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Largo City Hall
The Town of Largo was incorporated in 1905 . Lake Largo was drained in 1916 to make way for growth and development. Between 1910 and 1930, Largo's population increased about 500%. Then and for decades afterwards, Largo's economy was based on agriculture-- citrus groves, cattle ranches, and hog farms as well as turpentine stills and sawmills. Largo is best remembered as "Citrus City," from the time it was a citrus packing, canning and shipping center.
The Great Depression was unkind to Largo. Largo lacked the financial resources to meet its obligations. Largo reverted to its 1913 boundaries and charter . The population dropped approximately 30%. The debt incurred by the issuance of bonds in the late 1920's was not paid off until after World War II .
Taylor Lake Park is a County Park in Largo on 8th Avenue SW.
The years after World War II saw rapid growth as people began moving into the area and Largo annexed surrounding lands. During the Nuclear Arms Race , electronics companies like General Electric and Honeywell boosted the economy. The population increased to about 5,000 in 1960 , to about 20,000 in 1970 , and to about 70,000 in 2005. Largo's original area was 9/16th of a square mile. By 1982, Largo had grown to about 13 square miles and covers about 17 square miles in 2005. The groves, farms, ranches and forests have mostly given way to homes and shopping centers and light industry. The increased population resulted in a need for increased city services. All departments saw rapid growth and improvements in quality, especially under the leadership of the late Mayor Thom Feaster. In 1995 , Largo Central Park opened on the site of the old Pinellas County Fairgrounds. It is the setting for the Largo Cultural Center and the Largo Public Library.
City of Largo Government Services:
The Clocktower at Largo Central Park has become an area landmark.
The City of Largo sees itself as "The City of Progress" and offers itself as a great place to live, work and retire. In the pursuit of excellence, the City of Largo has garnered a number of awards and certifications. In 1999, Largo Fire Rescue became the second agency in Florida to earn accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The Largo Police Department won accreditation by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Agencies and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. Largo's Solid Waste workers regularly win awards at the SWANA International Truck & Mechanic ROAD-E-O. Largo's CFO, Kimbal Adams, won the 2004 Florida League of City's CFO of the Year Award. In 2005, the new Largo Public Library won the award for the Best Design in the Government / Institutional category at the International Interior Design Association 2005 Forum Awards. In 2000, the library won the Genealogy Outstanding Achievement Award by the Florida State Genealogical Society.
Commission
The City of Largo is governed by a commission of 7 people elected at large to staggered, three year terms. The mayor acts as a member and presiding officer of the Commission. The Commission's role encompasses the setting of city policy, exercising those duties imposed by the charter and law, and striving to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public within the corporate bounds of the City of Largo. In so doing, the Commission executes the City's powers by the passage of resolutions and ordinances. The Commission appoints and directs the City Manager and approves the City Manager's appointments for City Attorney, Assistant City Manager, and City Clerk.
Administration
The City Manager directs the Administration in governing and providing municipal services to Largo. The Administrative Department includes the City Manager's Office, the City Attorney's Office, the City Clerk's Office, the Communications and Marketing Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the City Attorney.
Candidates for city commission must collect the signatures of 200 registered voters in order to qualify for election. The cards are reviewed for completeness by the City Clerk and then turned over to the Supervisor of Elections for verification.
The City Manager is appointed by and answerable to the City Commission as a whole. The City of Largo is unusual in that a supermajority of commissioners is required to terminate the City Manager. The City Manager appoints and supervises all department directors, and with Commission approval, appoints the Assistant City Manager, the City Clerk, and the City Attorney.
The Assistant City Manager supervises the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the City Clerk's Office. The Office of Management and Budget's role encompasses formulation of the annual budget, including projection of revenue and expenses, coordination of purchasing, the handling of labor relations, and the analysis of organizational structures and procedures.
The City Clerk's role encompasses records management, coordination of commission meetings and preparation of commission materials. The City Clerk advertises public notices, maintains the Code of Ordinances, and administers municipal elections.
The Communications and Marketing Office's role is to inform the public. The city's communications include LTV15 (Largo Television) cable broadcasts, advertising, the City of Largo website, media relations and printed materials such as brochures, and other promotional materials.
The City Attorney advices City officials and staff, and prepares/reviews ordinances, resolutions, contracts and legal agreements. The City Attorney also represents the City of Largo in legal proceedings and coordinates the activity of outside legal counsel.
Police
The Police Department's role encompasses law enforcement within the corporate limits of the City of Largo. The Police Department strives to work with the community in providing a sense of security, safety and confidence and to improve the quality of life in Largo. Largo police officers are encouraged to develop relationships with the people in the community to better understand Largo's needs.
