Punta Gorda unveils sales tax project wish list

Punta Gorda officials unveiled a list of priority projects that could receive funding if voters approve an extension of the county’s 1% local option sales tax in November. 

Planning Director Boyd Lawrence presented the recommendations of the city’s 1% Local Sales Tax Committee to City Council on March 11. The committee reviewed 50 capital improvement projects and ranked them based on priority. 

The top project on the list is funding for the city’s reverse osmosis water plant, which has an unfunded portion of about $21 million. Finance Director Kristin Simeone said the city is exploring other funding sources and that the final amount needed from sales tax revenue could be less. 

Second on the list is funding for Phase 3 of the city’s Downtown Flooding project. Flooding has long been a challenge in Punta Gorda’s Historic District and downtown area, where streets have been forced to close during heavy rains, storms and hurricanes. 

Third on the list are improvements to Laishley Marina, including repairing and replacing docks at an estimated cost of about $800,000. 

A new fire truck ranks fourth among the committee’s priorities. The estimated $1 million purchase would replace a 23-year-old truck that remains in service. 

The fifth priority project is an expansion of the city’s Public Safety Building. The project carries a total estimated cost of $6.95 million, with about $5.6 million potentially funded through the sales tax. 

City Council also approved the purchase of new radio equipment for the police and fire departments after officials said existing equipment had reached the end of its useful life. 

Police Chief Pam Smith said the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is encrypting its radio communications, and without new equipment, the Punta Gorda Police Department would be unable to hear or communicate with sheriff’s deputies. 

Council members were presented with options to purchase either refurbished or new equipment and voted to approve new systems. The purchase includes $842,448 for police radios and $1,230,296 for fire department equipment, including radios and equipment for the new truck. The purchases will be incorporated into the broader Public Safety Building expansion project. 

Additional projects ranked just outside the top five include improvements to infrastructure in the Historic District, estimated at $2.788 million, and improvements to West Henry Street properties, estimated at $3.227 million. 

Other proposed projects include Maud Street angled parking at an estimated cost of $351,120, lighting improvements for the southbound U.S. 41 bridge approach at $420,000 and completion of Royal Poinciana improvements estimated at $3.26 million. 

Lawrence said the 1% sales tax has generated an average of about $4 million annually for the city. 

City Manager Melissa Reichert said Charlotte County ultimately writes the language for the referendum, while municipalities submit and prioritize their project lists, typically categorizing them as Tier 1 or Tier 2 priorities. 

The city’s sales tax committee included 16 members who began meeting July 8 and held seven meetings before concluding Feb. 24. 

City Council is scheduled to give final approval to the city’s project list April 1. The recommendations will then be submitted to the Charlotte County Commission on April 7. 

Charlotte County voters will decide whether to extend the 1% sales tax during the Nov. 3 general election.