Sumter County 25% Tax Increase

[SB8476]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.

[villages07]

I saw that and was quite surprised. We’ve had years and years of increasing budgets but had the increased tax base to go along with it so that the rollback rate has resulted in modest tax decreases.

What changed? The tax base continues to increase at a healthy clip. I can’t imagine that the budget had to be increased by that much in one year. I would like to hear an explanation directly from a commissioner. 25% seems outrageous. But, a caution. When they present a preliminary budget/tax rate, the final rate can go down but not up. Maybe they are setting us up for a bait and switch. Threatening 25% now, but settling for something substantially lower. Time will tell.

Full disclosure...I haven’t done any further research beyond what is printed in the Sun.

[JSR22]

I just read the article. Not surprised as I have been amazed at how low the property taxes are in TV.

[billethkid]

Using zero based budgeting I would insist on a line by line comparison of the previous years actual VS the 25% increase proposal.

Most government organizations have no concept of staying within budget. It is not their money and the process of ever increasing spending resulting in the need for increasing revenues (taxing us!).

With an increasing tax base, as in the past 15 years that we have been here, there should be no reason for an increase let alone a 25% increase.

Let us not fall for the 25% bait then switching to a lower number to make the tax payer feel like they won one.

There needs to be an accounting for ANY INCREASE!!

[justjim]

We are in our 13 year in TV and Sumter County. Frankly, I’ve been wondering when our property real estate tax would go in a different direction. Taxes have been going lower almost every year. It’s been too good to be sustainable. One thought to remember. Commissioners live in Sumter County too. That means their taxes will go up just the same as the rest of the residents of Sumter County. They will, like in the past, be very prudent about how much to raise taxes on us and themselves. It won’t be close to 25% IMHO.

[Midnight Cowgirl]

I just read the article. Not surprised as I have been amazed at how low the property taxes are in TV.


How low the property taxes are here in TV?

How low compared to where???

[Bavarian]

I just read the article. Not surprised as I have been amazed at how low the property taxes are in TV.

They are not low. Paying double what I paid in the People's Republic of Maryland for a two story full basement brick house, 3100 sq feet with two car garage and theater. All on 4 acres.

Time to start reqular reassesments of houses.

[JSR22]

How low the property taxes are here in TV?

How low compared to where???

Our taxes went from 12,000 to 2200

[twoplanekid]

The devil is in the detail - read if interested -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33700

Page 8 shows the proposed millage increase.

[Taltarzac725]

The devil is in the detail - read if interested -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33700

Page 8 shows the proposed millage increase.

Thanks for the link. I like details. Angels can be in them, too.

[sunset seeker]

I was surprised to see a 25% increase. There should be a substantial increase in incoming revenue from the increase in housing/population. Seems to me that should cover the increase in spending. Like someone else said, if it was their money it would be more wisely used. I must be missing something....

[Chatbrat]

When we lived in NJ , we left in 95'--our taxes were $19K-- compared to NJ we're living for free

[eyc234]

We paid much more in TX and insurance was muuuuuuch higher. Read the article and it said it was a "proposal". I do not like increases in taxes but also realize that cost increase for just about everything. Yes you have more people paying more taxes but you have more people using roads, all city/county infrastructure, need more police, fire & paramedics. More employees means a need for schools, teachers and all the cost associated. Each of these will need benefits which have not gotten cheaper. A huge cost for municipals, state and fed is retiree cost as was said in the article. But we should all stay vigilant and hold elected officials responsible/accountable for spending our money. Just need to stay vigilant but not expect cost to stay the same forever.

[sail33or]

Sumter County receives tons of extra revenue from the largest growth in Florida. Adding additional real estate tax is corrupt. They must present additional "income" versus the project cost they mentioned. I strongly suggest the Developer Trust and County work out how to pass all costs to homeowners in "Advance". Those that say it is cheaper than where they come from are just referencing an apples vs oranges situation. Too bad County Commissioners (or whatever they are called) have no initiative to protect new residents.

[Hoosierb4]

It looks like the increases are in a "special revenue fund". That means the extra $ are meant for specific projects. I wonder what they are.

[twoplanekid]

for the DEPARTMENT FUND LINE ITEM DETAIL PROFORMA BUDGET -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33701

proposed ad valorem taxes increase by about $23 million
Sheriff expenses up about 9 % to 33 million
election cost about 1 million
page 14 340 operations(new)?? $5 million
look at page 24 to see Tourism expenses

for even better details on expenses (297 pages) look here -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?
fileID=33697 (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33697)

as examples
page 179 Villages Fire Dept around 15 million
page 193 Animal Services of $1,135,231
page 218 to see how much is paid to SECO for lighting in CDD 1 through 10

[EdFNJ]

How low the property taxes are here in TV?

How low compared to where??? For me, 1 YEARS taxes here is just about 2 MONTHS taxes up in NJ. That includes everything on my bill except for bond (which I really consider taxes whether it actually is or not).

Isn't there some sort of tax increase cap? When we bought this house the previous owner had some sort of cap and he paid 1/3rd of what we are paying. Something like "save our home" discount. Not 100% sure but he paid next to nothing.

[Hoosierb4]

Twoplane.....that's enough to blow my mind. It looks to me like the increase has to be mostly in road construction, fire stations, jail, etc. But, without spending many hours studying the numbers it's tough to follow what's happening. The chart on page 8 shows capital projects funds much lower for 2019 than in 2018. But, the "special revenue" category goes up more than enough to offset that. A bit of a shell game there, perhaps. My biggest concern is whether the Villages developer is covering a fair share of the cost of the many new roads and road improvements needed to support the new development.

[Two Bills]

Twoplane.....that's enough to blow my mind. It looks to me like the increase has to be mostly in road construction, fire stations, jail, etc. But, without spending many hours studying the numbers it's tough to follow what's happening. The chart on page 8 shows capital projects funds much lower for 2019 than in 2018. But, the "special revenue" category goes up more than enough to offset that. A bit of a shell game there, perhaps. My biggest concern is whether the Villages developer is covering a fair share of the cost of the many new roads and road improvements needed to support the new development.


I would say The Developer is paying what he can get away with.
As would we all!

[JimJohnson]

I would trust a tax increase to be more honest and appropriate than I would a tax decrease.

[KSSunshine]

The devil is in the detail - read if interested -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33700

Page 8 shows the proposed millage increase.

Thank you for the link! It was interesting reading in multiple aspects...including the fourth town center in Sumter County. Everything costs money!

[l2ridehd]

I have always found that folks who run public owned operations such as town, county, state and most federal have no concept of cost control. The base has increased enough to lower the rate for a few years but the total amount spent has always increased. Now they want the rate of increase to exceed the taxable base increase. If this was run as a business most would be fired. No one looks for ways to reduce cost. They all assume that what was spent the prior year is the starting point and then additional costs are added to that to establish a new budget. Where they should have to start at zero and justify all cost, not just the added cost.

I would want to know how much automation have they added to reduce cost?
How much have they consolidated services and buying supplies?
Have all services been standardized to reduce cost?
Looking at the Seco bill, has all lighting been replaced with LED? Is there a 5 year program to accomplish that?
I know it's heresy to even suggest it, but police and fire costs don't have to increase every year.

My point is that in the business world we would have to look at these things every year and most years budgets would be reduced. In the public services world these things are never considered.

[twoplanekid]

Twoplane.....that's enough to blow my mind. It looks to me like the increase has to be mostly in road construction, fire stations, jail, etc. But, without spending many hours studying the numbers it's tough to follow what's happening. The chart on page 8 shows capital projects funds much lower for 2019 than in 2018. But, the "special revenue" category goes up more than enough to offset that. A bit of a shell game there, perhaps. My biggest concern is whether the Villages developer is covering a fair share of the cost of the many new roads and road improvements needed to support the new development.

I would say that the old belief that having county maintained roads in the Villages saves Villagers money has been put to rest. We pay for everything we have as it should be.

At the same time the Villages continues to grow, Sumter County will become more a part of the Villages.

[skip0358]

As others have said coming from Long Island in 2009 these taxes have been a joke. Even with the proposed increase I'd be paying less here then I was on Long Island in 09. My Fire Tax for a Volunteer Dept. were more in 09 then they are here for a Paid Dept. and our roads were car destroyers. Still a bargain here which was one of our biggest draws moving here. JMO

[Navy (SSBN 633)]

Sumter county increase in Tax revenue is over 7% from last year according to State finance revenues. Inflation running about 2.5% and they want a 25% increase??...dont think so..live within your means...CUT...CUT....CUT

[collie1228]

A twenty-five percent increase in property taxes is way more than any increase I've ever seen before. Could it be a way for the Sumter government to help out Lake and Marion Counties by leveling the property tax playing field (for those who don't know, those counties have significantly higher property taxes than Sumter)? Or is it a major expenditure not yet identified? Or maybe simple mismanagement of the county? Inquiring minds want to know.

[tophcfa]

I would trust a tax increase to be more honest and appropriate than I would a tax decrease.

