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Politics

Property tax cut historic

Saying they feel people's pain, Commissioners drop the property tax rate. But many people at the meeting want it to go lower still.

By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published September 22, 2006

	[Times photos: Justin Cook]
	George Simonetti of Tampa expresses his feelings against the current property tax Thursday during a County Commission meeting. Simonetti and his wife, Margaret, say their monthly property tax payment is higher than their monthly mortgage.
	A frustrated Evaria Kouame of Ybor City listens as the meeting drags on. She lost her husband last year. She said she is raising three kids with no assistance and her property taxes are too high.
	It's Your Times: Are you fed up? Clearwater residents get bit of relief

TAMPA - Hillsborough commissioners voted unanimously for the largest millage rate decrease in the county's history, a rollback of more than half a mill, though many who packed the meeting Thursday night left disappointed they didn't get twice that.

The millage drops .5816 mill, which saves someone living in a $200,000 house with a homestead exemption about $100 in taxes, if the assessment does not rise. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property values.

While some commissioners applauded County Administrator Pat Bean and her staff for trimming the $3.8-billion county budget to allow for the savings, it came in part at a cost to a week-old domestic violence agency.

The Family Justice Center had asked commissioners Wednesday for $500,000 to shore up its budget during the first half of 2007, until the program would be eligible to apply for grants. Commissioners asked Sheriff David Gee if he could help, and Thursday he obliged.

In a letter, Gee said his agency had saved enough money from a change in worker's compensation insurance the commissioners approved Wednesday to provide what the center sought. Instead commissioners voted 4-3 to use the $500,000 to make the millage rate decrease larger.

The result: an additional 71 cents per household saved per year on $100,000 of taxable value, said county budget director Eric Johnson.

"We'll get through this," Nikki Daniels, executive director of the center, told a fellow employee following the vote as she held back tears.

Daniels said her board hadn't decided what it would do without the money. The agency, a one-stop center for victims of domestic violence, only opened its doors Monday at 9309 N Florida Ave.

"It's a difficult decision to accept," Daniels said.

Commissioner Ken Hagan repeated comments he made during Wednesday's commission meeting, telling Daniels she simply asked for the money at the wrong time.

It was Hagan who first moved to approve Bean's initial proposal to roll back the millage rate by .5674.

Commissioners had asked Bean to trim the county budget by as much as $44.5-million, hoping to give property owners a full mill reduction.

"I understand the pain of our citizens," Hagan said.

Last year, Hagan said, he moved into a smaller home and paid an extra $3,100 in property taxes.

"We've heard the people," said Commissioner Brian Blair. "They're hurting right now, and they want significant budget cuts."

Blair wanted to cut the budget even more to get to a full mill reduction, but got no backing.

Johnson, the budget director, said some people in Hillsborough County have seen the assessed value of their property increase by as much as 60 percent. It didn't matter how much commissioners rolled back the millage, there was nothing they could do for them. They'd still end up paying exponentially more in taxes.

The rate will drop .5816 of a mill, from 12.9 mills last year to 12.3184. So a house worth $200,000, with a homestead exemption of $25,000, would be taxed $2,156, saving the homeowner about $102 over last year, assuming the assessment remained the same.

Some of the roughly two dozen people who pleaded with commissioners for a break said climbing property values were at the root of the problem.

"I've seen a lot of progress, but I want you to know that not all progress is forward," said Charles Slowey, of Valrico. "Small businesses are disappearing, and they are the color of this community."

Sherry Parsonss said the county's portion of taxes on her bill went up 22 percent last year.

"It's too high," Parsons said. "I moved here for a position. If young professionals can't stay here, and we are the future of Tampa, who is the future?"

Hillsborough Property Appraiser Rob Turner said more people should attend meetings like the one Thursday night to voice their concerns.

"Values have definitely gone up in the last few years, and the need arises even more for the taxing authority to make the downward adjustments," Turner said.

Kevin Graham can be reached at 813 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 22, 2006, 06:17:41]