Services
What types of things can the new municipality do?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Municipalities are a form of self-government. Citizens make local decisions locally. Municipal governments can do anything not explicitly prohibited under state law. What they want to do is up to the citizens and elected town leaders. Being a municipality also means holding intergovernmental meetings and a seat at the table in conversations with other levels...
Who would be responsible for police, fire, sewer, trash, and water?
Last Updated: July 7, 2023The government model allows the local community to directly contract with existing service providers, thereby managing the delivery of those services without the need to recreate or duplicate them. The new town would manage contracts with these existing service providers, ensuring residents receive the correct level of coverage. Once complete, the full feasibility study will...
Who would be responsible for zoning and planning, and code enforcement?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Zoning and land use changes can only occur once the new municipality completes its 20-year comprehensive plan. Until then, the county’s existing comprehensive plan remains in effect. This is known as the transitional period. Even during the transitional period, town leaders would oversee decisions regarding new development, according to the county plan, and the town’s...
Would we get our own zip code, post office, and new addresses?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023ZIP codes and postal designations are established at a federal level. Modifications to mailing addresses require representatives in US Congress to make the change at that level. The part of the address that matters is the ZIP Code + 4 (9 digits total), which identifies a specific address. If the current city on the address...
Would becoming a town impact eligibility for social services?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Social services are an essential part of local government, including child protective services, elder care services, nonprofit eligibility, and homeless shelters. Such services would remain the responsibility of the state and county. Under Florida law, municipalities have no role in social services. The state works with the county for the delivery of these services. Eligibility...
How does becoming a municipality give us more power to address local issues?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Municipalities have the power to address local issues both directly and indirectly. Local town administration can directly address any issue within their jurisdiction and any services they deliver or for which they manage the service delivery contracts. Elected leaders can also indirectly address local issues through intergovernmental negotiations and by having a seat at the...
Who would be responsible for the roads and streets?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023After the municipality is formed, locally elected town leaders would sit with other local government officials to determine which streets and roads would be county versus municipally maintained. Under state statutes and through intergovernmental contracts, the municipality can then ensure appropriate infrastructure funding using existing revenue sources, such as state and county gas taxes and...
How can we, as a municipality, ensure the proper delivery of services?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Locally elected town leaders would oversee the government-lite municipality, a responsive, agile local administration that manages all service contracts. If services are lacking in an area, leaders can more quickly address the need. If the provider fails to deliver the service as contracted, the local government has the voice and means to rectify the situation...
Can incorporation address overdevelopment and destruction of the Gulf Coast and Perdido’s wetlands?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Yes, but with a few caveats. Under Florida law, any open development order approved at the county level before incorporation stands. And while a new town is working on its own 20-year comprehensive plan, it must administer local zoning and planning services in accordance with the county’s comprehensive plan. However, within two years of incorporation,...
What are some of the issues we expect to resolve through municipal incorporation?
Last Updated: October 26, 2023By incorporating Perdido as a municipality, we could directly address local concerns and build value in our community while having a local voice, a local choice, and a seat at the table. We could return a large portion of existing tax revenue to Perdido and control our own destiny. Early on in the process, local...
What does becoming a town mean for law enforcement, fire, EMS, and search and rescue?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023The recommendation is to contract these services back out to the existing providers, allowing us to adjust service levels to safeguard our community.
Will becoming a city affect public services like water, sewer, trash, gas, and electricity?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Existing public services would continue as they currently do, with the added benefit of being able to negotiate directly with providers. Note that our county presently collects franchise fees for utility companies’ use of the right of ways, which would turn over to the municipality.
What municipal services and benefits can the government-lite model provide Perdido?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Under the government-lite model, municipalities contract out the bulk of municipal services. This allows service levels to be locally managed while avoiding the duplication of services. Fire, EMS, and law enforcement would be contracted directly with existing service providers through the county. Based on the needs identified so far, the focus would be on fixing...
How will emergency response services be affected?
Last Updated: July 26, 2023By contracting directly for fire, law enforcement, and EMS services, the local municipality can work to increase service levels where necessary and ensure better staging of services (placement of parked emergency vehicles) for faster response times. Because of our remote location, it can easily take 45 minutes to an hour for an ambulance to arrive...
Can a town address road maintenance and traffic issues, even on roads the municipality does not own?
Last Updated: October 26, 2023Yes. A local municipal voice and seat on transportation planning organizations (TPOs) help prioritize state and county transportation projects in a way that benefits the community. Infrastructure dollars (sales tax and gas tax) are provided to the town for roads and streets that the municipality decides to own and repair. The distribution of gas tax...
How might homeowners be affected?
Last Updated: October 26, 2023Local zoning and planning would address the issue of development outpacing infrastructure and help protect our community’s charm ― our wildlife and way of life. Local code enforcement will help protect property values. Locally managing traffic issues and road repairs will ensure homeowners have an easier time getting around. Based on the boundaries, local law...
How quickly will improvements be made?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023Rome wasn’t built in a day. There are many challenges to address, and the town’s first elected leaders will have much to accomplish in their first term. They will be responsible for hiring the first town administrator, overseeing the setup of intergovernmental relationships and contracts, starting the process of drafting a 20-year comprehensive plan, and...
How is road ownership determined?
Last Updated: July 5, 2023The first elected officials work with county officials during the transition period to determine ownership of roads and streets. Based on the total lane-miles of road owned by the municipality, existing state and county revenue would be allocated to the municipality for ongoing maintenance of these resources.