Proposed County Budget
At the July 13, 2021 BOCC budget workshop, the proposed budget for the County showed a rolled-back rate of 3%. However, the budget did not include any revenue for the anticipated $229.5M increase in sales tax from Senate Bill 50. This law requires out-of-state retailers with no physical presence in Florida, to collect Florida sales tax. The Sumter County revenue from this $229.5M could be 2 million or more. Why wasn’t that included in the budget? Today’s Daily Sun front page headlines under Florida News reads, “Online Retailers, Seminole Tribe Contribute To Revenue Boost.”
Another item not considered is the estimated $25M for Sumter County from the American Rescue Plan Act. Although the U. S. Treasury has not completed its rules for the uses of the funding, they should include one time purchases of fire trucks and equipment and some other expenditures included in the budget. Yet no receipts are included in the budget proposal.
Additionally, the budget proposal does not include all the additional revenues received in impact fees this year to date. If all these items were included in the final budget, I believe that the rolled-back rate would be 10% or more. That rate would begin to offset the outrageous 25% tax increase imposed upon all County residents in 2019 and show that the three new Commissioners are keeping their campaign promise to roll back the increase that was due to the development below Rt. 44.
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