More than 500 people descended on the Sumter County Board of Commissioners Tuesday to protest a proposed 24 percent increase in property taxes in the county’s 2019-20 budget.
Only 404 of them got into the meeting at the Colony Cottage Recreation Center due to capacity restrictions, while others waited outside chanting their opposition to the tax hike.
The issue was not on the agenda, but commissioners and County Administrator Bradley Arnold accommodated the crowd by offering details during the public forum portion of the meeting.
The proposed budget would increase county taxes for the first time in 15 years, setting the tax rate at $6.70 per $1,000 assessed valuation.
That rate is $1.67 above the rolled back rate of $5.03, which is the rate needed to collect the same amount of revenue as the previous year. The owner of a $300,000 home with a $50,000 Florida homestead credit would pay $1,675 in county property taxes next year, an increase of $340.88.
A property owner’s tax bill also includes assessments for municipal and school taxes, as well as fire services.
Next month, the county will issue its official notice of the tax rate. Public hearings on the proposed budget will be held in September, with adoption by the end of the month. The budget goes into effect Oct. 1.
The county’s rapid growth provides more property tax revenue, but Arnold said the revenue increases often lag behind infrastructure expenses.
Sumter County’s population currently is estimated at 128,000 and Arnold said small-county benefits, such as stipends for road resurfacing, disappear as it approaches 150,000.
“We are not a rural county anymore,” he said. “We are becoming a metropolitan county.”
Arnold said road improvements and a new fire station that opened on Morse Boulevard south of State Road 44 are examples of infrastructure that precede development revenue. No homes are yet in the fire station area.
State mandates, such as providing increased school security, also boost county expenditures, he said. Eight new sheriff’s deputy positions are proposed in next year’s budget.
Major budget expenses include resurfacing of Morse and Buena Vista boulevards. About $7.8 million in trust fund money is earmarked for resurfacing Morse Boulevard between county roads 466 and 466A, while resurfacing eight miles of Buena Vista Boulevard to SR 44 will cost about $7 million. Another $20 million will be spent on the Buena Vista Boulevard extension from SR 44 to Meggison Road.
Other transportation projects include Corbin Trail, Fenney Way and Warm Springs Avenue in the Villages of Southern Oaks.
Arnold said the county is committed to providing effective and efficient services, which are not always cheap, and also tries to promote public-private partnerships. Residents may not use some services, he said, such as text to 911 capability, which could be important in active shooter situations.
Commissioner salaries also will rise in the proposed budget and Arnold said the amount is set by the state, based partly on population. Commissioners currently earn $58,000 a year plus retirement plan contributions and the proposed budget calls for a 9.8 increase.
After Arnold’s presentation, some residents criticized the proposed budget.
Marie Lazinski said county officials should consider rural residents who also face a property tax hike.
“These people still think it’s a rural county,” she said. “These people don’t realize they’re going to pay more in taxes.”
Larry Bowman, of the Village of Bonita, said roads were not built to handle construction traffic with trucks carrying cement and other heavy materials.
“We should not pay for the screw-up,” he said.
Don Wiley, chairman of Community Development District 10, questioned a large increase in special reserve funds and how much more the county will receive in sales tax revenue.
“We don’t want a metropolitan area,” said Carol Nichols, of the Village of Glenview. “We were told it would stop at (SR) 44.”
Arnold responded that the roads were built to handle construction traffic.
“We understand there’s always going to be the tug of war between pro-growth and anti-growth,” he said, adding that growth provides a continuing income for construction workers.
Due to the large crowd at the meeting, Commissioner Doug Gilpin said the county must find a bigger venue for the September budget hearing.
“You aren’t going to be able to find a venue for all of the citizens who want to come to this meeting,” he told Arnold. “Do the best that you can. We can’t rent the polo fields.”
In a related matter, commissioners approved no increases next year in the annual assessment rate for both the Sumter and Villages fire districts. The rate will remain at $124 per land parcel for both districts, generating $2.2 million for the Sumter district and $5.7 million for The Villages district. Arnold said the revenue will not cover costs in The Villages district.
