Why should we sign the petition requesting to abolish the city?

Actually, the petition is not to abolish the city.  It is to request a referendum for a special election so the registered voters of Polk City can voice their opinions on whether or not they feel the extra layer of city government is needed, or should Polk City residents be governed by the county as part of unincorporated Polk County. 

The way we look at it, the city government has outgrown it's purpose.  The city has collected millions of dollars from it's residents through added taxes and fees to your water and sewer bills, garbage pick up, electric bill and other utility expenses.  What additional services have been provided by the city, as the middle man, that the county would not automatically provide? 

NONE

If there is no more Polk City Government:
Taxes - All the moneys listed on your recent tax bill under "Municipalities" will go away and will be replaced by an assessment tax (explained below).
Police - Maybe even better coverage from the Sheriff's Department which is helping out already
Post Office - will remain due to it's location so far away from other post offices in this area.
Library - will remain due to it's location so far away from other county libraries.
Roads & Sidewalks - will be better maintained because the county has the proper equipment.
Fire Department - County currently provides it, so there will be no changes
Garbage - County uses the same 3rd party, Florida Refuse, so there will be no change in service, plus the additional 25% surcharge to the city will be eliminated.
Water - County will provide at MUCH lower fees
Sewer - County will provide at MUCH lower fees
Street lighting - County will provide
Various Zoning, Land Use, Building Codes/Permits, Code Enforcement, Etc. - will all default back to the county, which we have to follow right now anyway.

Polk City, the name, will remain, just as Kathleen's name remained when they dissolved their city several years back.

The Assessment Tax, as mentioned above, will be the remaining debt of the city once all assets have been sold.  This debt will be divided equally among the former city residents over a period of time, for instance 10-15 years.  This tax should be much less than what the additional costs are for continuing to run the city as is and incurring additional debt.  Current city officials are working hard to reduce overhead and existing city debt as we speak, so this number will hopefully go down even further than what it is today.  How this will affect each individual household will be different.  We are working on getting solid numbers so we can show roughly how you can expect your bills to change.  Check back on our blog for updates.  We welcome any comments that will help us put these numbers together for everyone.