BY JOSE CASSOLA
jcassola@MiamiHerald.com
The Sweetwater City Commission tentatively approved its $6.5 million budget Monday, increasing the city's tax rate from $3.40 last year to $3.93 this year.

Because of declining property values, the commission elected to go with the rollback rate to collect about the same amount of taxes from homeowners for the 2009-10 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Using this year's proposed rate, the owner of a home assessed at the city's average value of $126,238, who claims the $50,000 homestead exemption would pay about $300 in city taxes or $3.93 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

The owner of a home assessed at last year's city average of $139,350, with the homestead exemption, paid about the same in city taxes. The amounts each homeowner will pay, however, differ according to each assessed home value and when the properties were purchased.

``Most of our residents will roughly pay the same amount of taxes as last year,'' Mayor Manny Maroño said. ``More importantly, they won't be losing any services.''

Maroño said the city never filled a half dozen vacant employee positions in the police department and maintenance department, anticipating the shortfall in tax revenues.

The city has also reshuffled positions in the clerk's office, code enforcement and parks and proposes no raises for its department heads to accommodate the year's upcoming budget.

``We always expected more cuts and tried our best to plan ahead accordingly,'' Maroño said.

The final public hearing on the city's proposed budget and tax rate will take place at 8 p.m. Sept. 28.

Also at the meeting:

• Commissioner Ariel Abelairas proposed to draft a resolution encouraging the Florida Legislature to ban the use of texting electronic devices while driving.

• The commission granted a solid waste regulatory permit to Southern Waste Systems.

• The commission passed an ordinance on first reading to adopt certain minimum flood management standards imposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

• Police dispatcher Alfredo Llaguno and maintenance director Antero Espinosa were presented with plaques for their years of outstanding service to the city.

• City clerk Val Schmidt was named Employee of the Month.