A little good news and a little sacrifice, helped brighten the mood as Lady Lake commissioners approved a less-than-anticipated tax increase.
The commission on Wednesday night voted to set the millage rate at 3.75, down from the 3.8781 rate which had been presented at a public hearing earlier this month.
It’s still the first tax increase in years, but not as much as had been originally planned.
Town Manager Kris Kollgaard told commissioners that it appears the town will receive $120,000 more in Communication Services Tax revenue next year than it had anticipated.
A steep drop in the money received through the Communication Services Tax has been at the heart of the town’s budget woes.
With that good news, commissioners voted in favor of the lowered millage rate.
Commissioner Paul Hannan, who had voted against the earlier rate, was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
Mayor Ruth Kussard said she has heard from many residents unhappy about the tax increase.
“Believe me, I feel your pain,” Kussard said.
The Village of La Reynalda resident said she is accepting a challenge from a resident and will be donating 10 percent of her pay as mayor/commissioner back to the town’s contingency fund.
She is scheduled to earn $8,100 in 2015, thus she will be donating back $810.
