Demolition Ordinance Would Help City Fight Blight

The New Port Richey City Council gave initial approval to an ordinance that will open the way for it to get help funding demolition of slum or blighted properties.

  The New Port Richey city council approved this week the first draft of an ordinance that paves the way for the city to raze blighted or slum properties. Four council members were present to vote at a meeting Tuesday, and all four voted in favor of approving the ordinance. The ordinance is modeled after a Pasco County demolition ordinance, and it allows the city to access resources to help with demolition. The city recently had to pass an emergency resolution so that it could raze trailers at the troubled Walden Pond Mobile Home Park. City taxpayers are on the hook for the demolition, which is now topping $62,000. “Given the current situation... I think that this is a positive ordinance for the city, moving forward, to have in its set of …

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Michael Malterer

9:47 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012

There are many properties that the City owns that have become just as dilapidated. What are we to do for those places? This kind of ordinance wouldn't be needed if the City Council would have been more proactive in the economic development arena. When people have high paying jobs they will fix their own property and then the City can focus on their paying down their debt. Seems like we need a new…   more ›

City Leaders Approve Budget

The fiscal year 2013 budget means layoffs for eight city workers.

The New Port Richey City Council gave final approval Monday to the city budget for the upcoming fiscal year. It was not a happy occasion. The $44 million fiscal year 2013 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, calls for the layoffs of city employees, some of whom are full-time. Acting City Manager Doug Haag says eight filled positions to be eliminated are currently filled by employees. Two more positions would be reduced from full to part-time. Another 10 unfilled positions would be frozen. "I don't think any of us like (the budget)," said Deputy Mayor Rob Marlowe. "The question is whether we can stomach it." Mayor Bob Consalvo has held elected positions with the city for years and was an employee of the Parks and Rec Department before that. "…

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Final City Budget Vote is Tonight

City jobs are on the line.

The New Port Richey City Council decides tonight whether to give final approval to the fiscal year 2013 budget. At last count, about 10 employees face layoffs if the City Council approves tonight the budget, which takes effect Oct. 1. That number includes full- and part-time jobs.  A memo says there have been no changes to budget numbers since the Council gave the spending plan initial approval on Sept. 5. The general fund budget for fiscal year 2013 stands at $16.63 million. The total city budget for that year is proposed to be $44 million, and the millage rate is proposed at 9.5 mills. In the first of two votes needed to enact the fiscal year 2013 budget, the New Port Richey City Council gave initial approval to the spending plan Sept. 5…

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Independent Filmmaker Aims to Help New Port Richey Community

Lawrence Feeney is raising money online to make a film. Half the films's profits would be donated to civic groups in the New Port Richey area.

Lawrence Feeney wants to make a movie. He also wants that movie to benefit the New Port Richey community.  Feeney lives in Trinity and is an independent filmmaker. He produces, writes and directs film and does so under the brand name Pasco Films. Now, he is using an online tool to try to drum up funding to make a movie filmed in New Port Richey and other parts of Pasco County. He is pledging to donate half the profits to local civic organizations that serve New Port Richey.   He is trying to raise $36,000 to cover the costs of making a feature film. Feeney’s raising funds for his project using an online  “crowdfunding” platform called Indiegogo and is calling the effort  Save A City. Make a Movie. People pitch projects on the Indiegogo …

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City Jobs Still on the Line as Final Budget Decision Looms

The final vote on the budget is scheduled for September 24.

With Final Budget Decision Looming, City Jobs are Still on the Line

The proposed New Port Richey city budget would cut about 10 jobs.

Months of negotiation and discussion about the New Port Richey budget for the  upcoming fiscal year have yielded a revised spending plan that, if it receives final approval, could cost some city employees their jobs. There are roughly 10 jobs that still look like they might be cut from the fiscal year 2013 budget, which would take effect Oct. 1. The general fund budget for fiscal year 2013 stands at $16.63 million. The total city budget for that year is proposed to be  $44 million, and the millage rate is proposed at 9.5 mills. In the first of two votes needed to enact the fiscal year 2013 budget, the New Port Richey City Council gave initial approval to the spending plan Wednesday night. The final vote on the budget is scheduled for Sept…

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Should City Scrap Yard Debris Pickup Service?

Let Patch know in our poll.

City officials have put New Port Richey's residential yard debris pickup and mulching service on the chopping block. They've made presentations on the impact of scrapping the program and presented options of instituting a new fee to pay for it. The city environmental committee is asking officials to find a way to keep it going.  (See our article for more) Tonight, Aug. 7, the City Council is being asked to give direction on funding or not funding the service in fiscal year 2013, as well as myriad other budget issues. We want to know what Patch readers think. Take our poll and let us know in the comments.

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Alex Tiegen

2:27 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Thanks for he questions. We go over the proposal in our past articles, the most recent of which is here. http://newportrichey.patch.com/articles/salvaging-the-city-s-yard-debris-program   more ›

Big Budget Issues on City Agenda

City leaders will also discuss a proposal to take over animal control services from the county.

New Port Richey City Manager John Schneiger has said in his budget messge the government will likely have to do less with less in the upcoming fiscal year.  On Tuesday, the City Council will consider that idea. Schneiger is asking the city’s elected officials to give direction on what to keep in the annual spending plan and what to cut. The council now has less than two months to pass the fiscal year 2013 budget, a lean $43 million spending plan. The general fund budget accounts for $17 million of that total $43 million budget. City officials have proposed slashing 24 positions to balance the budget, about 15 of which would be layoffs. The city government is confronted with dire financial projections that say its deficit could reach into …

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Salvaging the City's Yard Debris Program

An advisory committee thinks New Port Richey needs to scrap plans to cancel this program.

The New Port Richey environmental committee is asking the city find a way to continue its residential yard debris pickup and mulching service, which is being offered up for the chopping block. Sisters Kacey and Kira Atkinson delivered the message during Tuesday's meeting on budget issues. Reading from a statement, Kacey said: “On behalf of the environmental committee, it is our request that the city council in its budget deliberations take into consideration our recommendation, which by unanimous vote, strongly encourages the city to retain the mulch program through public works as it is currently structured and consider all economies that are available.” Confronted with dire financial projections over the next five years, city officials …

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Find Your Way Through City Budget Discussions

Council members discussed a number of department budgets Tuesday night, but failed to make any final decisions.

Tuesday night’s New Port Richey City Council meeting on budget issues lasted much longer than most and produced few final decisions. The late night, nearly four-hour-long session started with setting the city’s tentative millage rate and then discussing, but not making final decisions on, department budgets. City staff is proposing a lean $16.5 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2013. Officials are proposing laying off city employees and freezing positions as part of the proposed budget.  Tuesday's budget discussion started shortly after 7:30 p.m. and ended shortly before 11:30  p.m. Some folks in the audience who came to talk left before having their say. At the tail end of the meeting, councilman Bill Phillips said he has wanted…

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Rob Marlowe

6:34 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It was a VERY long night. Counting the hour and a half plus closed session that preceded the regular meeting, things stretched from 6pm until well after 11. What has gone on so far, including last night, simply sets the stage for a lot of hard work that will be necessary to get us to a final budget by the end of September.   more ›