Fire and emergency medical services costs would cause a small property tax increase for Sumter County residents in the 2024-25 budget.
Commissioners gave tentative approval to the $390.6-million budget at a meeting Tuesday night. The budget would increase expenditures by less than 1 percent from this year. Final approval is expected Sept. 23 after another public hearing.
The budget calls for a tax rate cut to $4.89 per $1,000 assessed valuation, down from $5.19 last year and slightly below the rolled-back rate. The rolled-back rate is the amount needed to collect the same revenue as the prior year excluding new construction.
But new taxes for the county’s two fire departments would boost the rate over the rolled-back rate and would be viewed as a tax increase.
Outside The Villages, residents would pay 29 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation for Sumter County Fire and EMS, bringing the rate to $5.18, a penny less than this year.
Villagers would pay about three cents per $1,000 for support of fire and ambulance services of The Villages Public Safety Department.
“This is creating an unfair tax situation for people who live outside The Villages,” said Commissioner Oren Miller, who voted against all of the budget resolutions. Miller is serving his last two months in office after losing the Republican primary election to Don Wiley.
The tax difference is because The Villages has a much larger property tax base.
County Chairman Craig Estep, who also lost in the primary, said creation of a dependent district for The Villages Public Safety Department was a way to save the Sumter County department. Three new ambulances for the Sumter department are expected to be delivered soon.
