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Summary of Major Problems and Corrective Actions for Fair, Legal and Non-Discriminatory County Relationship v -;; CITY OF iitieuteie &etc% - 9wuda 800 SEMINOLE ROAD --- -- ---- ATLANTIC BEACH,FLORIDA 32233-5445 N TELEPHONE(904)247-5800 FAX(904)247-5805 SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROBLEMS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR A FAIR, LEGAL AND NON-DISCRIMINATORY COUNTY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH October 20 , 1992 GENERAL COUNTY MILLAGE I . PROBLEM: The millage levied by Jacksonville on Atlantic Beach Property Owners is discriminatory. Atlantic Beach property Owners pay city and county millage to Jacksonville , whereas by law they are solely responsible for only county services . NEED: There is a need for a minimum of not less than a four mill reduction in county property taxes for Atlantic Beach Property Owners and a sharing of revenues with Atlantic Beach. The reduction would require an adjustment to the 18 . 8% differ- ential in the Inter-local Agreement to equal the reduction negotiated for 1983 . Since Atlantic Beach receives only county services from Jacksonville , Atlantic Beach Property Owners must only pay a county ad valorem. Jacksonville has to subtract its city millage from its total millage , 11 . 3 , to arrive at a county millage for Atlantic Beach Property Owners . SPECIFIC PROBLEMS AMONG 22 LISTED SERVICES RESCUE SERVICE II . PROBLEM: Atlantic Beach' s residents received only half of the rescue service that is provided by Jacksonville to its residents . Atlantic Beach has to provide the other half of the service to its residents by sending a fire crew to each call . Jacksonville provides back-up for only its own residents . This back-up service is a requirement of the Inter-local Agreement . NEED: Jacksonville should contract , for a fee with Atlantic Beach for the County Rescue Service it is unable to provide . The cost for this service is $300 ,000 in 1993 . ORGANIZED REGIONAL RECREATION PROVIDED BY ATLANTIC BEACH III . PROBLEM: We have shown by several measures that at least 50% of the people that use Atlantic Beach' s Recreation Facilities for organized sports are Jacksonville residents . The influx of Jacksonville residents puts a severe strain on the Atlantic Beach Recreation Program. It is an expenditure of Atlantic Beach tax funds that should not be borne by Atlantic Beach residents . -2- NEED: Jacksonville should provide Atlantic Beach with a mis- cellaneous appropriation to accommodate the county residents who use the Atlantic Beach recreation facilities for organized sports . This practice would be consistent with what the Council now does in other parts of Jacksonville . The amount of the miscellaneous appropriation should be $75 , 000 for 1993 . LIFEGUARDS , BEACH CLEAN-UP AND MAINTENANCE IV. PROBLEM: Jacksonville does not help with ocean lifeguards , beach clean-up and maintenance in Atlantic Beach. The Beach is recognized as a county wide recreation area but all costs are borne by Atlantic Beach residents . NEED: The County government must contract with Atlantic Beach to continue to provide lifeguards , beach clean-up and mainten- ance . The cost for these services , in 1993 , will be $175 ,000 . ANIMAL CONTROL ENFORCEMENT V. PROBLEM: Jacksonville provides only twenty-five percent (25%) of the animal control service to Atlantic Beach that it does for its residents . Because a lack of services , Atlantic Beach has had to employ its own animal control officer , purchase a truck , special equipment , etc . NEED: Jacksonville should reimburse Atlantic Beach for the animal control service it is required to provide . The cost of such a reimbursement would be $25 ,000 for 1993 . SHARING OF REVENUE VI . PROBLEM: Jacksonville , as a City/County Government , receives a variety of revenues from Atlantic Beach. The County revenue should only go to Jacksonville , the City portion to Atlantic Beach. For example---fee charged to JEA in lieu of taxes , fees from fire-rescue service . NEED: Jacksonville must refund the city portion of revenues it collects from Atlantic Beach. The estimated amount of revenue which should be returned to Atlantic Beach is approx- imately $300 ,000 . -3- POLICE PATROL IN COUNTY AREAS VII . PROBLEM: Atlantic Beach answers calls outside its jurisdiction for the Jacksonville Sheriff ' s Office without being compen- sated . More than 700 calls a year are answered by Atlantic Beach Police for Jacksonville and Jacksonville residents . NEED: Jacksonville should reimburse Atlantic Beach for calls answered on its behalf . The estimated cost of these services was $75 ,000 for 1992 . For 1993 with current growth and cost projections the estimated cost will be considerably higher . COUNTY ROADS AND EQUIPMENT VIII . PROBLEM: Jacksonville does not provide any county road work or services in Atlantic Beach. Also , the County does not main- tain its drainage ditches or accesses to state roads within Atlantic Beach. NEED: Jacksonville should set up a credit for Atlantic Beach to use the county' s already available heavy equipment when needed . Cost for using such equipment could be a painless part payment of other inequities in the Inter-local Agreement . The cost for this service is estimated at $100 ,000 . In addi- tion, Jacksonville should consider assisting in the develop- ment of Atlantic Blvd . at Town Center as a county road . The Town Center Roadway serves as a major access to and from the Ocean for all county residents . The County share would be $100 ,000. HOSPITALS - INDIGENT CARE IX. PROBLEM: Jacksonville does not provide any indigent care funding for the publicly owned hospital at the Beach while claiming inordinate fees for similar services at University Hospital . Atlantic Beach residents are unlawfully taxed for both areas . NEED: Jacksonville must provide funding to the Beaches Hospital Taxing District (BHTD) for indigent care . Another option would be to reduce , in addition to other reductions previously discussed , the County millage at the Beach equal to the Taxing District ' s millage . Either one of these options might resolve the double taxation discrimination that now exists for Atlantic Beach property owners . -4- FIRE SERVICE PROVIDED TO JACKSONVILLE X. PROBLEM: Atlantic Beach is called on by the Jacksonville Fire Department for fire assistance on a regular basis to more than 12 , 000 Jacksonville residents in the Mayport and surrounding areas . The demand for assistance by Jacksonville puts a strain on Atlantic Beach' s limited fire resources while being an added expense to the Atlantic Beach Tax Payer . NEED: Jacksonville must reimburse Atlantic Beach for the fire service provided to Jacksonville residents . The reimbursement should be made payment for services or a reduction in taxes . The cost of this service is $25 ,000 for 1993 . REOPENING OF THE INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT XI . PROBLEM: The Inter-local Agreement hasn' t been open for review and change since its inception ten years ago though its lang- uage clearly infers change as conditions differ over the years . It has not been applicable for Atlantic Beach for over four years , a fact brought to the County Administration regularly by the Mayor of Atlantic Beach. During 1992 , Jacksonville fiscal experts admitted to an overpayment by Atlantic Beach Tax Payers of not less than $487 ,000 , a figure considerably lower than estimated by our own fiscal investi- gators using the Duval County bases as the first phase of the recalculation. The final figure estimated by the Atlantic Beach Task Force showed an overpayment closer to $3 , 500 , 000 . NEED: A formal process whereby the Inter-local Agreement is opened for review and change on an annual basis is essential . Funding and population needs change rapidly on a regular basis . These changes dictate the need for annual reviews of the Inter-local Agreement . Of course basic to any such action is the requirement for modern, up-to-date systems of accounting for city as compared with county activities and corresponding funding . It is recommended that the agreement ratified be reexamined biennially with an annual review permissive and only omitted for single year by mutual consent of both parties .