City's Budget Steps up Capital Improvements
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Volusia inside DELAND/LAKE HELEN DELEON SPRINGS PIERSON Business Irma not quite as bad as Matthew for area hotels Page A7 Vol. 6, No. 33 Your Local News and Information Source • www.HometownNewsVolusia.com Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 Community City’s budget steps up Notes Duvall Home gala capital improvements Sept. 29 By Gina McKee “This is a very capital-intensive budget, [email protected] because through the recession, we did not The Board of Regents of invest a whole lot in capital,” Mr. Pleus said. The DeLand City Commission Sept. 18 unani- Duvall Homes will present the “We simply did not have the money, and so mously adopted a $74 million budget for 2017-18, 2017 Inspiration Gala at 5:30 we’re trying to play catch-up pretty much in officially approving a 4.3 percent property tax p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Wayne all areas of the city.” increase. G. Sanborn Center 815 S. Ala- Now that DeLand’s economy is improv- “The final operating millage for the City of bama Ave., DeLand. ing, these projects cannot wait, he said. DeLand necessary to fund the city’s operating bud- Reception, silent auction, “Our taxable value keeps going up, get for the fiscal year 2017-18 is 6.8231 mills,” said art exhibit and gift shopping which is a good sign. It means the economy in “For Dan Stauffer, city finance director. “This rate is 4.3 will be at 5:30 p.m. DeLand is strong,” Mr. Pleus said “The capital is personnel, we pro- percent above the rolled-back rate of 6.5421 mills. Dinner program, entertain- spread through all the departments. It’s a pretty siz- grammed in a 3.5 percent merit increase,” The final debt service millage rate is 0.2544 mills.” ment and special tribute will able investment in capital (improvements) for 2017- Mr. Pleus said. “The funds for the Putnam redevel- The rolled-back rate, which is the rate the city be at 7 p.m. 18.” opment are still in there as well as revenue stabiliza- would need to collect the same tax revenue as to the The cost is $75 per ticket The budget sets aside funding for a long list of tion and participation in Team Volusia, capital road current fiscal year, would not allow funding for cap- plus a $2 service fee. projects, including a personnel increase, and road resurfacing and building maintenance.” ital improvements delayed during recession years, For more information, visit and building improvements. City Manager Michael Pleus said. See CITY'S, page A2 DuvallHomes.org. ECHO grant workshop rescheduled Crafty soaps St. Johns flooding Volusia County’s Environ- plaguing homes mental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor Recreation Grants-in-Aid program has and businesses rescheduled the final work- shop for the 2017-18 grant By Gina McKee management division. cycle to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, [email protected] “Before the storm, knowing at the Volusia County Historic that conditions were going to Hurricane Irma’s winds Courthouse, second-floor deteriorate, we went ahead and rain brought less storm training room, 125 W. Indiana and put out voluntary evacu- surge than originally antici- Ave., DeLand. ations for the beachside, pated, but caused flooding Eligible applicants must mobile home parks, manu- from swollen rivers through- attend if they did not attend factured homes and low-ly- out the week following the the Aug. 25 workshop. ing areas. Then as the storm storm. The workshop is open to the continued on this path, man- On the outskirts of public. datory evacuations were DeLand, the St. John’s River For more information about ordered for (those same crested Monday, Sept. 18, at the ECHO program, visit volu- areas).” 5.2 feet above flood level, sia.org/echo. As the rivers continued to bringing water into buildings rise, the emergency manage- in the Hontoon Island area ment division watched the and covering secondary Go dancing with levels closely, sending out roads, according to the Volu- alerts to residents in affected Council on Aging sia County Emergency Man- areas all along the St. Johns agement Division. River. The Council on Aging will “We did have three feet of “We’ve had flooding all host Dancing Through The storm surge, and quite a bit along the St. John’s River,” Decades from 6-10 p.m. Fri- of rainfall prior to the storm Mr. Judge said. “We continue day, Sept. 29, at the Ocean -- and then an additional 11 to monitor the St. John’s, and Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Randy Barber/staff photographer to 12 inches of rain