Plant City's community rallies together after Irma and the City Commission is planning to hold a public hearing on the proposed property tax increase.
United Food Bank of Plant City aids community after Irma
The United Food Bank of Plant City is distributing food to anyone in need. Starting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, those in need of food picked up a bag of nonperishables, juice and bread. The service was provided free of charge through the end of the week. The service did not count as a regular pickup for the UFB’s clients.
UFB was giving each person approximately 20 pounds of food and families of four were given two bags to meet their needs. Hundreds of bags were filled by UFB and as people arrived, volunteers loaded the food into waiting vehicles. One man’s eyes filled with tears as Mary Heysek, the executive director of the UFB, placed a bag full of food in his back seat.
The shelves at UFB are nearly empty and Heysek said they are in desperate need of donations. United Way Suncoast gave $7,000 to replenish its shelves during the disaster, however, help from the community is always needed.
“We have a lot of donations from the community, but we definitely need more,” Heysek said. “We’re serving more than our normal clients so that’s hard, but the community is always good to us so I’m hoping people donate and I’m hoping word gets around that we’re offering this service so people know to come and get help.”
If you would like to donate any nonperishable items, UFB will be accepting donations anytime during normal business hours. The address is 702 E. Alsobrook St. # H.
City Commission to discuss potential property tax increase
The City Commission will hold a public hearing Sept. 18 to discuss the proposed property tax increase. The hearing was supposed to be held during a Sept. 11 regular commission meeting but was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.
The proposal could increase the property tax rate, also known as millage, from $4.7157 per $1,000 in property value to as much as $5.7157 per $1,000 in property value, 4.7157 mills to 5.7157 mills. The raise would be solely directed to fund infrastructure and road projects and could bring in additional revenue of $1.9 million to the city. Any increase would be the city’s first since 1991. Other agenda items from the Sept. 11 meeting will be rescheduled for a later date.
The public hearing will be held at City Hall in the Sadye Gibbs Martin Auditorium, 302 W. Reynolds St., at 7:30 p.m.
YMCA opens doors for Irma victims
Many YMCAs in Florida, including the Plant City branch, are opening their doors to the community following Irma’s destructive path across the state. While they do not have the resources to open as a shelter during storms, Lalita Llerena, the communications director for the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, said all branches want to help their community in any way they can.
Anyone is welcome to come use the ‘Y’s showers, charge their phones and escape from the heat in its air conditioning.
“We will treat them as a guest,” Llerena said. “We don’t want to turn anyone away and they are all welcome, especially if they don’t have any hot water or electricity. The ‘Y’ has always been here to strengthen the community. That’s what we’re all about. This is a time where people come together. We’re all family, we’re all in this together and the ‘Y’ is happy to help our community.”
