Tax Rollback

I was away for a few days and I am just catching up on news.  This surprise move by the County Commission was published in the Pensacola News Journal Thursday.  WOW!!!

Commissioners roll back county taxes

Escambia County taxpayers this year will see a property tax roll back far beyond what was required by the statewide, voter-approved constitutional amendment in January.  County commissioners Thursday unanimously voted to reduce the county’s 2007-08 property tax millage rate from 8.017 mils to 6.9755 mils in the 2008-09 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. This represents a $27.7 million budget cut, about $23 million of which is property taxes.

A mil is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. So for instance, the owner of a house with a $150,000 taxable value — after accounting for any exemptions — will see their county taxes go from $801 to $697.

That doesn’t include taxes paid for sheriff’s office operations, or taxes levied by other taxing authorities, only countywide taxes.  “This community has said resoundingly they are looking for a different way of doing business, and if we don’t do this now it won’t happen,” said Commissioner Mike Whitehead.  The final vote will be taken at the second public hearing on Sept. 18.

Commissioners cut the rate significantly more than what was initially proposed to meet the demands of Amendment 1. They agreed to apply $13 million of $16.2 million in additional property taxes the county expects to collect after winning lawsuits giving the county power to tax Pensacola Beach leaseholders.

One case, involving 3,500 leaseholders, is still pending. “And if it goes like I think it’s going to, according to the way the other suits came out, that will be that much more in taxes next year,” Property Appraiser Chris Jones said.

County resident William Norvell will be paying $20,000 in property taxes this year on his various properties and he asked commissioners Thursday to consider a significant tax cut.  “If we are going to take that beach money and roll back rates, I think that’s great,” Norvell said. “You will gain a lot of points with the public if you roll back the rate more than you have to.”

Commissioner Grover C. Robinson IV was hesitant to support rolling back that far.
“It’s not a concern of yours if we do it now,” Robinson said to Whitehead. “There is just too much we don’t know that could encumber future boards.”  Robinson referred to the fact that only a small portion of the $16 million in additional property taxes will be recurring money, and no one is clear yet how much of it will continue coming in annually.

“We have said all along that we were going to use that beach tax money to roll back taxes ... and you will still have the growth next year,” Whitehead said, referring to additional taxes the county gets to collect each year on new construction.  Whitehead, who was running for re-election, was badly defeated in the August primary election making him a lame duck commissioner.

When it came to approving next year’s $402 million budget, the vote was split 3 to 2. Commissioners Kevin White — who made the motion to further cut the tax rate — and Whitehead, felt further reductions could still be made.  “This would be a good time to cut the sheriff’s $79 million budget,” Whitehead said. “We have an outgoing sheriff who has no reason to fight it.  ”Steve Stevens, the Sheriff’s chief financial officer, said “we did reduce our budget by $900,000. A surprise like this at the last minute is not good business, it’s not what we agreed to during the past six months with you all.”

The board voted to reduce the special taxing unit set up to pay for Sheriff’s Office operations from 0.719 mils this year to 0.685 next year.  “Yeah, that’s a $900,000 reduction out of a $79 million budget. I still think there is some wiggle room in there,” Whitehead said.