???, how do you figure? I would figure the opposite.

[gatorbill1]

Elected officials?????

[perrjojo]

They are not low. Paying double what I paid in the People's Republic of Maryland for a two story full basement brick house, 3100 sq feet with two car garage and theater. All on 4 acres.

Time to start reqular reassesments of houses.

But did you pay state income tax?

[Altavia]

Thank you for the link! It was interesting reading in multiple aspects...including the fourth town center in Sumter County. Everything costs money!

The sooner infrastructure is started on the Southern Oaks Center the better for all.

[cjmae]

where is the bond monies we have been paying to sumter county??????????????????????

[bagboy]

:boom: :S

[CWGUY]

:ohdear: Some people live in a place and just do not understand how it operates. Maybe GWN will get on and explain it some more. If he does..... I hope he types slowly! :popcorn:

[twoplanekid]

where is the bond monies we have been paying to sumter county??????????????????????

If your are talking about the "The infrastructure of the District in which you live was built with tax-exempt bonds. The bonds are repaid with monies collected in the annual tax bill sent out by the County Tax Collector's Offices and appear in the Non-Ad Valorem section of the tax bill as "Bond Debt Assessment".

I would also add this from the Villages District gov web site "What is the Bond Debt Assessment? The bond debt assessment reflects each lot’s proportionate share of the cost of building the infrastructure within its District or for which its District has responsibility. It is the most equitable method of distributing costs between the properties that benefit from the infrastructure. Infrastructure includes storm water systems, underground pump stations, water retention areas, curbs, gutters, streetlights, transportation trails, underground piping, etc. "

found here -> https://www.districtgov.org/departments/Finance/bond-financeFAQ.pdf

So, bonds are paid to the Village numbered CDD in which you live.

Most roads in the Villages are built and maintained by the County in which they are located.

[cjmae]

Thank You twoplanekid

[CWGUY]

:ohdear: Are you sure they aren't built by the Developer and maintained by the local governments with the exception of All Villa roads and District 4 roads in Marion County? :shrug:


:read: From District Web Site:

All Villa roads and District 4 roads in Marion County: please call District Property
Management office (352)753-4022.
All other roadways please contact the county/city you reside in:
Sumter County- (352) 689-4400
Lake County- (352) 343-5439
Town of Lady Lake- (352) 751-1526
City of Fruitland Park- (352) 360-6686 press 6

[Henryk]

We are in our 13 year in TV and Sumter County. Frankly, I’ve been wondering when our property real estate tax would go in a different direction. Taxes have been going lower almost every year. It’s been too good to be sustainable. One thought to remember. Commissioners live in Sumter County too. That means their taxes will go up just the same as the rest of the residents of Sumter County. They will, like in the past, be very prudent about how much to raise taxes on us and themselves. It won’t be close to 25% IMHO.

As I understand the system, tax rates are based on the total appraised value of the taxed jurisdiction by the taxing authority vis-a-vis approved spending. If total real estate appraised tends to go up, taxes tend to go down, except in cases of excess spending (whatever the reason). So unless there is a lot of APPROVED spending, 25% is ridiculous, laughable and unconscionable. The taxing authorities DESERVE the shame and ridicule they should endure for proposing an increase like that.

[twoplanekid]

:ohdear: Are you sure they aren't built by the Developer and maintained by the local governments with the exception of All Villa roads and District 4 roads in Marion County? :shrug:


:read: From District Web Site:

All Villa roads and District 4 roads in Marion County: please call District Property
Management office (352)753-4022.
All other roadways please contact the county/city you reside in:
Sumter County- (352) 689-4400
Lake County- (352) 343-5439
Town of Lady Lake- (352) 751-1526
City of Fruitland Park- (352) 360-6686 press 6

As it was before my time in the Villages, you may be correct that the Developer built the roads and was then reimbursed ?? by the counties as is now the case with the new development south of 44. My bad!
Dropbox - 2018-07-10 VOSO roadway agreement (3).pdf - Simplify your life (https://www.dropbox.com/s/eq60tnolmwt9ebj/2018-07-10%20VOSO%20roadway%20agreement%20%283%29.pdf?dl=0 )

[CWGUY]

where is the bond monies we have been paying to sumter county??????????????????????

:ho: VCDD Resident Academy (https://www.districtgov.org/ResidentAcademy.aspx) and several other ways to find out how things work.

[Hoosierb4]

It's interesting that the developer is reimbursed by the county for "regional roadway segments". If these segments weren't needed without the additional developments, then the cost should probably be borne by the developer, rather than being reimbursed by everyone who pays taxes in the county. Without having knowledge of all the details, it's hard to form a strong opinion....but, I would be inclined to vote against approving anything that wouldn't be covered by revenue from the new tax base created by the development.

[Bogie Shooter]

It's interesting that the developer is reimbursed by the county for "regional roadway segments". If these segments weren't needed without the additional developments, then the cost should probably be borne by the developer, rather than being reimbursed by everyone who pays taxes in the county. Without having knowledge of all the details, it's hard to form a strong opinion....but, I would be inclined to vote against approving anything that wouldn't be covered by revenue from the new tax base created by the development.
See post #39.

[twoplanekid]

The Village District staff will probably tell you to attend a Sumter County board meeting to ask the question as it’s a county issue.

[cegallup]

This is how it starts - everywhere. When any entity, business, state / local / federal government sees a dramatic increase in revenue, THEY WILL ADJUST TO THIS CONDITION. I'm not saying that Sumter might not need expansion money, BUT as has been stated before, The Villages growth has infused large amounts into the Sumter coffers. We DO NOT need "Mercedes" fire engines.

[Rwirish]

25% increase is ridiculous.

Not all pay lower taxes in TV. Our taxes are higher then they were in Ohio.

[Sunflower33]

Maybe they should speak to the residents. Most of us are retired where do they think we are getting this money. I didn’t get a 25% increase in my social security check. I’m shocked they would do this. Aren’t they getting enough from all the houses the Morse’s continue to build

[Bogie Shooter]

How about that big income tax reduction?

[merrymini]

A shocking number for an increase under any circumstances. I come from a high tax state (New Jersey) so almost any other state’s real estate tax would be better then mine.

[Arrachme]

We are in our 13 year in TV and Sumter County. Frankly, I’ve been wondering when our property real estate tax would go in a different direction. Taxes have been going lower almost every year. It’s been too good to be sustainable. One thought to remember. Commissioners live in Sumter County too. That means their taxes will go up just the same as the rest of the residents of Sumter County. They will, like in the past, be very prudent about how much to raise taxes on us and themselves. It won’t be close to 25% IMHO.
I have one home that the taxes have gone up 4 times in 7 years. 25% each time. No decrease has ever happened. Where is your home that you saw a decrease????

[dennisgavin]

I think the increase is for snow removal....;o)
OK, now that I have that out of my system I will read the link!

[skip0358]

This is how it starts - everywhere. When any entity, business, state / local / federal government sees a dramatic increase in revenue, THEY WILL ADJUST TO THIS CONDITION. I'm not saying that Sumter might not need expansion money, BUT as has been stated before, The Villages growth has infused large amounts into the Sumter coffers. We DO NOT need "Mercedes" fire engines.

What Mercedes Fire Engines?

[dmorhome]

If they raise it 25 percent see you later
For sale

[Navy (SSBN 633)]

Folks not trying to be wise but as you know these commissioners work for us, WE the people. Pleasseee take a few minutes to launch them an Email blast (and yes I sent one to each commissioner over weekend, one actually wrote me back on Sunday). Tell them 25% is totally UNACCEPTABLE and do your job for fiscal constraint. CUT...CUT...CUT

[dmorhome]

No add to schools,we pay for trash and fire dept looks like greed to me.

[dkhughes]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.
I called the County office and she promptly sent me an email with the current and proposed budget for Sumter County. Maybe I didn’t read it correctly but I didn’t see a 25% increase. Call them and ask for the information. 352-689-4400

[emb2458]

I object to the amount seniors have to pay for School Tax We have paid school taxes all of our adult life. Time to give seniors a School Tax Exemption percentage like the Homestead exemption. We live on a retirement budget now. If we are lucky to get an increase in retirement income, it goes to the increases of cost of living. Cost of living is always more than income increase. Please to those who disagree. Where is all the lottery money going?

[cjmae]

Thank You toplanekid

[dewilson58]

I object to the amount seniors have to pay for School Tax We have paid school taxes all of our adult life. Time to give seniors a School Tax Exemption percentage like the Homestead exemption. We live on a retirement budget now. If we are lucky to get an increase in retirement income, it goes to the increases of cost of living. Cost of living is always more than income increase. Please to those who disagree. Where is all the lottery money going?




That will never happen. (never say never)


Besides, schools can use all the funding they can get......need to increase teacher pay for sure.

[Ben Franklin]

We recently moved from Lee County, because the Commissioners lowered the impact fees, which caused our taxes to go up. Impact fees are collected on new homebuyers for the added needs of the county, such as roads, schools, parks, jails, ambulances and other infrastructure.

