Even though the city's population has not grown, additional officers have been needed, in part, to keep pace with the increasingly congested highway. If Crystal River's ideal population is 10,000, as Sallee suggests, it has a long way to go. Either way, it is a troubling trend to some, who have watched other areas in the county grow steadily. Officials say a fair amount of the growth occurred in the downtown redevelopment district and the revenue was diverted to the Community Redevelopment Agency. We have to pay higher salaries.
Gasoline keeps going up.
I want annexation because it will keep the taxes down. In return, the city would receive additional tax revenue, an economy of scale and the ability to attract large employers more easily. An expanded population would also put the city in a better position to obtain state and federal grants. The proposal has some costly downsides, of course. Property owners in areas targeted for annexation would pay both city and county taxes.