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Schools

Streak of lower school tax rates to continue

The string of annual reductions in the overall school millage rate has gone on for three years.

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published July 28, 2005

Pasco County property owners will see a decrease in their overall school tax rate for a third year in a row.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said the overall millage levy will drop to 7.798 mills in the 2005-06 tax year compared with 7.944 mills today. That means the owner of a house valued at $150,000 would pay $1,169 in taxes compared with $1,191 the year before, if the home's taxable value stayed the same. But if a homeowner's property value increases, the school tax bill may also increase.

That millage rate decrease comes despite an increase in one of the six tax streams that contribute to the total school tax levy.

In May, Fiorentino proposed raising a so-called "discretionary" tax to 0.250 mills from 0.192 mills, an alteration that should mean the difference between pulling in $50 per student and pulling in $100 per student. The Legislature mandated raising property taxes as a requirement for getting matching money.

Fiorentino's plan came over the objections of supporters - and critics - of the March 2004 Penny for Pasco vote. Campaigners for the 1-cent sales tax increase for school construction promised voters a half-mill rollback in property taxes; critics doubted the ability of the school district to keep that promise.

While the final 7.798 millage rate includes the half-mill rollback, it also includes the 0.058 mill increase in the discretionary tax.

Additionally, the state-required local effort has dropped from 5.378 mills to 5.253 mills due to growth in Pasco's tax rolls, contributing more to the bottom-line tax rate figure than any other factor.

Fiorentino tried to fend off critics of her tax proposal in May, saying the additional dollars generated by the discretionary increase was needed for the school district to cope with growth. Additionally, she said she expected the overall millage to go down.

And it is.

"We're absolutely keeping a promise," Fiorentino said.

[Last modified July 28, 2005, 01:10:15]