I haven't looked into it yet, but was wondering if Sumter county collects 100% of these fees, otherwise we all pay for the new arrivals demands on our infrastructure.

[JSR22]

I object to the amount seniors have to pay for School Tax We have paid school taxes all of our adult life. Time to give seniors a School Tax Exemption percentage like the Homestead exemption. We live on a retirement budget now. If we are lucky to get an increase in retirement income, it goes to the increases of cost of living. Cost of living is always more than income increase. Please to those who disagree. Where is all the lottery money going?

All homeowners should pay school taxes. When your kids were in school everyone paid property taxes to the school whether they had children attending or not. The schools do NOt get enough funding in FL. The students in Fruitland Park are in trailers! If anything is to be increased in the budget it should be money for schools.

[twoplanekid]

I called the County office and she promptly sent me an email with the current and proposed budget for Sumter County. Maybe I didn’t read it correctly but I didn’t see a 25% increase. Call them and ask for the information. 352-689-4400

found on page 8 -> https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/14374?fileID=33700

[newgirl]

I am amazed they can do this, property taxes were capped at 5 percent a year max in Mi. 25 percent in a retirement area is outrageous. Many live on social security here.

[Navy (SSBN 633)]

here is the web site with their email links....click their names and let them know this is unacceptable:

About the Commissioners | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://sumtercountyfl.gov/67/About-the-Commissioners)

[Bogie Shooter]

If they raise it 25 percent see you later
For sale

Assume you will sell for what you paid, right?

[Ronlynch@comcast.net]

Appears Sumter County is learning from other parts of the US i.e. NJ increased the gas tax by 25 cents per gallon without a referendum by the residents. A number of other States, Counties and Municipalities have the authority to impose increases on any number of services and taxes almost at will. There is no quantitative justification for the significant increase in millage rate from 2019 to 2020. I agree with a number of other comments, this appears to be a typical Bait and Switch Tactic that should not be dismissed lightly by our residents. As an aside, we have a corner lot in The Villages and between The Villages mandatory set back and Sumter County mandatory set back, we lose control on > 30% of our land area but pay the full land area value in taxes.

[funtime]

Hi Folks The overall increase that they are requesting is 23.8%, They give a breakdown for averge increase, for example on a 300K assessed value home the increase will be $409.05, if you can claim the $50k homestead exemption your increase on that same home would be $340.88. The main reason, although they state 6 reasons for the increase, is the expansion of the villages. They claim SC has the highest average age in the nation, which is demanding more resources. I think it is hard to realize that the villages expansions will cost us more money. At least we can put a price tag on the expansion past 44.

[Aw Man]

If they raise it 25 percent see you later
For sale

Seriously?
We are not talking about huge amounts of money here.
The proposed new millage rate of 6.7 would represent a $341 increase to total annual tax bill on a home assessed at $300,000.
That's an increase of $28 to a monthly budget.
You would spend $20,000 to $30,000 in non-recoverable closing costs alone to sell and buy elsewhere.
Moving because of this proposed property tax increase makes no financial sense at all.
Also, you should be aware that this proposed 6.7 millage rate is only 5.5% of the 6.35 millage rate we were paying in 2012!
I think we've been getting, and still are getting, a good deal on property taxes in Sumter County.

[njholt]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.
I don't think we'll ever see the villages stop growing, sad.

[ILIKESAILING]

A part of the Progressive Planning calls for increases in property taxes as planned in Agenda-21 of the United Nations.

It is illegal under Article I, Sec. 10, 4th and the 14th Amendments.

We must express our demand for local government to STOP.

Sincerely,

Robert G. Deardorff, B.S., M.B.A., J.D.
904-302-2114
Email: rgd53@hotmail.com

[jrieker68]

It appears you came from New Jersey which has the highest property taxes in the Country, so of course you're okay with the taxes. Florida is in the middle and I myself am happy to stay where it's at. Moved here from Manatee County, FL and my taxes are $400 higher for the same size house with a much smaller yard, ie less acreage.

[graciegirl]

It won't be even close and several of you are getting your knickers in a hitch for nothing.

Wait and see.

[Jersey Joe]

This is outrages to increase taxes that much in one year. We didn't ask the villages to expand as much as they done in Sumter County. They are getting greedy and the commissioner need to be voted out. What extra perks are they looking for to justify this increase in taxes. We need to speak against this at the commissioner meeting. :bigbow:

[Aw Man]

This is outrages to increase taxes that much in one year. We didn't ask the villages to expand as much as they done in Sumter County. They are getting greedy and the commissioner need to be voted out. What extra perks are they looking for to justify this increase in taxes. We need to speak against this at the commissioner meeting. :bigbow:

The Sumter County property tax rate has gone DOWN each of the last 6 years.

The current proposed property tax rate represents ONLY a 5.5% increase of the rate we were paying in 2012!

How can anyone possibly complain about this??

And I’m sure the proposed tax rate will go down somewhat by the time it’s approved in September.

Common sense says to be satisfied with what we’ve had and have here in Sumter County.

[Chatbrat]

Don't sweat the tax increase, get a piece of cardboard & hang out by an overpass on I 75 and beg for $$ to pay your taxes in The Villages--people will, laugh @ you

If you moved here & have to square root every penny, you've moved to the wrong place

Its harsh, but IMHO, its accurate

[Skunky1]

They should be giving us money back considering the amount of Agricultural land I was turning into residential revenue.

[tophcfa]

The Sumter County property tax rate has gone DOWN each of the last 6 years.

The current proposed property tax rate represents ONLY a 5.5% increase of the rate we were paying in 2012!

How can anyone possibly complain about this??

And I’m sure the proposed tax rate will go down somewhat by the time it’s approved in September.

Common sense says to be satisfied with what we’ve had and have here in Sumter County.

Tell that to someone who just closed on their home and is now faced with seeing their first tax bill increased by 25%!

[tophcfa]

I am amazed they can do this, property taxes were capped at 5 percent a year max in Mi. 25 percent in a retirement area is outrageous. Many live on social security here.

I agree, in Massachusetts there is something called proposition 2 1/2 that limits annal property tax increases to 2.5%. The only way to go above the 2.5% is with an override vote (voted on by the actual taxpayers), which is very difficult to pass.

[New Englander]

The Sumter County property tax rate has gone DOWN each of the last 6 years.

The current proposed property tax rate represents ONLY a 5.5% increase of the rate we were paying in 2012!

How can anyone possibly complain about this??

And I’m sure the proposed tax rate will go down somewhat by the time it’s approved in September.

Common sense says to be satisfied with what we’ve had and have here in Sumter County.

I feel the same way. I don't think it will be that much. :pray:

[bluecenturian]

This appears to be a quick way for the county government to get extra money because in lake and Marion counties they are paying a lot more. Sumter feels they can just increase because adjoining counties are higher. We need to all come out to the budget hearings and budget meetings and make our voices heard. I line by line comparison of what is being requested is an absolute. And the county members need to be reminded that we all vote and if they are not doing what’s best for us then we will vote them out.

[twoplanekid]

Please view my post # 16 to follow the links and then be able to see some line by line comparisons as presented by Sumter County

[manaboutown]

Theft!

[pauld315]

I don't care if people who came from NJ think the taxes here are so low it doesn't matter. I would guess a lot of the reason you left NJ was because of high taxes. I came here from the Raleigh NC area and I still own a home there. Taxes here are slightly higher than there already. That being said, I trust the county to do the right hing here. They have proven they are good stewards of the money with tax decreases the past 6 years.

[Velvet]

Hi Folks The overall increase that they are requesting is 23.8%, They give a breakdown for averge increase, for example on a 300K assessed value home the increase will be $409.05, if you can claim the $50k homestead exemption your increase on that same home would be $340.88. The main reason, although they state 6 reasons for the increase, is the expansion of the villages. They claim SC has the highest average age in the nation, which is demanding more resources. I think it is hard to realize that the villages expansions will cost us more money. At least we can put a price tag on the expansion past 44.

Yes, but from what I hear about say, medical services, etc the actual needs of seniors are not going to be addressed any better that I can see. Also if expansion is the reason for the property tax increase, why do the current owners need to subsidize the newcomers? The tax proposal is outrageous. Increases should be related to the cost of living.

[natalierp]

We live in Lake County Fruitland Park we are taxed to death here...

[skip0358]

I think a wait and see attitude might be in order. Been here since 2009 just before the construction move s/o 466a. Have not seen a large increase in all that time in fact taxes have gone down every year. Until I see my final bill all the bitching does no good at all. About 2 weeks ago it was Homeowners Insurance increases. My bill came yesterday less then $80 for the year. Panic over nothing. If I'm wrong on the 25% increase I'll be surprised for sure. Can't really see that happening. Just my opinion!

[bob47]

I think a wait and see attitude might be in order. Been here since 2009 just before the construction move s/o 466a. Have not seen a large increase in all that time in fact taxes have gone down every year. Until I see my final bill all the bitching does no good at all. About 2 weeks ago it was Homeowners Insurance increases. My bill came yesterday less then $80 for the year. Panic over nothing. If I'm wrong on the 50% increase I'll be surprised for sure. Can't really see that happening. Just my opinion!

