Moving the City Forward

Over the past year and a half, the city and the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) have been working through a planning process to determine whether it would benefit residents and property owners for HISID to transition some or all of its services to the city. During that time, we've held two joint city/HISID public workshops to gather input, along with two public forums where feasibility presentations were made and public comment was invited.

A great deal of work has gone into identifying funding sources to replace assessment revenue—HISID's primary source of operating income. The city's decision to levy a 4-mill property tax this year, along with a proposed 2.5% sales tax, has sparked considerable discussion, especially on social media. One claim that keeps resurfacing is that the city "lied to everyone" because, at incorporation, "the city" promised no new taxes. That's true, but it's being taken completely out of context.

In 2020, ahead of incorporation, the committee promoting it—of which I was a member—was crystal clear across dozens of public presentations about the city's objectives. Those were to:

• Fund road resurfacing

• Partially fund the fire department

• Assume responsibility for the sheriff's deputy contract

• Establish ordinances and code enforcement

• Codify the trash collection process

For five years, the city did exactly that, without imposing any new taxes—100% as promised. By the end of 2026, the city will have spent $1.3 million on road resurfacing and maintenance, resurfacing 13% of Holiday Island's roads. Over that same period, it spent $310,000 on the fire department and $400,000 on deputy contracts. None of it came from new taxes—not a penny.

But the plan has since changed. Rather than the city and HISID operating as partners, the new direction is for HISID to gradually transfer all of its responsibilities to the city. That transition requires replacing an assessment-based revenue model with one that state law provides for cities: taxation. No one lied to anyone; the plan changed dramatically and the city is responding accordingly.

Over the next couple of weeks, the city and HISID will consider two proposed documents. The first is an interlocal agreement transferring full responsibility for road maintenance to the city before year's end. The second is a long-range plan that, when approved, will be mailed to every property owner so residents stay informed.

Watch for that mailing and watch for future public forums. We need and want your input—but we can't rely on social media to get it.