Commissioner Jayne Christenson moved to exclude from the proposed city budget funds for a new police officer and any ancillary costs that would come from the hire.
The Holmes Beach Police Department wants to hire an officer lost to shifting positions — Detective Sgt. Brian Hall was set to become lieutenant and second-in-command with a pay raise — Oct. 1, when the new 2021-22 budget went into effect.
Christenson, at the Sept. 28 meeting, said many of the city’s crimes are caused by nonresidents so the city should push for Manatee County to pay for some increases to the police budget instead of budgeting to expand the HBPD using city taxpayer funds.
“Where is the threshold?” she asked.
Commissioner Kim Rash seconded Christenson’s motion and the chair opened the matter for conversation.
Police Chief Bill Tokajer, who sits alongside Mayor Judy Titsworth on the dais during commission meetings, read a statement he had prepared in opposition to Christenson’s motion.
“To drop this bomb at the final hour is wrong and a slap in the face to the entire department,” Tokajer said. “I had one-on-one meetings with each commissioner, where I explained the department plans in detail without a single commissioner telling me you opposed the plan.”
He said the budgeted promotion would provide HBPD a second-in-command for the first time since he became chief, when he chose to forfeit a lieutenant in favor of an additional officer and more boots on the ground.
The promotion also establishes a succession plan for the chief position, according to Tokajer.
“I am always proud when talking to our citizens to say that we may not always agree but I always have the support from the commission when I show them a true need,” Tokajer said. “If the budget request is not approved, I will no longer be able to say that.”
“For this to happen at the last minute is not responsible governing,” he added.
Christenson called Tokajer’s statement “pushy,” “bullying” and “intimidation,” adding that the police chief should not be on the dais since he is not an elected official.
“I don’t appreciate that,” Christenson said. “A lot of people wouldn’t do this … go up against the police and try to cut the budget. People talk about it but nobody will do it. I’m here doing it — or trying to — but it’s hard.”
Both the police chief and the city attorney are chartered positions, and both routinely attend meetings to support the commission.
Titsworth said she wished Christenson and Rash had gone to her and Tokajer to discuss concerns with the police budget before the final public hearing on the budget ordinance.
Commissioner Terry Schaefer said Tokajer had the “greatest ability, experience and expertise” to recommend a proper budget to maintain city safety.
Commissioner Jim Kihm said he would support Tokajer’s police budget but agreed that the city should pursue funding public safety and policing through the Manatee County Tourist Development Council.
The city will receive $50,000 this year from the county to police the county-run Manatee Public Beach and Kingfish Boat Ramp. City officials have said the funding is far below the annual cost to police the county properties.
Commissioners voted 3-2 against Christenson’s motion. Christenson and Rash voted “yes.”
A subsequent motion to approve the full budget ordinance as presented also failed by a 3-2 vote, lacking a required supermajority vote. Christenson and Rash voted “no.”
Christenson moved to amend the budget to withhold a to-be-determined amount of funding for the new police officer for later consideration and Rash seconded the motion. It was unanimously passed.
City attorney Patricia Petruff said the item would require a simple majority vote for approval since it would be considered separately from the rest of the approved budget.
Commissioners then unanimously voted to adopt the revised budget ordinance.
The commission will meet to discuss the withheld HBPD funding at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
Commissioners also unanimously voted to raise taxes, setting the ad valorem rate at 2.25 mills for the upcoming fiscal year.
Millage is the percent taxed per $1,000 of property value. So, at 2.25 mills, a property owner will pay $1,125 in ad valorem taxes for a $500,000 property.
Keeping the millage rate at 2.25 raises the tax rate for city property owners who have seen a $152,409,605 increase in total values over last year.
At the 2.1178 rollback rate — the rate needed to collect the same ad valorem revenue as this year — the owner of a $500,000 property would pay $1,058.90 in ad valorem taxes.
The HBPD ladder
The HBPD was set to promote Detective Sgt. Brian Hall Oct. 1 to lieutenant, second-in-command to Chief Bill Tokajer.
With Hall’s promotion, Officer Josh Fleischer will step up from school resource officer to detective, Officer Christine LaBranche moves from patrol to SRO at AME, leaving a vacancy for a patrol officer.
Holmes Beach by the numbers…
2021-22* 2020-21
Spending/revenue: $22,226,872 $17,879,270
Operating revenue: $11,547,888 $9,386,597
Carryovers/reserves: $9,600,897 $8,492,673
Personnel: $6,063,570* $5,443,698
Operating costs: $4,223,862 $3,614,490
Capital outlay: $4,594,979 $1,898,262
Unassigned: $7,195,458 $6,773,819
Taxable property: $2,351,329,436 $2,198,919,831
ARPA funding: $1,078,088
*City commissioners withheld approval until a later date an amount to-be-determined for the Holmes Beach Police Department for a new patrol officer and ancillary costs for the potential hire.
— Ryan Paice