A year after the rate jumped 26 percent in unincorporated areas, the county administrator recommends no hike.
By MICHAEL SANDLER
Published July 8, 2003
CLEARWATER - This time around, Pinellas residents can expect few surprises when they pay their property taxes.
Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt sent commissioners a letter Monday recommending the county tax rates remain unchanged next year. This comes one year after Spratt convinced them to raise the property tax rate for unincorporated residents by 26 percent in his first year as the county administrator.
In presenting his second budget since taking the top job, Spratt has asked commissioners for $1.562-billion for the fiscal year that begins in October. That's a 1.1 percent increase from last year, but because of higher property values, it comes without a tax rate increase.
Commissioners will vote on the budget at two public hearings, Aug. 26 and Sept. 9.
If approved, residents can expect to pay the same countywide property tax rate of about $6.80 per $1,000 of property value. Unincorporated residents, who pay an additional tax, will not see a rise in that rate of about $2.36 per $1,000. Cities charge their own property tax rate for their residents.
That means a person owning a $125,000 home in unincorporated Pinellas County, after subtracting a $25,000 homestead exemption, would still pay approximately $916 in property taxes.
The proposed budget was not available for review, and Spratt could not be reached for comment late Monday.
In his letter to commissioners, which was sent Monday night, he attributed the steady rates to a strong real estate market throughout the county, tight budgeting, diversified revenue sources and efficient restructuring.
Anticipating the tough economy and a likely shortage of state dollars, Spratt directed agencies to scale back this year's spending. The money saved was pushed ahead for the 2003-04 budget.
Those did not include the budgets for constitutional officers, such as the sheriff and the county clerk, both of whom have asked for more money than last year.
Spratt also cut back by eliminating approximately $3-million and 53 jobs from the budget during one of the largest reorganization efforts in nearly 20 years.
