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Tax hike may grow for some
By LISA GREENE, Times Staff Writer Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt has doubled a proposed property tax rate increase for residents outside cities so that the county could give them new services. It's time the 285,000 residents of unincorporated areas get more services, starting with better recreation choices, Spratt said Tuesday. "That leads you to the next point, which is, well, you have to pay for it," he said. The change in Spratt's proposed budget means a resident of a $125,000 home would pay an extra $50 a year in property taxes, instead of an extra $25 as Spratt suggested to commissioners last week. Spratt made the change after some commissioners said last week the smaller increase wouldn't improve services enough for those people who live outside cities. He wants to give commissioners more options, he said. "It gives them more flexibility in the event they do want to fund a higher level of enhancements," he said Tuesday. If approved, the tax rate for residents in the unincorporated area would rise from $1.86 to $2.36 for every $1,000 of assessed, taxable property value. Spratt's proposed budget contains other increased taxes and fees, including a proposed water and sewer rate hike, but he said improved services could mean that some residents actually save money. For the first time in four years, there is no proposed increase in the countywide property tax rate. The budget changes come at a time when city officials have become increasingly outspoken about who pays for what and whether unincorporated residents pay their fair share. By shifting some $8-million worth of costs from the county's overall budget to unincorporated residents, Spratt has acknowledged that some of those criticisms are right. He also says his budget would give the residents in unincorporated areas more city-style services for less than the taxes most cities charge. Spratt described the unincorporated area as "the largest 'city' within Pinellas County" and repeatedly compared it to the county's 24 municipalities and the taxes and services their residents pay and receive. Commissioners make a final decision on the $1.5-billion budget next month. The change that Spratt proposed would give Pinellas $4.1-million to improve services in unincorporated areas. The biggest piece, about $2-million, would go to improve recreation. County officials envision a variety of partnerships with cities, schools and nonprofit groups. Those would include everything from allowing county residents to pay the same rates for city recreation programs as city residents do, to land swaps or leases for skate parks and ball fields. Other options include better roads outside the cities, a new recycling program and neighborhood signs and improvement grants. The proposed budget also would increase the county's communications services tax, imposed on cable TV and phone bills, from 2.12 percent to 5.1 percent. County budget officials estimate the increase would cost the average user $18 a year. The increase in the cable and TV tax plus the 50-cent property tax rate increase would cost the average unincorporated resident $52.80 per year, county officials estimate. That's a resident with a home whose assessed value is $93,677. Spratt argued that if the county successfully negotiates program swaps with various cities, residents outside cities could come out ahead. Right now, for example, you have to pay $100 to participate in St. Petersburg's recreation programs if you don't live there. Similarly, in Clearwater, non-residents pay a $70 fee, while residents pay $3.
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Headlines From the Times local news desks Howard Troxler |
