© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Survey Shows Leon Co. Residents Oppose Planned Property Tax Increase

The Leon County Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday at 6 pm on a plan to raise property taxes, but according to a new survey, more than 60 percent of the county’s homeowners are against the proposal.

"People feel as if their property taxes have not come down commensurate with the decrease in their property values," says Phillip Downs with the Kerr-Downs Research group. 

Downs conducted the poll along with WCTV as part of the latest TallahasseeVoices survey.  

According to Downs, Leon County citizens oppose the increase by a 2-to-1 margin.

Property values fell during the recession and housing market bust. In July, the Leon County Commission proposed increasing the property tax rate from $7.85 to $8.31 per $1,000 in taxable property value. That's an almost 6 percent rate hike.  

The county says the increase is necessary to offset some of the decline in county revenue. 

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories here.