with that the good news is it’s going to Daytona Beach. Kim Jones, right, of Lake Helen seems a bit surprised as she looks at soaps came in with Hurricane taper off, and it will continue Music will be by Mister DJ. with her daughter, Emma, 11, Alex Loughrew, and Maya Porter, left, during Irma,” said Jim Judge, direc- Free valet parking, photo tor of the county emergency booth, door prizes, raffle, cash the 19th annual DeLand Craft Show downtown on Saturday, Sept. 23. See ST. JOHNS, page A2 bar and more. Come dressed in attire from your favorite musical decade. Tickets are $25 per person. Learn Tables of 8 can be reserved Colby Temple when paid for in advance. All proceeds support Coun- how to cil on Aging services and the provides unique See NOTES, page A2 ‘Talk Cooking B2 worship service By Lori Carter versity of Metaphysical Sci- CHEF'S CORNER For Hometown News ences in California, said the Like a second part of the service is Sunday service at Colby the speaker or lecturer. Nor- Memorial Temple in Cassad- mally subjects are about Spiri- Pirate’ The chef's aga Spiritualist Camp is tualism, natural law and uni- wife does unique. versal law. By Gina McKee get a date Yes, there are songs, prayer “Spiritualism is a philoso- [email protected] night and the offering in the usual phy, religion and science. We one-hour service, 10:30 a.m. If it be treasure ye seek in do our best to live by the Dec- the form of new languages, to 11:30 a.m. But there’s laration of Principles of Spiri- something a bit different than tualism,” he said. “We believe the X on your treasure map the “normal” service. in the continuity of life.” will show you the way to the Entertainment B1 Rev. Louis Gates, Colby Rev. Gates said the third library. pastor, said there are three part of the service is the read- All hands were on deck and IT'S A HORROR parts in the service. ings. The speaker, if a medi- ready to discover a treasure The first part is a healing um, will give several people in trove of fun and games as guided meditation. People attendance messages, he said. may sit in the pews, which Volusia County Public If the speaker is not a medi- Library branches celebrated have been around for more um, the pastor provides a than 100 years, or go in the International Talk Like a medium to do so. Pirate Day across the county back of the church to receive a “We connect to the spirit Photo by Lori Carter Sept. 19. hands-on healing by camp world,” he said. “That’s what The Rev. Louis Gates is pastor of Colby Memorial certified healers and qualified makes us unique.” Temple in Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp. “The big reason to do Pirate student healers. Day was to promote our data- Check out Audrey, Seymour Rev. Gates said the message “It’s something different, bearer (medium) connects base called MANGO, where and all the gang hands-on healing, energy with spirit around a person, receiving the message and Auditorium, which stood in you can learn different lan- from the spirit world,” he said. gives evidence of the spirit then added, “We’re proving the spot of Colby Memorial guages,” said Kasey Thomas, “That’s what Spiritualist and a message from the spirit. the continuity of life. That’s Temple before it was built in teen library associate in Port Index churches do. What we don’t “The person should have part of our religion.” either 1923 or 1924, had do is moving of the hands. It’s Orange. “It’s available on our Business A7 Out & About B1 some sort of connection with Rev Gates said Cassadaga mediums and speakers work- Classified B6 Police Report A5 against the law.” website, and to help encour- that spirit, know who they Spiritualist Camp has been in ing continuously. Crossword B5 Sports B5 Gates, who has a doctorate age everyone to use it, one of Horoscopes B1 Viewpoint A6 are,” he said of the person existence since 1894. The in metaphysics from The Uni- See TEMPLE, page A3 See PIRATE, page A2 Parkinson’s Support Group at The Cloisters Always the 1st Wednesday of the month Next Class: Wednesday Oct 4th, 2017 from 230p-330p www.thecloistersretirement.org (800)738-1222 | 400 East Howry Ave., DeLand Located on the 1st Floor, in the pub. A Retirement Housing Foundation Campus You do not have to have Parkinson’s to attend! A not-for-profit community - ALF#8340 A-2 • DeLand/Lake Helen/DeLeon Springs/Pierson Hometown News Friday, September 29, 2017 and a digitally-assisted scav- who got into character for the sure displays featuring pirate Pirate enger hunt for teens, said Kate scavenger hunt by donning an decorations and books, spe- From page A1 Sprague, director of youth eye patch.