HOLMES BEACH – Property owners are getting a tax break on their 2024-25 property tax bills.
Commissioners voted to reduce the proposed millage rate from 2.05 mills to 1.99 mills, a six-point reduction from what was proposed during a recent budget workshop. Despite the 2.5% reduction, the 1.99 millage rate is still 7.63% over the rollback rate of 1.8489 mills due to increases in property values.
Millage is the rate per $1,000 of assessed property value charged by the city in property taxes. The rollback rate is the millage rate that would give the city the same amount in taxes as the year before.
While commissioners reduced the millage rate below what was previously proposed, Commissioner Dan Diggins wasn’t happy with the decision.
Diggins said he wanted to reduce the millage rate to at least the rollback rate, if not lower, and use either budget cuts or the city’s reserves to make up the difference. Mayor Judy Titsworth said that some of the city’s reserves are already being used to get the millage rate to the proposed 1.99 rate.
“I appreciate that we’ve gotten down to what we’re talking about now, 1.99, but I think it’s time we stopped growing government here a little bit,” Diggins said. “Just for one year, I’d like to see government stop growing for one year and get us back down, if not to the rollback rate, close to the rollback rate. Let’s face it, people are leaving this island, maybe not as often as they were before, but one of the reasons they’re leaving is taxes and insurance. We can’t do anything about insurance but we sure can do something about taxes.”
Diggins went on to say that he’s proud of the work that Titsworth and the city have done to rebuild flagging reserves, but he said it was time to give some money back to the taxpayers. He also said it would only take a 1.9% cut in each city department to reach the rollback rate this year.
“I don’t think that’s too much to ask for,” Diggins said.
Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he felt it was a noble cause to reduce rates or hold them steady as much as possible, but he feels a further reduction in the budget for the coming fiscal year would result in a loss of services. Diggins said he doesn’t want to reduce services, but he feels there’s enough “fluff” to cut the $475,000 that would make the difference between using the rollback rate and using the 1.99 millage rate.
Titsworth said the reason for having so much in reserves is to have money for an emergency situation, such as a hurricane, where the city may get reimbursed for expenses by FEMA, but it requires money up front for items like debris removal. She said the budget had to be increased $50,000 to pay for street sweeping to keep city roads and bike lanes clear for users. She also said she took a look at the budget and made what cuts she felt could be made but doesn’t see where any additional funds could be cut.
“We’re not growing government, we’re doing the best we can to retain property values and keep people safe out here,” Titsworth said.
A second and final public hearing on the millage rate is scheduled on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 5:01 p.m. at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive. Anyone wishing to speak must appear in person during the meeting
