On Tuesday, the Leon County Commission tentatively approved a higher property tax rate as part of next year’s budget. The unanimous vote came after commissioners heard from several county residents who oppose the increase.
Throughout the public hearing, commissioners repeatedly stressed that the decision to raise the property tax rate comes after almost a year of careful consideration.
Commissioner Bryan Desloge says, because of generally lower assessed property values, the proposed higher millage rate is simply keeping county revenue on par with last year.
“I would characterize what we’re putting forth here as kind of treading water," he says. "I mean, we’re not certainly moving ahead and we’re not moving back, but we’re holding our own.”
Desloge points out that some property owners might actually see a small decrease in their tax bills, depending on their assessed values. He also says, changing the millage rate is a last-resort effort to balance the budget after several years of cutting staff, reducing the amount the county contributes to employees’ health insurance and dipping into reserves.
But eight county residents spoke out against the tax rate hike. One of them, Curtis Baynes, owns several rental properties, which means he doesn’t get homestead tax exemptions on them. Baynes says, in order to balance the budget, the commission should cut services instead of raising the tax rate.
“Now, the big question is going to be, what can we do without? And that’s going to be the big issue for the commissioners, or for the public in general," Baynes says.
The proposed 2013 budget is already $12.5 million less than last year’s budget, and property taxes contribute about half of all revenues.
Several of the county residents who objected to the increase, also take issue with a proposed salary increase for county employees. Paul Donovan of Tallahassee is one of the residents who spoke out against it.
“Do not give county employees increases. That hurts my relatives, it hurts my family," he says, "but I’m going to tell you. What you’re proposing is unsustainable.”
But Commission Vice Chair Nick Maddox says, the small salary bump is the county’s way of showing appreciation after employees recently had to contribute an additional 5 percent to their health insurance premiums.
“What we’ve chosen to do as a board is to try to, every time we hand our employees a tough pill to swallow, try to give them something to drink with it as well," he says.
According to commission staff, for a $100,000 home, the new rate will add about $48 to the yearly tax bill. The Leon County Commission will hold one more public hearing, next Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m., before taking a final vote on the 2013 budget, which goes into effect on Oct. 1.