In a recent Developer-owned Daily Sun news article the current three Sumter County Commissioners up for re-election defended their last years tax increase as a “moderate increase.”
Let’s be perfectly clear here using the 2019-2020 budget numbers provided by the county in the budget for only the Sumter County portion of the tax.
The last year Sumter County millage rate was 5.3365 and last fall the current 5 Sumter County Commissioners increased the millage rate to 6.7. 6.7 mills minus 5.3365 equals an increase of 1.3635 mills. Now to get the percentage difference you take this 1.3635 increase and divide it by the original millage rate of 5.3365 and that equals an increase of 25 percent in Ad Valorem tax for the Sumter County portion of the tax roll. You also have to account for the increase in assessed values prior to the new millage rate being applied, which then pushed many taxpayers well over the 25 percent rate for the Sumter County line only in Ad Valorem tax. So how do you find out your specific increase? Pull up this Randy Mask tax collector link: https://sumter.county-taxes.com/public and enter your name or address. Your property will appear, so select your property. This will reflect your 2019 tax form. Look down at the Ad Valorem Tax, and using only the Sumter County line (the top one) write down what you paid for 2019. Now go to the top of that same form and select 2018. Repeat looking in the Ad Valorem section and the Sumter County line only and write that number down. Subtract the 2018 (Sumter County line only) tax on the top line from the 2019 (Sumter County line only) tax on the top line and that will give you the dollar increase. Divide the dollar increase number into your 2018 county only tax number and that shows your “real” increase in Sumter County taxes including the assessed value increase in a percentage number. “MODERATE INCREASE” was not how the taxpayers of Sumter County defined it as they shared with Sumter County commissioner candidates Gary Search, myself, Oren Miller, and Daniel Myslakowski. The four of us were out greeting and speaking with the people of Sumter County to attain their required 965 petition signatures to qualify for the office of County Commissioner.
As a Sumter County tax payer how would you define the tax increase? Let them know when you vote for transparency on August 18.
Gary Search – County Commissioner Candidate District 1
Craig Estep – County Commissioner Candidate District 3
Oren Miller – County Commissioner Candidate District 5
Daniel Myslakowski – County Commissioner Candidate District 5
Villager Craig Estep is a candidate for the Sumter County Commission.
