When comfort is needed
Different role for Priest at Hospice
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Under new direction TCSC new man at the helm
NY, Washington and SLW
Monaco Boys Choir stops here, too
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ST. LUCIE WEST • TRADITION
YourVoiceWeekly.com VOL. 2/ISSUE 37
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Stirring the pot Ronise Toledo stirs her pot of chili to perfection for the Harbor Community Bank contribution to the annual Chili Cookoff for the effort Pierce Exchange Club. The event at the Havert Fenn Center in Fort Pierce benefits the Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County.
Brandon Zeris Staff writer
bzeris@YourVoiceWeekly.com
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Officials proposed preliminary budget plans last week with much of it resembling last year’s. There are a few changes, how-
Brandon Zeris Staff writer
bzeris@YourVoiceWeekly.com
had in the past because of some millage adjustments. Residents will pay less in Mosquito Control District taxes, but more in general fund taxes. The end amount will be the same, aside for residents who don’t pay mosquito control taxes. About 2 percent of residents are exempt from the mosquito control taxes, so the rate re-
See BUDGET page 3
See CROSSTOWN page 6
County budget proposed ever. The county will have a $140.4 million operation budget, up from last year’s $136.7 million budget. The gap will not be funded by a property tax rate increase, though. The millage rate will stay at 7.3910 – a $739.10 bill on a $100,000 property, but about 2 percent of county residents will have to pay more than they
Local firms want in on Crosstown Parkway project PORT ST. LUCIE — A group of local construction and engineering firms prohibited from participating in future Crosstown Parkway phases has backed off their opposition a bit in hopes of not delaying the $150 million project. Four firms — Culpepper & Terpening, CAPTEC Engineering, Ardaman & Associates and Anderson Andre Consulting — were expected to attend Monday’s City Council meeting, but decided to work it out with city staff, said Sam Yates, spokesman for the firms. The firms had been involved in early design phases for the past two years and thought they would be able to continue working on the project in future phases. They say the city never outright prohibited them to start, but city staff changed requirements later that prevented the firms from future work. Yates said it looks like the firms and city staff will be able to work something out, though. “It appears that lines of communication have adequately opened
Mitch Kloorfain chief photographer
Property tax rate to stay the same
FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014
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