Fire Rescue
Largo Fire Rescue Station 41 is the largest of Largo's fire stations.
Largo Fire Rescue provides services for the health, safety and welfare of the public in the Largo and Highpoint Fire/EMS Districts as well as providing management support to the Harbor Bluffs Fire District. These districts extend beyond the corporate boundaries of Largo. Largo Fire Rescue provides these services through four programs: Fire & EMS Operations, Fire Prevention, Support Services, and Administration. Fire & EMS Operations suppresses fires, provides hazardous materials response, provides emergency medical services, and ensures policy compliance and related operational activities. Fire Prevention enforces fire code compliance, investigates fires, and educates the community. Support Services role encompasses marketing, training and recruitment of Fire Rescue personnel, departmental purchasing coordination, and the maintenance of fire apparatus, equipment and facilities. Administration's role encompasses overall direction, programming and management of the Fire Rescue Department, and coordination of emergency management for the City.
Public Works
The Public Works Department supports city owned infrastructure. Public Works consists of four divisions: Facility Management, Fleet Management, Streets and Drainage, and Solid Waste. Facility Management provides custodial, facility maintenance, construction project management and communications. Fleet Management coordinates vehicle purchasing and maintenance. Streets and Drainage provides installation and maintenance of roadways, storm drainage systems and traffic control signage. Solid Waste provides refuse, yard waste and recycling collection.
Recreation, Parks and Arts
The Recreation, Parks and Arts Department's role encompasses recreational, cultural, environmental and athletic programs. The department maintains community parks, playgrounds and greenways, and offers educational and entertainment events and celebrations. The Recreation, Parks and Arts Department groups fourteen programs into four categories: Administration, Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Arts. Administration oversees all divisions, provides budgeting and administrative support, supports grant writing, and coordinates special events and marketing. Recreation consists of all recreation facilities and active recreation programming. Parks coordinates maintenance and beautification of city parks, facility landscaping, medians and greenways. Cultural Arts manages and coordinates cultural performances and educational activities at the Largo Cultural Center and Historic Largo.
Management Services
The Management Services Department's role encompasses City-wide accounting, finance and information technology activities. Management Services primarily provides services to other City departments, but also serves the public through utility billing.
Largo, Florida's Ulmer Park bandstand remembers the time when Ulmer Park was the emotional heart of Largo.
The Accounting and Finance Division coordinates accounts payable, cash disbursements, utility billing, payroll, asset tracking, and treasury management activities. The division maintains all official City accounting records and ensures that all transactions are properly recorded. Accounting and Finance is also responsible for financial reporting and implementation of financial management policies.
The Information Technology (IT) Division provides computer technology services to all departments. Largo uses centralized office automation systems for applications such as word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets and scheduling. IT manages the development testing and application of these systems, and provides City Internet access, web hosting services and PC support. IT also provides special project support, computer training services and mobile computing support. IT is notable for adopting Open Source software early on.
Environmental Services
Largo, Florida Environmental Services lift station, where 8th Avenue SW crosses McKay Creek.
Environmental Services' role encompasses waste water management and distribution of reclaimed water to customers within the Largo Sewer District. The boundaries of the Largo Sewer District are vastly greater than the corporate bounds of the City of Largo.
Environmental Services' network of sewer lines and lift stations, delivers wastewater to the City's award-winning wastewater treatment facility. It is made up of 380 miles of sanitary sewer lines with 5200 manholes and 52 lift stations. The facility treats 13 million gallons of wastewater per day and serves approximately 100,000 customers. By-products of the treatment's process are sold in the form of effluent reclaimed water and high-grade pelletized solids used by agricultural companies for soil conditioning.
Largo Public Library
Largo, Florida's new 90,000+ square foot public library opened in July, 2005
Largo Public Library is one of the most heavily used libraries in Pinellas County, with an annual circulation of over 700,000 items. The collection includes a variety of formats, including books, DVDs, CDs, videos, e-books and audio book collections.
The Largo Public Library houses a wealth of information in its special collections, which include an award-winning genealogy collection, the Rugg Financial Center, the Pathways Career Center, the Small Business Resource Center, a large print collection and a parent-teacher collection. In addition to all of these collections and resources, the library offers a wide variety of educational and cultural programs on subjects that include literary figures, historical topics, financial and legal issues, parenting, health, social issues and environmental concerns.
The Library was relocated to its new building in 2005. Its phenomenal growth and quality are a tribute to the vision, efforts, and energy of its recently retired Director, Barbara Murphey.
This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License .
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