Actually, after you see your final bill, it's too late complain and influence the decision.

[PennBF]

Given the growth of the Villages, Bonds, non accountable funding for maintenance, etc. it would be beyond outrages for taxes to increase and probably appropriate to call the State or Federal Offices to come in and conduct audits. At some point there should be controls installed to protect the residents.:ohdear:

[Velvet]

It would seem to me that you can’t just unilaterally increase taxes without the taxpayers agreeing to it in the first place. With insurance if they increase the premium you change providers. With property tax you can’t change providers so we must have other safe guards from such unilateral action. Anything beyond the cost of living should be audited to see do the taxpayers effected want this increase given the reasoning behind it. Isn’t thai’s how we work in democracy?
What taxes are in other jurisdictions have no relevance to TV, for example, do our sink holes and swamps have relevance to those areas?

[Bogie Shooter]

It would seem to me that you can’t just unilaterally increase taxes without the taxpayers agreeing to it in the first place. With insurance if they increase the premium you change providers. With property tax you can’t change providers so we must have other safe guards from such unilateral action. Anything beyond the cost of living should be audited to see do the taxpayers effected want this increase given the reasoning behind it. Isn’t thai’s how we work in democracy?
What taxes are in other jurisdictions have no relevance to TV, for example, do our sink holes and swamps have relevance to those areas?
What is it that you base this statement on?
BTW where was it again that you moved from?

[clouwho]

We pay higher taxes here than we did on our much more expensive, beautiful huge home on acreage in Georgia. And we knew that when we bought. And we knew we would have no income tax to offset that line item.

Rather than having all this knee jerk anger to the PROPOSED budget increases for FY 2019/20; lets perhaps calm down, read the very well written and very detailed summary the county has available for all to read, and the proposed budget itself.

An educated and civic-minded populace that is actively involved in their governance is a powerful thing of beauty. An angry rabble of reactive uneducated people is just a useless unproductive mob that achieves nothing of lasting value.

The Fire and EMS budget blows my mind. Why so much overtime? Why not hire permanent staff at lower rate? I am still slogging through line items. HVAC repairs throughout Sumter are extraordinarily high. Is this normal? Is the equipment inefficient and outdated, improperly sized or installed?

As i read the budget I am gob-stopped at some of the expenses. $6 MILLION each to repave (and I dont believe it has been that long since they were last paved, so if it was shoddy substandard workmanship by original contractor, why do county contracts not include performance clauses?) Buena vista and morse on the southern sides.

I will be writing the commissioners with general and specific questions as i become informed and can come up with intelligent, helpful questions. And it appears it is time for this new transplant to get involved in her new community. I had hoped to retire from fighting city hall, but alas, civic duties are for life.

I am also concerned that they raised the taxable value of our house by 15% in 2018 even though we are in an older village with DECLINING sales prices due to the increasing number of poorly maintained homes.

So, take the 15% increase in property value in one calendar year AND add a 25% increase if budget is approved, and we wind up with a 36%!!!! Increase in less than two years. And of course the various CDDs keep raising the fire and maintenance non ad valorem part of our tax bill, and the villages is raising the amenity fee every year by about 2.5%.

Individually these may not be huge hits, but for the MANY of us without pensions who are living off social security and modest savings, this is an unsustainable increase unless this is a one off situation.

Here is my real world cost without homestead exemption for amenities, CDD fire/maintenance, and ad valorem since we bought our cheap little house, in our old village, with no bond:

2016: $2,614 $217.83/mo
2017: $2,611 $217.58/mo
2018: $2,833 $236.08/mo
2019: $3,410 $284.16/mo *if 25% increase approved and they don't raise valuations again

My overall costs for the above would be 31% higher within 4 years time. 8% annual increase is probably not a sustainable average for us for the duration of our retirement. Of course, it is a drop in the bucket compared to how fast health insurance and medical coats are rising. SS and income from investments wont keep up with that if you are in the non pension, non government employee sector.

These numbers are magnified a LOT if you are in newer areas where home prices are averaging double of ours, and newer CDDs where non ad valorem taxes are triple to quadruple ours.

Someone pointed out if these small percentages are hurting you, you probably cant afford to retire here. And they are correct. It is a bitter pill i know many people are struggling to swallow, especially north of 466.

I did a whole lot of due diligence before buying here and deciding to buy far less house than we could afford, so that these inevitable increases wouldn't price us out of our home or The Villages, and wouldn't bankrupt our nest egg. I own my financial geekiness and fiscal conservatism...

If only I was in charge of governmental budgets. You guys would LOVE ME!!!! Or maybe not:bigbow:

I am wondering if anyone even slogged ghrough this long post?! God love ya if you did.

Have a great day. For the money, The collective worst nonsense here is better than the collective best nonsense most other places...says the woman who has lived from sea to shining sea and is in her 27th home at age 60.

[Velvet]

In my north city the pensioners were driven out of their homes with property tax increases as they could no longer afford their long time homes and we had to change the government in order to change the situation. A reasonable tax increase is acceptable but ridiculous amounts have to be justified.

There are two sides to the equation, supply and demand. The supply is what the taxpayers can afford, the demand is what the county wants them to pay for. The people who are demanding the tax increases - it is not enough to look at what they would want to pay for they also need to look at who can afford to pay for it. They owe a responsibility to both sides, that is why I said you can’t just make a unilateral announcement without other considerations.

[clouwho]

Yes, and on the supply side there a LOT of more expensive homes being sold in the new area which will generate proportionally much more income for county per household than the older areas and the non villages areas. So the roads they are saying we need to pave for these areas with tax increases should be able to be funded with the 2000-4000 new expensive homes coming online every single year for at least five more years.

[Velvet]

Which reminds me, in my northern city of several million people, the roads and parks and infrastructure of new development is rolled into the cost of new housing to the future buyer. It does not make sense to ask the people who are far from that area and less likely to use it to pay for it. I’m in Mallory and the chances of me going as far South as they are building now is very slim.
What the existing homeowners need in TV is public transportation, sidewalks, and better medical services among other things and these don’t seem to be on the agenda.

[springgobbler]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.

Seems to me that any increase in property tax rates should be tied to the CPI or some other quantifiable measurement.

[jgreen12]

Fl passed a law in 1995 called "save our homes". It caps tax increases at 3% or the cpi (consumers price index) increase which ever is the LEAST. So it looks like a typo and probably is 2.5% increase of ASSESED VALUATION OF YOUR HOME. Not the actual selling price.

[Velvet]

Fl passed a law in 1995 called "save our homes". It caps tax increases at 3% or the cpi (consumers price index) increase which ever is the LEAST. So it looks like a typo and probably is 2.5% increase of ASSESED VALUATION OF YOUR HOME. Not the actual selling price.

Now this makes sense. I was taken aback with the 25% tax increase or the large change in valuation of our homes. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone in my concerns.

[eyc234]

Fl passed a law in 1995 called "save our homes". It caps tax increases at 3% or the cpi (consumers price index) increase which ever is the LEAST. So it looks like a typo and probably is 2.5% increase of ASSESED VALUATION OF YOUR HOME. Not the actual selling price.

This can not be true! Someone got some facts and did a little research to hopefully get to the truth of a matter with (OMG) some knowledge applied. Not using the Chicken Little approach.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! :bigbow:

[EdFNJ]

This can not be true! Someone got some facts and did a little research to hopefully get to the truth of a matter with (OMG) some knowledge applied. Not using the Chicken Little approach.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Sorry, it's not true. :(

Fl passed a law in 1995 called "save our homes". It caps tax increases at 3% or the cpi (consumers price index) increase which ever is the LEAST. So it looks like a typo and probably is 2.5% increase of ASSESED VALUATION OF YOUR HOME. Not the actual selling price.

It doesn't cap the TAX INCREASE at 3% it caps the ASSESSED VALUE INCREASE OF THE HOME at 3%. Google is your friend: save our homes fl - Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=save+our+homes+fl)

Your taxes can go up 100% on the current assessed value but the taxable assessment for tax purposes of your home can only increase by 3% preventing a "double whammy" where the value of you home keeps going up AND the taxes keep going up. Also it must be a home with a homestead exemption (ie. FL resident primary home).

“Save Our Homes,” is a Constitutional Amendment that was approved by Florida voters in 1992. SOH limits, or caps the annual increase in assessed value of property that has a homestead exemption. The increase cannot exceed the lesser of 3% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the previous year.

[Bay Kid]

All governments are big business and require lots of money. The only way they get money is tax, tax, tax.

[eyc234]

EdFNJ, thanks for enlightening. Again I say that getting real facts and details is refreshing instead of lots of assumptions. Thanks for the info and it appears talking with the powers in Sumter county needs to be initiated and they should be held accountable for being good stewards of the citizens money.

