Voters in the West Manatee Fire and Rescue District (WMFR) rejected the fire district’s request to levy a new millage rate-based property tax on properties located in the fire district that includes Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Cortez and portions of unincorporated Manatee County in west Bradenton.
According to the unofficial results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website on Tuesday evening, 1,864 voters (56.06%) oppossed the proposed tax and 1,461 voters (43.94%) supported the proposed tax.
The additional tax sought by WMFR appeared on the ballot as this: “Shall the West Manatee Fire and Rescue District be authorized to levy and collect an annual ad valorem tax on real property in an amount not to exceed 1 mill to provide additional operational revenue to fund the district’s fire control and rescue services, infrastructure and facilities, including emergency medical services?”
According to the proposed ad valorem calculator at the WMFR website, the owner of a home with an assessed taxable value of $548,958 would have paid an additional $274 tax if the annual millage rate was set at .5 mills. The annual WMFR tax would have been $548 on that home if the annual millage rate was set at the full 1 mill.
Only voters living in the West Manatee Fire District were eligible to vote in the taxation authorization referendum election. The special election occurred at a time when state legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis have expressed support for eliminating or significantly reducing non-school district-related property taxes.
Already operating as a special taxing district, WMFR operations are funded by the annual square footage-based assessment WMFR levies on properties within the district. Due to the election results, West Manatee Fire Rescue will remain one of only two fire districts in Manatee County that does not receive additional millage rate-based property tax funding.
When discussing the proposed property tax with The Sun earlier this year, WMFR Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski said the fire district’s annual budget is appproximately $12 million.
ANNA MARIA – City property owners will see their property taxes reduced in the coming year.
On July 25, the Anna Maria City Commission voted 3-2 to adopt a tentative 1.65 millage rate for the coming 2024-25 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The adopted tentative millage rate can be further reduced before the budget is finalized in September, but it cannot be increased.
Anna Maria’s current 2.05 millage rate has long been the lowest millage rate on Anna Maria Island and in Manatee County, joined last year by Holmes Beach.
Mayor Dan Murphy proposed a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On June 27, Mayor Dan Murphy proposed lowering the millage rate to 1.82 mills, with the possibility of bringing it even lower. When presenting his proposed $10.4 million capital project plan on July 25, Murphy proposed setting the tentative millage rate at 1.75 mills.
“My goal is to reduce the taxes in this city for the first time in history. It’s not a huge cut, but it is a cut. It’s a step in the right direction,” Murphy said, noting the proposed rate would result in Anna Maria property owners paying a lower city tax bill next year.
Murphy said lowering the millage rate to 1.75 mills would leave the city with a $1.21 million contingency fund for the new fiscal year. The contingency fund for the current budget year is $981,851. The non-earmarked contingency fund can be used to cover unexpected expenditures, including hurricane clean up and recovery efforts.
Commission discussion
During the lengthy discussion that followed, commissioners Gary McMullen and Charlie Salem lobbied for a 1.65 tentative millage rate and Commissioner Kathleen Morgan later joined them in adopting that tentative millage rate.
Commissioners Jon Crane and Mark Short expressed support for a 1.75 tentative millage rate but for differing reasons opposed adopting the tentative rate at 1.65 mills. Short noted a 1.75 millage rate would be a 15% reduction.
Commissioner Gary McMullen supports a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commissioner Gary McMullen asked if reducing the proposed contingency fund to its current level would lower the millage rate. Murphy said a 1.65 millage rate would produce a $987,000 contingency fund.
“At 1.65, we’d still have a contingency fund that’s almost a million dollars,” Salem said. “We don’t have this opportunity very often. We should take advantage of it and we’re in a good position due in large part to the mayor’s leadership.”
Crane expressed concerns about a 1.65 millage rate negatively impacting the city’s finances in the years to come.
“I’m happy to bring it down to 1.75, but I’d hate to jump to back where we are now the following year,” he said.
Commissioner Jon Crane supports a 1.75 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy said the city is now benefiting from the street paving and drainage improvements made during the past decade.
“We’ve invested in our infrastructure. Now we can reap that benefit, and it’s not just a one-year benefit,” Murphy said, noting the 1.75 millage rate could be maintained if the city continues to invest wisely in infrastructure maintenance and improvements.
After noting that high taxes and insurance premiums contribute to the loss of permanent residents, Murphy said, “We only play a small part of that tax bill, but I think we need to set an example for the school board, for the county, for all the other agencies.”
Murphy said he asked Sen. Jim Boyd to relay that message to Manatee County’s other taxing authorities.
