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Mayor Presents 2016 Budget To City Council
Mayor Bob Buckhorn
presented his recommended Fiscal Year 2016 budget to Tampa City Council this morn- ing. The City of Tampa contin- ues to deliver a balanced budget without personnel lay- offs or increased tax rates while contributing revenue to the reserves .
In FY 2016, the City of Tampa will contribute $1 mil- lion to the reserves resulting in a fund balance of 23% of oper- ating expenditures or $88.4 million, which exceeds the City’s 20% fund balance policy.
“This budget is proof posi- tive that we grew our way out of the recession by making Tampa a place that people wanted to do business with. By investing in our infrastructure, and in particular, our public park spaces, we will continue to generate new economic op- portunities that help us con- tinue to grow our economy,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. "The investments we make today will lay the foundation
BOB BUCKHORN
for continued growth and prosperity throughout our city.”
The $850.2 million budget proposal includes $124.3 in capital improvements. In FY 2016, the City of Tampa will also invest more than $20 mil- lion in the “Investing in Neigh- borhoods” program initiative which is double the funding in the FY 2011 budget and goes towards parks, resurfacing, complete streets, and sidewalk construction.
In FY 2016, the City of Tampa will invest $18.3 mil- lion for major stormwater in- vestments including the Lower
Peninsula Watershed, 43rd Street Regional Outfall, Peninsula Regional Drainage, and the North Tampa Closed Basins. Pending Tampa City Council approval, the City of Tampa will invest $250 mil- lion over five years to reduce flooding and improve water quality.
Major capital improvement projects and strategic invest- ments also include the follow- ing:
• Construction of Cuscaden Pool in VM Ybor, art studio at the Bryan Glazer Jewish Com- munity Center in West Tampa, and Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Downtown
• Design for Julian B. Lane Riverfont Park
• Improvements for neighbor- hood parks including Forest Hills Park in North Tampa, Friendship Park in Westshore area, and Ragan Park in East Tampa
• Construction of CNG Facility for Solid Waste and city fleet vehicles.
Residents Pull Together After Shooting At Apartment Complex
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On July 18th, D’Marcus Dent was shot at the Silver Oaks Apartments on 43rd Street put residents on alert and made them recall past years when the complex was a constant place of violence and police activity.
According to reports, Dent was not a resident of the complex.
During that time, the com- plex was known as Kenneth- Johnson Court Apartments, and was not a favorite place for families to call home.
Since the murder of Derek Anderson in 2010 and the tragic death of Mon- ica Alvarez, who was killed by a motorist as she walked along 43rd, the complex has undergone a complete renova- tion, and with the new name Silver Oaks, residents hoped that the past was behind them.
Former Tampa Housing Authority Board Member and current Silver Oaks Resident Council President, Karen Peoples, said she’s proud of the residents who’ve worked hard to clean up the image of the complex.
“We’re still working hard to keep this complex crime free. We’re appealing to the residents to take more pride in where they live, and just be- cause this is a subsidized, low- income complex doesn’t mean people have to live a certain way.
“There are a lot of children and single mothers in this complex and we have to make
KAREN PEOPLES
sure their safety is our top pri- ority. This is a new era and it’s time for the residents to ex- pect more and want more.”
Peoples said they aren’t going to give up their efforts to make Silver Oaks a safe and family friendly community.
“We don’t want people who don’t live in the complex to get the wrong impression. It’s up to us to protect where we live and work with the peo- ple looking out for us.
“One problem is we have a lot of males who are unem- ployed, and many of them have roadblocks keeping them from moving forward.”
Peoples said there isn’t a lot of loitering in the complex, and they have a 24-hour secu- rity force that is doing a great job.
“We just need to work to- gether. We know we’ll have to contend with a lot of the resi- dents being displaced from North Boulevard Homes, and we will welcome those who aren’t disruptive and bringing problems from one area to an- other.”
Peoples said she and the residents are lobbying for a traffic signal and crosswalk at 43rd Street and Hillsborough Avenue.
When I Have Problems In A Relationship
Lord, I praise You as the God of restoration, for I know You can restore my relationships to complete wholeness. Help me to be in unity with others and to be compassionate, loving, tenderhearted, and courteous, not returning evil for evil, but rather only giving bless- ings to them (1 Peter 3:8-9). I praise You as my Creator and recognize that You created all the people with whom I am in relationship. You are their heavenly Father just as You are mine. They are my brothers and sisters, and You love and forgive them as You love and forgive me. You laid down Your life for them a You laid it down for me. Help me to love them as You love me.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart. 1 PETER 1:22
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015