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VOLUME 6, NO. 116
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
COMMISSION ROUNDUP: BUDGET APPROVED The next fiscal year’s budget was approved and commissioners then quickly transitioned into a heavy night of public hearings.
BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Following a unanimous vote, the next fiscal year’s budget was approved Monday evening. The total budget was $94,674,285, an $8,535,898 increase from last year’s budget. There was no increase to the millage rage and commissioners approved the proposed 3 percent raise for employees. From the General Fund, $330,080 will be distributed to outside agencies like the Greater Plant City Chamber of
Commerce, Plant City Main Street and the Plant City Economic Development Corp., to name a few. One of the big changes to this fiscal year’s budget was the relabelling of $3 million that was in the city’s reserve. During a special commission meeting discussing the budget, it was proposed that $3 million be dubbed “Emergency Reserve,” which would mean it would be able to quickly and easily be pulled in case of an unforeseen emergency or disaster recovery.
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PAINT FOR A CURE SPREADS JOY DOWNTOWN The annual event drew countless families to downtown Plant City Sunday as the community rallied together to raise money for local children with cancer. BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Paint for a Cure once again touched the lives of children throughout the community. The annual event was held at the Union Station Depot. For years, Jensen’s Heart of Gold’s Florida Chapter has hosted the event in downtown as a means to give local children a chance to play, uninterrupted, and to soak in the joys of being a kid. This year was no different and the depot was filled with families — who socially distanced and wore masks at all times — that wanted to spend an afternoon having some creative fun. The event had a $5 donation for three rocks and then
attendees, young and old alike, were invited to get creative and paint their rocks however their heart desired. There was popcorn, pizza, lemonade and a bake sale on site to make the experience one many will remember for years to come. The event is always held in September in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Each year an estimated 15,780 children up to age 19 are diagnosed with cancer and approximately one in 285 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. Jensen’s uses the money raised to help local families who are affected by childhood cancer. Some families choose to use the money to help with expenses, others buy tires for the family vehicle that they use to go to treatment and some even will use the money to treat their child to a celebration they’ve been wishing for for years.
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