[PennBF]

As I understand it the Amenity Fees are Cap'd at 3% or CPI which ever is lower. The Maintenance has no cap and is charged to the residents as a separate line item on their Property Tax Form. I believe the small park at the 466/Morse Blvd was charged as Maintenance although it was NOT MAINTENANCE but rather NEW?? If that is true what other rules is the Management disregarding and ignoring in order to do what they want??It is time for the State or Federal to step in and do an audit of (1) What rules/controls are in place and do they protect the residents from "Cheating"? and (2) Is the Management/Government of the Villages following these rules. It is time the Controls moved from a "Mom and Pop" profile to ones that represent a Metro City. When you believe all is well remember that around 1999-2000 the Villages was fined $40,000,000.00 for disregarding State Laws/Statues. This 25% potential increase in Property Taxes is outrages and points to the need for serious audits of the Villages and its Management. When did anyone EVER experience a general 25% increase in any tax. Just the running the flag up to see what reactions would be is an indication of the loss of controls.:ohdear:

[collie1228]

A 25% increase in property taxes is highly unusual in itself, but a 25% increase in a county whose tax base is growing at one of the fastest rates in the country is truly unbelievable. According to Wikipedia, there were 2,134 new homes sold in The Villages in 2018. Any other county in the USA would love to have Sumter County's fiscal issues.

[dewilson58]

Oh People, People, People.






Let's use facts and knowledge.






What a funny thread.

[graciegirl]

When we know the facts and knowledge it will be no whoopy do.

As usual.

[PennBF]

The sad part of this are the ones who either make light of it or make jokes. There are some in the villages who are on tight fixed income and a 25% increase in their taxes would have a serious impacts on their quality of life. To mock it or develop a "Who Cares" attitude is dis respectable to those in need and it is in excusable. :ohdear:

[dewilson58]

No mocking.


Just discounting the posts stirring the pot and posters playing chicken little (to use a prior poster words, which are appropriate).


Need to stress over facts, not fiction posts.




:faint:

[rrb48310]

Here is my email communication with my commissioner...

My vote, obviously, is to not raise property taxes by 25%.

I have a question, why did I read in the fall that Sumter County tax rate was going down again then in the summer I read a HUGE increase? What happened?


The response,

Good to hear from you.
In the fall of last year we did reduce the tax millage for the 2018/2019 budget year. We are currently reviewing the 2019/2020 budget which will be approved in October. The compete budget proposal will be posted on our website.
The main reason for the increase is for road improvements and public safety.
Our two busiest roads, Buena Vista and Morse will be resurfaced at a cost of $12m. That work will start later this month. The public safety expense increases are school safety. We will have a least 2 deputies at each school and the schools will be hardened.
We have reduced taxes for the last fourteen years so I know this comes as a unpleasant surprise. The good news is that with adoption of the proposed tax millage we will still have the one of the lowest rates in the state.
:shrug:

[Goldwingnut]

A friend of mine sent the following email to County Commissioner and received a response that also follows.

Mr. Burgress,
Put the tax burden on existing home owners is repugnant. We in The Villages will NOT Tolerate this terrible rate increase.
I moved to Sumter in part due to lower taxes.
Your proposed tax rate increase of 25% in one year is extraordinary and unnecessary. This type of rate increase will cause a great political impact on you, government and the developer. We Villagers are not stupid!
Worst of all this is lapse of trust in Government. We have taxation without representation.
I suggest you re-think your solution to the County’s financial issues.

Mr. Burgess response:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the 2019-2020 Sumter County Budget and tentative tax increase.

The BOCC Budget stretches over all areas of our growing County and requires increased expenditures.

Improving and maintaining our County’s transportation infrastructure is a major priority in this year’s Budget. The time is right to make a big investment in our major roads. One specific example is our dedication of $12 million dollars toward the resurfacing of two of our County’s busiest roadways – Buena Vista Blvd. and Morse Blvd.

An equally important priority for this year is further enhancement of school safety and increased support for our Sheriff’s Department. In light of the Parkland shooting, the State of Florida has passed new laws that require us as County taxpayers to make increased payments for school safety. This Budget will be investing in that security with additional trained officers and the hardening of every school campus.

These priorities are a big commitment in Sumter County’s present and future….and will require our first tax increase since 2004. Fourteen straight years of tax decreases have served our citizens well and demonstrated our commitment to wise and frugal spending. Even with this year’s increase, we remain a relatively low tax county, strategically positioned for future success. The steps we are taking now will enable us to keep future taxes low, service levels high and our citizens safe.

Thank you for your interest in our County Budget. Attached are the budget workshop documents in the following link:

Agenda - 07/11/2019 (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07112019-455?html=true)

Don Burgess
Commissioner
Sumter County

Looking at the exchange the takeaway is this:
My friend got an expected response for basically getting in Mr. Burgess' face and yelling at him, "thank you, next question please". Had he asked pointed and specific questions about the proposed budget the responses would have much likely been different. The response was obviously an canned response that was prepared in advance to respond to such email. As a District Supervisor I would have responded to the email in a similar manner to such rantings as anything else would service no purpose as it would be falling on deaf ears and a closed mind.

If similar statements are made at the meeting next Tuesday at the meeting at the Colony Rec Center, similar responses, if any, will be received and absolutely nothing will be accomplished.

To get specific answers then the questions need to be specific, direct, factual, answerable, void of emotion, and have to put them on the spot to answer with a response that will justify to the majority that this, or any other, increase is justified.

If you plan to ask questions at the meeting they should be as described above and you should do adequate research to ensure the answers have not already been asked. Statements such as "I'm on a fixed income" are both irrelevant and not a part of the issue. If your questions are making them squirm sweat, stumble over their answers, or resort to canned answers then the issue needs to be pressed until adequate answers are received.

Specific to Mr. Burgess' response:
Past tax increases, or lack there of, are irrelevant to the subject at hand.

The school funding issues avoids the issue that the combined state and local school taxes levied on each home in Sumter county is 5.507 millage points, or $1652 annually for a $300,000 assessable home. The 2300 homes added by The Villages last year accounted for approximal $3,800,000 added school taxes and exactly 0 student population increase (far below the national, state, and local averages). Why is this not adequate to fund these additional costs?

The new roads needed is already address by road impact fees charged by the county and the new home impact fee of $2600 per home that is charged. The new home impact fee for 2300 home is nearly $6,000,000, why was this not applied to the roads being built? The impact fee is also supposed to pay for added infrastructure, parks, schools, jails, etc. most of this is not applicable to the funds collected for development here in the villages, school are obvious-zero impact, parks and infrastructure we pay for with our bonds, maintenance assessments, and monthly amenity fee, the county is off the hook for these. There should be more than enough to address the roads.

Using the resurfacing of Morse and Buena Vista as a justification for increased taxes is disingenuous and lacks merit, did they raise taxes last year to cover the cost of resurfacing the other roads that were accomplished throughout the county? If we pay it this year, it's a one time expense, what happens to the money next year, will we see a tax decrease? Not likely. Why was there no planning to address these roads in previous year's budgets, it was no surprise that these would be needing resurfacing as these are, in Mr. Burgess' words "...two of the County's busiest roadways...".

The claim that the county is growing and requires increased expenditures does not mix well with the higher than average tax base provided by The Villages and the lower than average service requirements. Remember half our population is not here half the year and we're not exactly a haven for crime require extraordinary police coverage.

The impact fees, tax base increase, and school tax increases have occurred for may years now and will continue at a similar rate for the foreseeable future.

The statement that even though we are getting a tax increase we're still one of the lowest tax rates is laughable. We're going to put the screws to you this year, but you should like it because other people are getting it worse than you. Really?

I'll see you all at next week's meeting.

Here are my sources for the information on the impact fees.

Road Impact Fee Schedules | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/672/Impact-Fees)

Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/faq.aspx?TID=19)

[Bogie Shooter]

As usual the voice of reason and backed up with facts.
Must make a lot of previous posters want to delete their hyper unfounded comments...…...

[Velvet]

Nope. Such possibility of tax raises is not a source of amusement to some people.

[Velvet]

When we know the facts and knowledge it will be no whoopy do.

As usual.

I bet you will be right, and I do hope so. Always appreciate the voice of experience.

[Bogie Shooter]

It's amusing what some people are saying.

