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Dredging Hinges on Finding Local Funds
Editorial Board
Nancy Ancrum, Susana Barciela, Zulay Domingues Chirinos
Another project much more important than preservation of the
Miami Circle is dredging the river that, so long ago, lured the
Tequest here. The Miami River must be dredged of its modern-day
toxic sediments. This year, finally, hopes of doing so were raised
when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to finance two-thirds
of the $81 million project. The catch? A local sponsor had to
pony up $20 million.
Even as the Miami City Commission Tuesday debated funding
for the purchase of the circle, a deadline for finding the local
money to dredge the river passed without satisfactory answers.
Miami commissioners did write to the Miami River Commission citing
support - moral anyhow - for the dredging. But unless a source
of money for the local contribution is identified soon, the dredging
project could again sink. The first $5 million in federal funds
can't be disbursed till the Corps finds a local partner.
The county is reviewing the feasibility of a river tax - either
through a special-taxing district or a tax-increment district.
This raises concerns that property taxes will increase, but the
proposals being considered impose no new taxes. They simply redirect
how existing taxes are spent. The county seems serious now about
finding the money. That's encouraging. For when it comes to time
and the Miami River, the clock is loudly ticking.
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