Four hours of jeering, hissing and shouting matches later, last Wednesday’s first City Commission budget hearing is in the books.

Fresh off declaring a state of financial urgency that would press teacher and general employee bargaining unions to faster negotiations, City Commissioners tentatively locked in a property tax rate, including debt service millage, of $6.23 per $1,000 of taxable value for the 2009-10 fiscal year, up from last year’s $5.02.

Although the measure won’t be finalized until Sept. 23’s final budget hearing inside city commission chambers, the proposed hike could save the city roughly $13.5 million and knock that same amount off the city’s $23 million general fund deficit, said City Manager Charles Dodge.

“The property values in the city have plummeted again this year, declining 10.5 percent of taxable value for standard homes in Pines,” said Dodge to a commission chambers packed with hundreds of tense homeowners. “If we’re successful with our negotiations with the fire and police bargaining units, we could save even more money.”

That savings also supposes city officials approve a 2009-10 fire assessment fee hike of $20.36 on the city portion of a homeowner’s tax bill, from $209.36 to $229.99, added Dodge.

Commissioners plan to OK the new fire assessment fee, which could run as high as $229.99, during a final hearing that begins at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 14 inside city commission chambers, 10100 Pines Blvd.

For more information, call 954-435-6500, or visit www.ppines.com.