I attended the VPSDDD Funding Mechanism Public Information Session today (3/11) at Rohan. Here are some of my takeaways:
- - There were about two dozen attendees. This was not a very good turnout for a topic that is sure to get a lot of attention towards the end of the year.
- - It was a good presentation - both the slides and the speaker
- - The numbers that were presented match closely to numbers in the Sumter County budget for this year
- - Most residents of the Villages will pay less for fire protection than they currently are paying*
- - There was plenty of time set aside for the attendees to ask questions
* The bulk of what we actually pay for fire protection comes from our property tax - 1.3mils this year. The amount we will be asked to pay for the VPSDDD next year will be less than the 1.3mils we are paying this year. However,
there is no guarantee that the Sumter County BoCC will lower next year's taxes by that same 1.3mils. Most Villagers will pay less for the fire protection protection portion of their annual bill but the bill will increase if the BoCC uses some the 1.3mils for other purposes.
There are two future sessions scheduled for this presentation, 3/14 at Laurel Manor and 3/25 at Ezell.