[PennBF]

The major reason the Villages lost a lawsuit of $40M is because no reserve funds were put aside for repair and replace to the Paradise Country Club in the historic section and it was totally run down. Allegedly even mice in the walls? When told to fix it the Villages said "we have no funds and can't to it" Reserves were never put aside. Thus the law suit and the fine for this neglect was $40,000,000,000. We now face the county not projecting future needs and preparing for them. They just stand up and say we didn't plan so outrages increases will be made to your tax base. This is what you are being governed by?? Any first grade person knows you have to put aside funds in case of an emergency. The residents should demand the County do a base budget plan and go to bare bones spending to off set the neglence of not planning. Does any normal person not realize the roads will need attention in future years or there will be wear and tear on the bridges,etc. What a shame!:ohdear:

[JoMar]

The major reason the Villages lost a lawsuit of $40M is because no reserve funds were put aside for repair and replace to the Paradise Country Club in the historic section and it was totally run down. Allegedly even mice in the walls? When told to fix it the Villages said "we have no funds and can't to it" Reserves were never put aside. Thus the law suit and the fine for this neglect was $40,000,000,000. We now face the county not projecting future needs and preparing for them. They just stand up and say we didn't plan so outrages increases will be made to your tax base. This is what you are being governed by?? Any first grade person knows you have to put aside funds in case of an emergency. The residents should demand the County do a base budget plan and go to bare bones spending to off set the neglence of not planning. Does any normal person not realize the roads will need attention in future years or there will be wear and tear on the bridges,etc. What a shame!:ohdear:

And if they do bare bones spending then the complaints will come in that they aren't doing enough....no win

[Goldwingnut]

The major reason the Villages lost a lawsuit of $40M is because no reserve funds were put aside for repair and replace to the Paradise Country Club in the historic section and it was totally run down. Allegedly even mice in the walls? When told to fix it the Villages said "we have no funds and can't to it" Reserves were never put aside. Thus the law suit and the fine for this neglect was $40,000,000,000. We now face the county not projecting future needs and preparing for them. They just stand up and say we didn't plan so outrages increases will be made to your tax base. This is what you are being governed by?? Any first grade person knows you have to put aside funds in case of an emergency. The residents should demand the County do a base budget plan and go to bare bones spending to off set the neglence of not planning. Does any normal person not realize the roads will need attention in future years or there will be wear and tear on the bridges,etc. What a shame!:ohdear:

Your point is valid (zero count excepting :icon_wink:) about not looking to the future, unacceptable.

The questions in my mind focus around the growth in revenue vs expenses, for 14 years they touted how well the county is managed and able to control costs and suddenly they can't and need a 25% increase.

Their justifications all have holes in them! School budgets and police officers to support yet the total school taxes collected increase by millions each year with a disproportionally small increase in student - the majority of the county population is in The Childless Villages.

Need to build more roads to support the growth, what happened to the $2600 impact fee each new home is charged? It was supposed to build these roads!

Need to resurface Buena Vista and Morse, they collect impact fees with every gallon of gas we purchase and justified it with having to maintain the roads, the report is available online! Where have they been spending the money? How did they pay for the road work done last year without a tax increase? What makes Morse and BV so special, is it because they are in The Villages and "they can afford to pay more"?

Let's not forget the rest of the residents in Sumter County. It's no secret that people in The Villages are generally more financially secure than most. Take a drive down some of the back roads of the county, there are a lot of people that survive on less that what many of us spend on going out to eat each year. How do they pay the increase when living paycheck-to-paycheck? This is going to affect all of use and will hurt the lower income people more than others.

I have grown tired of The Villages residents being the cash cow for Sumpter County, Lady Lake, Wildwood, and Fruitland Park. A fair and unbiased accounting and justification is required before any increase is justified.

[Navy (SSBN 633)]

3 of the 5 Commissioners are up for Re election in 2020...just saying

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

3 of the 5 Commissioners are up for Re election in 2020...just saying

Yup. Gotta figure - for the past 14 years, whoever has been running the show has been running a show of illusions. And now it's time to pay for the fancy facade. The good news, is it won't cost nearly as much as it costs in MOST of the rest of the country. The bad news, is that the $2500 yearly tax bill will be around $750 more this year.

Take that $750 and spread it out over the last 14 years of not having to pay for what was actually costing you the whole time, and you're actually getting a bargain.

But if you didn't like the idea that your awesome low taxes might catch up to you and bite you in the backside, you should've voted for people who were more interested in collecting for future expenses instead of showing off how little they charge you.

What they SHOULD do, is impose a couple of yearly assessments AND a modest tax increase. New homes being built can have an extra $4000 added to the sales price and funneled directly to the county coffers for their needs. Homes less than 5 years old and being sold can have an automatic $2000 fee added to the sales price, which goes to the county. Homes 5-14 years get an extra $1000 added to the sales price. Homes over 14 years old get no added cost to selling the home. Apartment buildings being built can have an additional $400 per unit added to the finished structure's tax bill for this one year only.

Then do all the above for one more year. Applies only to home sales, and the county wouldn't care who pays it, as long as it gets paid upon closing.

And then, ALL homes get an extra 5% tax increase.

[rrb48310]

The major reason the Villages lost a lawsuit of $40M is because no reserve funds were put aside for repair and replace to the Paradise Country Club in the historic section and it was totally run down. Allegedly even mice in the walls? When told to fix it the Villages said "we have no funds and can't to it" Reserves were never put aside. Thus the law suit and the fine for this neglect was $40,000,000,000. We now face the county not projecting future needs and preparing for them. They just stand up and say we didn't plan so outrages increases will be made to your tax base. This is what you are being governed by?? Any first grade person knows you have to put aside funds in case of an emergency. The residents should demand the County do a base budget plan and go to bare bones spending to off set the neglence of not planning. Does any normal person not realize the roads will need attention in future years or there will be wear and tear on the bridges,etc. What a shame!:ohdear:

:agree:

If ya don’t learn from history, it will repeat. So how much will the next lawsuit award be?

[Bogie Shooter]

Yup. Gotta figure - for the past 14 years, whoever has been running the show has been running a show of illusions. And now it's time to pay for the fancy facade. The good news, is it won't cost nearly as much as it costs in MOST of the rest of the country. The bad news, is that the $2500 yearly tax bill will be around $750 more this year.

Take that $750 and spread it out over the last 14 years of not having to pay for what was actually costing you the whole time, and you're actually getting a bargain.

But if you didn't like the idea that your awesome low taxes might catch up to you and bite you in the backside, you should've voted for people who were more interested in collecting for future expenses instead of showing off how little they charge you.

What they SHOULD do, is impose a couple of yearly assessments AND a modest tax increase. New homes being built can have an extra $4000 added to the sales price and funneled directly to the county coffers for their needs. Homes less than 5 years old and being sold can have an automatic $2000 fee added to the sales price, which goes to the county. Homes 5-14 years get an extra $1000 added to the sales price. Homes over 14 years old get no added cost to selling the home. Apartment buildings being built can have an additional $400 per unit added to the finished structure's tax bill for this one year only.

Then do all the above for one more year. Applies only to home sales, and the county wouldn't care who pays it, as long as it gets paid upon closing.

And then, ALL homes get an extra 5% tax increase.
Triple the impact fee.....wow!


From post #114
Need to build more roads to support the growth, what happened to the $2600 impact fee each new home is charged?

[Bogie Shooter]

:agree:

If ya don’t learn from history, it will repeat. So how much will the next lawsuit award be?

Suing the county would be a long shot, wouldn't it?
Or is your statement some sort of doublespeak?

[PennBF]

Goldwingnut: Good note and well thought out. Also the note to remember is that some are up for election and vote them out. They are not capable to be reps of the Villages. I regret there are those who are challenged when it comes to positive creative ideas. Unfortunately we are saddled with these people. They are the ones who bully others, think they are funny when being sarcastic ride the fence rather than "taking a stand", are negative without a positive input. This stream of notes highlight these individuals. As the saying goes, "good collaspe when good men don't care". :ohdear:

[DAVES]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.

Not an expert but, we've all seen this government tactic over and over again. They report a pending 25% tax increase and we panic. It is mass crowd control. They then put through a 10% increase and the voters cheer-only a 10% tax increase..

If they did things honestly and said we are utting in a 10% tax increase the uproar would be louder and might result in political changes.

I would expect there is a cap on how much they can increase taxes per year.

[Bogie Shooter]

Not an expert but, we've all seen this government tactic over and over again. They report a pending 25% tax increase and we panic. It is mass crowd control. They then put through a 10% increase and the voters cheer-only a 10% tax increase..

If they did things honestly and said we are utting in a 10% tax increase the uproar would be louder and might result in political changes.

I would expect there is a cap on how much they can increase taxes per year.

How much is the cap?

[Velvet]

Some days I listen to people and wonder what color the sky is in their world.

The topic is a large increase in property taxes and how it could be justified should it happen. In my view, not everyone can afford such steep increases without consequences.

[rrb48310]

Yep a form of doublespeak. Can the County be sued? If someone in business is found to be incompetent and it causes undue hardship and/or monetary loses a recovery could be achieved via the legal system. But, if politicians are incompetent the only recovery comes at the hands of the voters.

[Paulnb]

This sounds like very poor budget planning to me. Could they not see this coming and gradually increase to meet the need? What effect will this have on those who are trying to sell their homes? A potential home buyer who does their due diligence and sees this will run for the nearest exit. I was confident in a healthy future for this community. But with this lack of foresight, I'm reexamining that belief.

[KEVIN & JOSIE]

In the new areas, a 25% RE Tax increase, a city property tax, a maintenance fee, a bond fee, and an amenity fee. A beautiful area but quite expensive for many on limited income. The least expensive patio villas will no longer be "affordable" for many. So sad. :cry:

[Moderator]

Many off topic posts have been removed as well as some comments directed at members. The topic of this thread is the proposed property tax increase in Sumter County. Please return to the original topic. Further off topic posts will be deleted.

