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.
