Title
An Ordinance of the City of Coral Gables, Florida, relating to capital improvements and related services providing a special benefit to local areas within the city; authorizing the imposition and collection of special assessments to fund the cost of capital improvements and related services providing a special benefit to local areas within the city; providing certain definitions; providing for the creation of assessment areas; providing a procedure to impose special assessments; establishing procedures for notice and adoption of assessment rolls and for correction of errors and omissions; providing that assessments constitute a lien on assessed property upon adoption of the assessment rolls; authorizing hardship assistance and certain exemptions; providing a procedure for voluntary assessment programs; providing a procedure for collection of special assessments; providing a mechanism for the imposition of assessments on government property; repealing sections 58-19, 58-20, 58-22 through 58-49 and 58-53 of the City of Coral Gables Code of Ordinances; providing for severability; and providing an effective date. (Passed on First Reading March 11, 2014)
Body
The City is contemplating the imposition of capital special assessments for the provision of improvements along Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue. The attached Capital Project and Related Services Assessment Ordinance will establish the city's procedures for the imposition of these two special assessment programs, as well as any additional capital special assessment programs the Commission may consider in the future.
The Ordinance provides for the creation of assessment areas within the city, outlines the procedures for the establishment of an assessment area and the initial and annual implementation steps for imposing special assessments by subsequent resolution. The ordinance also provides for collection on the ad valorem tax bill pursuant to section 197.3632, Florida Statutes, or pursuant to an alternative collection procedure elected by the Commission.
Notably, the ordinance also provides a procedure for citizens to pursue a voluntary assessment program through a petition and ballot process upon demonstrated support from the majority of property owners. Such a voluntary assessment program would provide property owners with an established process to request the Commission to impose assessments to fund neighborhood capital improvements.
The proposed Capital Project and Related Services Assessment Ordinance would replace the City's existing Local Improvement Act as codified in Article II of Chapter 58 of the Coral Gables Code of Ordinances. The existing Local Improvement Act was originally adopted in 1991 and is not set up to be compatible with the tax bill collection method. Additionally, the proposed ordinance is adopted pursuant to the City's home rule authority, rather than chapter 170, Florida Statutes, which will provide the Commission with greater flexibility
The proposed Capital Project and Related Services Assessment Ordinance does not impose the special assessments for Miracle Mile or Giralda Avenue nor does it obligate the Commission to proceed with those programs. After the adoption of this Ordinance, resolutions to begin the process for imposition of special assessments for the Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue improvements will be brought to the Commission for consideration.