Savannah spending plan, fire fee set for adoption (apartments, hotels)

[Airforceguy]

Highlights of the budget include $24 million for a parking garage in the Savannah River Landing project, money for the second phase of the Waters Avenue project and added money for public safety.

The Savannah City Council is set to consider on Thursday a $408 million budget for next year — about $30 million more than the total spending plan adopted for 2017.

Added expenses include $24 million in new bonds the city intends to issue for a parking garage to serve the planned Savannah River Landing development east of downtown. City officials expect to pay off the yearly bond payments using parking revenue generated by the garage, which will be wrapped in apartments and retail space. Another $4 million in bonds would go toward downtown street improvements and a fire truck.

Added public safety expenses include new patrol officers and vehicles to improve emergency response times, as well as a police systems analyst, captain and cold case unit. On the infrastructure end, the city is adding more funding for grass cutting and stump removal following numerous complaints over the summer about poorly maintained city properties. There is also funding for the second phase of the Waters Avenue streetscaping project, improvements to Joe Tribble Park that Alderman Tony Thomas said have been delayed for years, and extended evening community center hours Alderman Estella Shabazz had requested to keep young people out of trouble.

There is also almost $1.6 million included for sidewalks, aesthetic lighting, and a neighborhood park in Edgemere/Sackville as part of the Savannah Shines initiative. The community was selected last year as the first neighborhood for the new program after the city ranked Savannah’s communities according to crime, property maintenance violations, delinquent tax rates and community involvement, said Alderman John Hall.

“We were very fortunate to get that,” Hall said. “Without that we would not see any dramatic change over there.”

Savannah spending plan, fire fee set for adoption | SavannahNow

[SavannahLife]

It is great they are funding the police dept better and with analysts. Savannah Shines and the extended community center hours are an extremely good investment in the community and will help public safety and quality of life.

so ok let me ask, because maybe I am getting this wrong. But it looks fairly clear - they increased taxes (the fee) on everyone at basically a fixed cost. "Broadening the base" as Republicans like to put it. And reduced property taxes, so people owning very expensive houses or other property, will have more savings. wow. This mirrors the transfer of wealth to shareholders from the middle class the national Republican tax bill is doing. I mean we all love fire fighters. But this was a clever little political trick and I hope the newspaper or another outlet will be honest, stand up and highlight what this really is. Tax the wage earners, give the upper class tax breaks. because it's "for the Fire Department". Right.

It's not even "conservative" - For example, the city is borrowing money to fund parking garage for billionaire Kessler's hotel, the other development the east side, etc. Again mirroring how Congress is borrowing money to cut corporate taxes. I mean that's not even fiscally conservative plus if a hotel wants a parking garage let the free market work, they ought to borrow their own money to fund it.

I just wonder... all this money supposedly pouring in with the new hotels, and then the city ends up "broke" in a budget crisis? Where did the money go??

[pink caddy]

Originally Posted by SavannahLife

I just wonder... all this money supposedly pouring in with the new hotels, and then the city ends up "broke" in a budget crisis? Where did the money go??

Clearly, SL, you never have observed the game of 3 card monte. You know the game .....there are three cups, the dealer has one card hidden under one cup. He shuffles them all around and you are ABSOLUTELTY certain you know where the card is. You place your bet AND THEN (drum roll) .....guess what? LOL