HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Hollywood leaders are calling for a new police station in a measure hitting the ballot in March. They also want to improve city parks and create flooding safeguards. But a property tax price hike could make Hollywood one of the highest-taxed cities in South Florida.
The city of Hollywood is leaving it up to residents to decide whether or not those big changes are needed.
A special election is set to take place on March 12 and there is a big investment on the line.
"We've worked hard with residents to address their concerns and we hope that we've put together a package that does just that," Hollywood spokeswoman Raelin Storey said.
If the three bond issues on the ballot are approved, it would mean a total investment of $165 million.
It would also mean higher property taxes, citywide.
"If they go on the city of Hollywood website, we actually have a calculator on there and they can plug in their address and get how much the bond will cost them," Storey said. "It really, in some cases, is as little as $1.50 a month or 75 cents a month, but the average in Hollywood is about $8.83 a month for the property owners in Hollywood."
Hollywood residents can vote for one, two or all three of the bonds, which focus on parks, neighborhood and resiliency measures and the overhaul to the public safety departments.
"We're responsible for a lot more today than we were back in the '70s. There's a lot of things we don't have here just because we don't have the room," Hollywood Police Chief Chris O'Brien said.
City officials released a video that shows the aging Hollywood Police Department, which was built before Hurricane Andrew.
A total of $78 million would be set aside for public safety improvements.