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Canal Dredging In West Shore Gets Council's Approval

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By MARK HOLAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2007

TAMPA - The Tampa City Council late Tuesday pushed forward a plan that by next fall could mean residents of several West Shore neighborhoods will be taxed about $8,000 to dredge the silted canals in their backyards.

In the 6-1 vote, the council also agreed to remove two Davis Islands canals from the proposed project.
Councilwoman Mary Mulhern dissented, saying too many questions remain.

None of the six council members who agreed to notify the county tax collector of the potential assessment voiced strong support for the dredging plan, estimated at $6 million.

"Don't take tonight's vote as supporting the tax," Councilman Tom Scott said.

Additional council votes will be required before the tax can be assessed on 500 to 600 property owners along 13 West Shore canals.

Waterfront residents will get to weigh in on the tax in a canal-by-canal referendum, probably in the late spring after a consultant pinpoints the affected properties.

The council voted 4-3 to require approval from 60 percent or more of the households along each canal. Mulhern, Gwen Miller and Joseph Caetano voted against the threshold, saying such a requirement should be discussed later.

Tampa Canal Preservation and Restoration, a group of residents who support the tax plan, has called for the assessment to proceed with a simple majority vote.

In September, the group mailed a survey to 596 waterfront lot owners, with 43 percent returning response cards.

Of the 256 who voted, 170 indicated support for the plan.

That represents 66 percent of responders, or 28 percent of recipients.

Group members told the council they have gained additional support during the past three months.

The city's legal staff rebutted an assertion by Joe Cofer, a lawyer and Davis Islands resident, that the city can't dredge the canals without permission from each waterfront property owner because they hold rights to submerged lands.
City attorneys also rejected suggestions that the Tampa Port Authority should help pay for dredging.

Most of the three dozen people who addressed the council said they oppose the plan, with many objecting to using a $1.3 million federal grant earmarked for cleaning polluted estuaries. They vowed to complain to federal officials.

People on both sides criticized the city for failing to act for several decades, blaming runoff from city storm drains for clogging the canals.

Hillsborough County residents outside Tampa are engaged in a similar debate about taxing waterfront property owners to pay for $15 million in canal dredging.

County commissioners are awaiting the outcome of January's statewide property tax referendum before deciding how to proceed.

Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.

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