Using the US Census Quick Facts, I looked at similar sized Florida cities what has been happening to their populations from 2000-2006
Pensacola, 2000: 56,255…2006: 53,248 DOWN
Sarasota, 2000: 52,715…2006: 52,942 UP
Bradenton, 2000: 49,506…2006: 53,662 UP
Margate, 2000: 55,974….2006: 53,909 UP
Wellington, 2000: 38,216…2006: 54,943 UP
As the city population shrinks, fewer people have to bear the costs. The City pension problems are being fixed, which is a good thing. However, a smaller city is having to bear the costs – nearly $14 million annually– to get the pensions funded properly. I’m not placing blame, just stating the fact that today’s citizens and future generations are paying for this over 400 percent jump in pension costs.
While the population decreases, the property taxes increased –73 percent. Most of the tax increase has been borne by the business owners. Homeowners who still own their homes from 2000 have seen tax decreases ranging from 6 to 10 percent from 2000 to 2008. Meanwhile many business owners had 40-60 percent increases.
Pensacola needs an expanding business economy to offset its declining residential tax base. Projects like the Community Maritime Park with Studer’s $12 million office building and the retail and commercial components are important, as are the Technology Park and the redevelopment of the area around the Main Street Sewage Plant. The homeowners don’t support the basic services that they are provided.
The declining population also hurts the City’s other funding sources. Energy Services of Pensacola has been impacted. Residential gas customer usage in the city dropped from 505,000 mcfs in 2000 to 327,000 mcfs in 2007. The overall customer usage has dropped 3 percent, while the direct rate per mcf is up 60 percent. Few Pensacola residents are using their own gas utility from 20,657 in 1999 to 17,032 in 2008 – 17.5 percent drop.
The challenge for Pensacola is to expand its business tax business and finds way to attract more residents. Otherwise, there will be a need for massive cuts in services or a series of tax increases.
Popularity: 29% [?]
Anonaly:
I don’t concede that at all, but when it comes to the property taxes base, it doesn’t matter if they move to Beulah or Birmingham. They aren’t paying city taxes.
The challenge remains as I stated it before: How can the city be attractive to both county residents and to those moving to the area from elsewhere? Put another way, how can the City make more people want to live within its boundaries?
So you concede that the population decline may not be young people moving far away, but simply buying houses in the county? The numbers lend themselves to that. Your young people that you speak with on occasion may want to move far away, but many of the people I went to high school with and I knew to leave often come back when they realize that Pensacola really isn’t so bad after all.
It’s all a matter of perspective.
Anonaly,
That is the challenge for the city staff and council. How can the city be attractive to both county residents and to those moving to the area from elsewhere?
Rick,
If you look at county population growth as compared to city population decline, you’ll see that a great many city residents are moving outside the city limits. They are not necessarily moving to other cities. Some will move to other cities, that simply happens. It looks to me like many are leaving the city limits for lower property taxes, less crime, better schools, and cheaper property.
Can you honeslty blame them?
Rick, thanks for the reply.
Gonna need a whole bunch of retail business owners then.
The schools-when there are 3000 nurses in a community that employs 1500 nurses it keeps wages low, the same is true of welders, computer operators, real estate agents..and goodlordy how many hundreds of nail technicians are there in the area. Business can’t thrive, workers have no money to spend.
Anony:
I had the Margate number backwards.
1. No one is looking to retail employee for a tax base. Retail business owners maybe.
2. Pensions are part of the city benefit package. I don’t see it being dropped.
3. The construction will last two to three years.
4. Not sure I understand you point about the schools.
5. I do like the idea of a local minimum wage
According to the numbers you posted, Margate had a reduction in population of 3,007 during the period 2000-2006.
How many fewer employees does ESP have since 2000?
Eight $ an hour jobs aren’t going to save anybody, nor will they support even a single person’s basic needs let alone include any expendable income…teens are pulling in $12-15 an hour to babysit. Is Pensacola looking to retail employees for a tax base?
How many businesses/corporations provide pensions for their employees? Isn’t that a benefit of a bygone era?
The construction jobs that will be offered for the construction of the CMP, how long will those jobs last? Why do local schools continue to churn out employees that the community can’t absorb?
Why doesn’t the city do something smart, like raise the local minimum wage on businesses who hire “outside the family”, which only excludes Mom & Pop shops?
I do think CMP will keep people here, maybe even make downtown a more attractive place to actually live.
—–
Construction jobs pay much more than $8/hour. Studer does also. He will be renting out some of his building and the wages will depend on the lessees. The retail shops may be in the $8 range. Restaurants will depend on the type and customers. So I don’t think you assumption if the majority being $8/hour is valid.
—-
But what is more important to city is the taxes – both property and sales taxes that are generated.
Rick
Do you think the CMP will help keep people here? The vast majority of jobs will be $8/hour right? Am I way off thinking this will be a place for our unemployed to wander around?
Still no influx of people?
Maybe that would have been the best stimulus for the city, to make it a more attractive place to live or build a business.
But instead, our council puts a junkyard at the entrance to our city and it’s CRA district and expects nobody to notice.
Ironically, that area in between two low income neighborhoods working on revitalization and the city’s newest CRA district is designated as a park.
Call the consultants so they can tell the city council the obvious.
Move your junk from your city’s entrance!
There were only *327* residential gas customers in 2007??