Moderator

[PennBF]

Does anyone know which of the Commissioner's are up for re election. They should be voted out! Go by the slogan: "If your in your out". It will be interesting to see what/if they can find a creative way to fix what they created? Where is the accountability for the disaster they brought on to some of the fixed income residents? Where does the State stand in all of this? What is it doing to help out the residents who will have the quality of their lives impacted? These guys in office are beyond incompetent. Where do they live and are they being personally effected by these increases? Were any appointed to office as opposed to voted in? If so who appointed them? What are their backgrounds that support holding major financial positions in the County? There is a lot of bragging of some years had minor tax reduction and using that as a basis for "re election" when in fact it was a ploy and a scam to the residents as expenses were being incurred but hidden. These Commissioner's were either incompetent or scamming the residents. You can't have it both ways!! :ohdear:

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Does anyone know which of the Commissioner's are up for re election. They should be voted out! Go by the slogan: "If your in your out". It will be interesting to see what/if they can find a creative way to fix what they created? Where is the accountability for the disaster they brought on to some of the fixed income residents? Where does the State stand in all of this? What is it doing to help out the residents who will have the quality of their lives impacted? These guys in office are beyond incompetent. Where do they live and are they being personally effected by these increases? Were any appointed to office as opposed to voted in? If so who appointed them? What are their backgrounds that support holding major financial positions in the County? There is a lot of bragging of some years had minor tax reduction and using that as a basis for "re election" when in fact it was a ploy and a scam to the residents as expenses were being incurred but hidden. These Commissioner's were either incompetent or scamming the residents. You can't have it both ways!! :ohdear:

That's what happens when you "drink the Kool-ade" and choose to live in a "bubble." Life happens, and you're not paying attention. The rest of the world revolves, and you reject reality in favor of your shared hallucination.

Then, someone shows up and says HEY - guess what. Life has been happening, and now it's come to collect.

The bubble hasn't been popped, but reality has managed to leak in. Welcome to reality, where people pay MORE taxes every year, not less.

[cegallup]

Two observations - 1. 25% is a Big number. 2. Sumter is adding MANY MILLIONS of property assessments. Minimal additional county expense. ("BONDS" cover all infrastructure.) What's wrong with this picture ?

[Altavia]

A friend of mine sent the following email to County Commissioner and received a response that also follows.

Mr. Burgress,
Put the tax burden on existing home owners is repugnant. We in The Villages will NOT Tolerate this terrible rate increase.
I moved to Sumter in part due to lower taxes.
Your proposed tax rate increase of 25% in one year is extraordinary and unnecessary. This type of rate increase will cause a great political impact on you, government and the developer. We Villagers are not stupid!
Worst of all this is lapse of trust in Government. We have taxation without representation.
I suggest you re-think your solution to the County’s financial issues.[/B][/COLOR]

Mr. Burgess response:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the 2019-2020 Sumter County Budget and tentative tax increase.

The BOCC Budget stretches over all areas of our growing County and requires increased expenditures.

Improving and maintaining our County’s transportation infrastructure is a major priority in this year’s Budget. The time is right to make a big investment in our major roads. One specific example is our dedication of $12 million dollars toward the resurfacing of two of our County’s busiest roadways – Buena Vista Blvd. and Morse Blvd.

An equally important priority for this year is further enhancement of school safety and increased support for our Sheriff’s Department. In light of the Parkland shooting, the State of Florida has passed new laws that require us as County taxpayers to make increased payments for school safety. This Budget will be investing in that security with additional trained officers and the hardening of every school campus.

These priorities are a big commitment in Sumter County’s present and future….and will require our first tax increase since 2004. Fourteen straight years of tax decreases have served our citizens well and demonstrated our commitment to wise and frugal spending. Even with this year’s increase, we remain a relatively low tax county, strategically positioned for future success. The steps we are taking now will enable us to keep future taxes low, service levels high and our citizens safe.

Thank you for your interest in our County Budget. Attached are the budget workshop documents in the following link:

Agenda - 07/11/2019 (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07112019-455?html=true)

Don Burgess
Commissioner
Sumter County

Looking at the exchange the takeaway is this:
My friend got an expected response for basically getting in Mr. Burgess' face and yelling at him, "thank you, next question please". Had he asked pointed and specific questions about the proposed budget the responses would have much likely been different. The response was obviously an canned response that was prepared in advance to respond to such email. As a District Supervisor I would have responded to the email in a similar manner to such rantings as anything else would service no purpose as it would be falling on deaf ears and a closed mind.

If similar statements are made at the meeting next Tuesday at the meeting at the Colony Rec Center, similar responses, if any, will be received and absolutely nothing will be accomplished.

To get specific answers then the questions need to be specific, direct, factual, answerable, void of emotion, and have to put them on the spot to answer with a response that will justify to the majority that this, or any other, increase is justified.

If you plan to ask questions at the meeting they should be as described above and you should do adequate research to ensure the answers have not already been asked. Statements such as "I'm on a fixed income" are both irrelevant and not a part of the issue. If your questions are making them squirm sweat, stumble over their answers, or resort to canned answers then the issue needs to be pressed until adequate answers are received.

Specific to Mr. Burgess' response:
Past tax increases, or lack there of, are irrelevant to the subject at hand.

The school funding issues avoids the issue that the combined state and local school taxes levied on each home in Sumter county is 5.507 millage points, or $1652 annually for a $300,000 assessable home. The 2300 homes added by The Villages last year accounted for approximal $3,800,000 added school taxes and exactly 0 student population increase (far below the national, state, and local averages). Why is this not adequate to fund these additional costs?

The new roads needed is already address by road impact fees charged by the county and the new home impact fee of $2600 per home that is charged. The new home impact fee for 2300 home is nearly $6,000,000, why was this not applied to the roads being built? The impact fee is also supposed to pay for added infrastructure, parks, schools, jails, etc. most of this is not applicable to the funds collected for development here in the villages, school are obvious-zero impact, parks and infrastructure we pay for with our bonds, maintenance assessments, and monthly amenity fee, the county is off the hook for these. There should be more than enough to address the roads.

Using the resurfacing of Morse and Buena Vista as a justification for increased taxes is disingenuous and lacks merit, did they raise taxes last year to cover the cost of resurfacing the other roads that were accomplished throughout the county? If we pay it this year, it's a one time expense, what happens to the money next year, will we see a tax decrease? Not likely. Why was there no planning to address these roads in previous year's budgets, it was no surprise that these would be needing resurfacing as these are, in Mr. Burgess' words "...two of the County's busiest roadways...".

The claim that the county is growing and requires increased expenditures does not mix well with the higher than average tax base provided by The Villages and the lower than average service requirements. Remember half our population is not here half the year and we're not exactly a haven for crime require extraordinary police coverage.

The impact fees, tax base increase, and school tax increases have occurred for may years now and will continue at a similar rate for the foreseeable future.

The statement that even though we are getting a tax increase we're still one of the lowest tax rates is laughable. We're going to put the screws to you this year, but you should like it because other people are getting it worse than you. Really?

I'll see you all at next week's meeting.

Here are my sources for the information on the impact fees.

Road Impact Fee Schedules | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/672/Impact-Fees)

Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/faq.aspx?TID=19)

Thanks Don for taking the time to generate this very intelligent and informative post. Well worth taking the time to study and comprehend the reality of the situation.

[Velvet]

Yes, as always well thought out and expressed by Don. Very happy to have you on “our team”.

[Villageswimmer]

Is it just my iPad? I can’t read the first letter. At all. I’m getting blue font on a green background. Maybe there’s a way to change this?

[Goldwingnut]

Is it just my iPad? I can’t read the first letter. At all. I’m getting blue font on a green background. Maybe there’s a way to change this?

Here's a link to the original post (#107)

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/1664856-post107.html

[Altavia]

Here's a link to the original post (#107)

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/1664856-post107.html

Formatting corrected.

[Topspinmo]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.


And it’s still lower than Marion county

[Villageswimmer]

Formatting corrected.

Thanks.

[Carla B]

Question: Are the commission jobs part-time or full-time?

I saw an email from the POA stating that "Among the proposed increases was a 12% increase in Commissioners salary/benefit package, bringing the total package to more than $100,000 that includes a $60,678 base salary of (sic), $29,623 retirement contribution plus health insurance!" I wonder where this comes from. In reading the 23-page document justifying the budget (see Post #60 by 2Plane) I don't find where their salaries/benefits are addressed. If true, that is certainly grounds for contention.