“Nobody else is doing this. It has to start somewhere and I would like it to start here tonight,” he added.
Public input
During public input, Anna Maria businessman and mayoral candidate Brian Seymour encouraged the commission to set the final millage rate at 1.65 or 1.6, even if they set the tentative rate at 1.75.
Mayoral candidate Brian Seymour supports setting the millage rate as low as possible. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I want to applaud the mayor and commissioners. I think it’s long overdue, as our property values have doubled, if not tripled, in the 15 years I’ve lived here. We can be the example for other cities,” Seymour said.
Participating by phone, Barry White said he’s owned a residential property on Spring Avenue property since 2017 and his taxes and insurance premiums have increased astronomically since then.
“Things have gotten out of hand,” White said, noting his total tax bill last year was $33,000, which was reduced from $50,000 because he protested the initial assessment.
Regarding the increased value of his home, White said, “The equity doesn’t help me if I’m not going to sell. I don’t want to sell and I don’t want to rent my property.”
White, 65, retired in 2017.
“I pay $20,000 in school taxes and I get zero return for that. My kids are grown. That’s $20,000 of $33,000 right there,” White said. “Thank you so much for what you’re considering tonight.”
The commissioners then voted 3-2 to adopt the 1.65 tentative millage rate.
Commissioner Mark Short remains open to a 1.65 millage rate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Immediately after the meeting, Short said, “I was all for the proposed reduction to 1.75. I am for reducing the property tax millage rate as much as we can. Since today’s number was not final, and we have the ability to bring it even lower when we have the final numbers, I felt it was safe going in at 1.75. I’m perfectly fine with 1.65 and we’ll see where we are once the numbers are finalized.”
The next budget discussion is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m.
BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners held a public hearing May 21 to discuss the 2019-20 residential and commercial assessment rates. No members of the public offered comment, and commissioners approved a modest increase in rates with a four to one vote.
After being presented with five options ranging from a zero percent increase to a 2.5 percent increase, commissioners voted to adopt a 1.65 percent increase for residential properties and a 5 percent increase for commercial properties.
For residential property owners, the 1.65 increase equals a $3.09 increase in the base rate, increasing from $187.48 to $190.57. The rate per square foot, assessed on home square footage over 1,000 square feet, is being raised from $0.1106 to $0.1124. For a 2,000 square foot home, the total assessment is being raised from $298.08 to $303, a difference of $1.92.
Residential homes make up the majority of the properties in WMFR’s district, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Tampa Bay to the north, Longboat Key to the south and city of Bradenton to the east. The district includes unincorporated Manatee County, Palma Sola, Cortez, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.
For commercial properties, the increase is slightly higher to bring WMFR’s commercial rates closer to those assessed by other Manatee County fire districts. The base rate is increasing from $451.07 to $473.62 for commercial properties, an increase of $22.55. The per square foot rate for buildings over 1,000 square feet is $0.2051, a $0.0098 increase for square footage over 1,000 square feet. The increase equals a $32.32 total increase for 2,000 square foot commercial properties.
With the increase in assessment rates, WMFR’s projected assessment revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,285,989, a $144,203 increase over the current fiscal year.
Commissioner Al Robinson, who voted against the rate increase, said, “I think it’s insignificant in a $7.3 million dollar budget. We don’t need a raise.”
Commissioner George Harris said he was comfortable raising the commercial rates to get the district more in line with the surrounding districts but was happy to only give residents a minimal increase. “It’s nice to give the residents a little break,” he said.
With the rate increases, WMFR’s projected total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,618,556. The new fiscal year begins on October 1.
ANNA MARIA – It’s going to be more expensive to live in Anna Maria. The City Commission unanimously approved the city’s 2018-19 annual budget on Sept. 27, setting the final millage to the ad valorem rate of 2.05. The 2018-19 ad valorem is an 8-percent increase over the previous year.
Millage is the rate at which taxes are determined. One mill is equal to one dollar per each $1,000 of a home’s taxable value.
The total approved budget is $13,464,387.
The reconstruction of the Anna Maria City Pier is the largest expenditure planned for this fiscal year Mayor Dan Murphy said the bulk of the city’s planned expenditures is being allocated for the reconstruction.
He added that it is a one-time expenditure and, if all things go according to plan, won’t be on the budget next year.
“It’s an anomaly,” he said.
City officials are hoping construction on the city pier will begin in December or at the beginning of 2019. The city also is accepting another round of pier request-for-proposal applications Oct. 5.