[skip0358]

View as Webpage

Sumter County Villagers Need to Attend this Meeting!!
Sumter County Commission
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 5 P.M.
Colony Cottage Recreation Center
Commissioners will vote on a proposal to increase property taxes for Sumter County residents by 24%!
Among the proposed increases:
· 12% increase in Commissioners salary/benefit package, bringing the total package to more than $100,000 that includes a $60,678 base salary of, $29,623 retirement contribution plus health insurance!
· $3 Million increase in the Sheriff’s Department budget that includes 8 new positions
· Other new employee positions for the Property Tax Appraiser’s office and the Clerk of the Circuit Court
· Higher employee insurance premiums
· Synchronized traffic lights
· Upgrade of Morse Boulevard and Buena Vista Boulevard
The Villages Daily Sun reported this means an increase of $136.35 for every $100,000 of taxable home value, however, the total proposed tax rate (including school assessments and district taxes) of 12.5025 is less than Lake County’s 13.1992 and Marion County’s 16.0452 rates.
This is the first proposed increase in 14 years.

[New Englander]

View as Webpage

Sumter County Villagers Need to Attend this Meeting!!
Sumter County Commission
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 5 P.M.
Colony Cottage Recreation Center
Commissioners will vote on a proposal to increase property taxes for Sumter County residents by 24%!
Among the proposed increases:
· 12% increase in Commissioners salary/benefit package, bringing the total package to more than $100,000 that includes a $60,678 base salary of, $29,623 retirement contribution plus health insurance!
· $3 Million increase in the Sheriff’s Department budget that includes 8 new positions
· Other new employee positions for the Property Tax Appraiser’s office and the Clerk of the Circuit Court
· Higher employee insurance premiums
· Synchronized traffic lights
· Upgrade of Morse Boulevard and Buena Vista Boulevard
The Villages Daily Sun reported this means an increase of $136.35 for every $100,000 of taxable home value, however, the total proposed tax rate (including school assessments and district taxes) of 12.5025 is less than Lake County’s 13.1992 and Marion County’s 16.0452 rates.
This is the first proposed increase in 14 years.

Yes, but it sure is a WHOPPER of an increase. :faint:

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

They really should have planned better 14 years ago. But it looks like they were more interested in patting themselves on the back and attracting others to pat them as well, by telling them how much they will save by living there. "We won't spend money on anything, and we'll keep the taxes really low, maybe even lower them further a couple of times. What's that, you say? Expenses are becoming more expensive? Don't worry about that, we'll figure it out when the bill comes. Excuse me? Things need repair 10 years later? Hm. We didn't save anything, but heck let's just pour what we have into one of those repairs and everyone will love us for keeping the costs down. Eh? We've run out of money and there are MORE repairs to make 14 years later? Well bite me on the backside, it's time to make them PAY."

That is what happened. Y'all voted for it for 14 years. Change the administration, and you'll change how finances cover expenses.

[DARFAP]

They are not low. Paying double what I paid in the People's Republic of Maryland for a two story full basement brick house, 3100 sq feet with two car garage and theater. All on 4 acres.



Time to start reqular reassesments of houses.Definitely not low

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[almondz]

Don't forget that taxes are only part of the picture here. We also have bonds being paid and yearly assessments. To me they are very much like taxes - just given a different name.

[skip0358]

May not be low but a lot lower then where quite a few of us came from!

[dewilson58]

Don't forget that taxes are only part of the picture here. We also have bonds being paid and yearly assessments. To me they are very much like taxes - just given a different name.


Don't forget a same name...............no state income taxes.

[PennBF]

Lets Look at the 5 Sumter County Commissioner's
1. Al Butler-Dist - #1[/COLOR]
-Came to Sumter County in 2005
-Was a Director of Homeowners Association
(Is there anyone on the face of the earth that does not know
the HOA is an Arm of the Developer and therefore he
[Developer] has a major influence on the Board)
-Degree in Engineering
-Lives in Wildwood
-Term ends 2020
-Background in Commission write up does not indicate what he believes
2. Doug Gilpin - DIST#2
-States he has been able to keep Tax burden low while service
level high
-Believes in personal responsibilities
-Believes use of tax payers money is big responsibility , takes
jt seriously
-Had no opponents in 2010
-Believes to keep tax burden low.
-Term ends in 2022
3.Don Burgess - Dist#3
-Appointed by Governor in 2009
-Chairman of Board of Commissioner
-Believes in Balanced Budget
-Below in low taxes
-Believes in efficient Government Service
-Conservtive Values
-No indication of Education level
-Term runs out in 2020
Gary Breeden - Dist#4
-No statement of beliefs, accomplishments, education, etc
in Commissioner's write up in Official publication
-Term runs out 2022
5.Steve Printz - Dist#5
-Believes in focusing on achieving quality growth while
maintaining rural Summter County nature.
-Believes in quality affordable growth.
-Believes have to support and serv growing population
-Education=BS, Secondary Education, MBA in Business Admin.
Term Runs out 2020

Some Observatioins:
How many use "tax" in some form to get elected while ignoring
fundemental reserve planning. Of course everyone believe in lower taxes so what better way than to use that as a basis for election. What is truly shocking is that with these 5 individuals a "Reserve Funding" was not applied to the Village planning and thus it is accountability time.

[dewilson58]

Returning the topic to County Income Taxes.


So how much is this increase??? $200/yr, $400/yr ???


It's either Pay-me-now, or Pay-me-later.


If the County would have collected these funds earlier/in advance, in smaller amounts, as suggested by some posters.............how many posters would have been up in arms about those increase and building "reserve taxes." I can hear it, "I want to keep the dollars in my pocket".





Net, Net, Net.............the percentage seems large for a portion of the total tax bill, which equates to a relatively small absolute dollar impact. The big County dollars appear to be going to the right places.......Law Enforcement, EMS, Fire, Streets, Technology.




:duck:

[eyc234]

Oh de, how dare you say such intelligent things! For all the talk that occurs about people wanting free everything, many in TV seem to forget that growth cost money, labor cost do not go down unless you fire people and in very few instances do materials for building or repairing get cheaper. Agree that there should have been a reserve but there is not. They are trying to fix it now, not sure government new about the amount of growth that would occur in the county, no one else did. How about we try working with them instead of against them all the time. Why is the first thought of people so negative, they are trying to put the screws to us!

[Carla B]

"How much is the increase?" On a homesteaded property, assuming the assessed value remains the same as last year at a little over $300K, the increase will be $320. Of course, the assessed value remaining the same is doubtful.

[Velvet]

To understand the differences;
What does property tax cover?by county
As compared to Maintenance fees?
And Amenities?
Are there any other fees in TV besides paying off the original bond?
I saw the video from Goldwingnut explaining bonds but the total financial set up in TV Is convoluted. I am a newbie myself but up north when property taxes were increased dramatically some on fixed income lost their long time homes.

[Bogie Shooter]

To understand the differences;
What does property tax cover?by county
As compared to Maintenance fees?
And Amenities?
Are there any other fees in TV besides paying off the original bond?
I saw the video from Goldwingnut explaining bonds but the total financial set up in TV Is convoluted. I am a newbie myself but up north when property taxes were increased dramatically some on fixed income lost their long time homes.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/nuts-bolts-villages-139/moving-villages-part-1-a-17717/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/nuts-bolts-villages-139/moving-villages-part-2-a-17716/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/nuts-bolts-villages-139/moving-villages-part-3-a-17715/

[Velvet]

Very helpful. Thank you. I guess I was wondering what exactly does Say, Sumter property tax cover? Schools, fire etc roads including Morse. How is it calculated? When you are asked to pay for something don’t you want to know what it is for and why the amount? Particularly when there is suddenly a large increase?

[CWGUY]

To understand the differences;
What does property tax cover?by county
As compared to Maintenance fees?
And Amenities?
Are there any other fees in TV besides paying off the original bond?
I saw the video from Goldwingnut explaining bonds but the total financial set up in TV Is convoluted. I am a newbie myself but up north when property taxes were increased dramatically some on fixed income lost their long time homes.

:icon_wink: When we moved here 15 years ago I saw 2 bumper stickers that I liked a great deal:
1 - SNOWBIRDS.... taste like chicken.
2 - We DON"T care how you did it up North!

The questions in your post are good ones. I asked them too..... just before moving here. But better late than never! :ho:

The answers to your questions can be found online or in person from the Government either County or District. :)

[Velvet]

The wise learn from others’ mistakes. There is something about reinventing the wheel....

Please understand I am not only or even primarily, asking these questions for myself.

[perrjojo]

The millage rate is a bit of a shell game.
The rate can be lower but your property value can be raised and you still pay more. The mileage can be higher and your property value lower and you pay less. This is a “proposed” increase. I am eager to see the end result. Fingers crossed.

[Bogie Shooter]

To understand the differences;
What does property tax cover?by county
As compared to Maintenance fees?
And Amenities?
Are there any other fees in TV besides paying off the original bond?
I saw the video from Goldwingnut explaining bonds but the total financial set up in TV Is convoluted. I am a newbie myself but up north when property taxes were increased dramatically some on fixed income lost their long time homes.

Very helpful. Thank you. I guess I was wondering what exactly does Say, Sumter property tax cover? Schools, fire etc roads including Morse. How is it calculated? When you are asked to pay for something don’t you want to know what it is for and why the amount? Particularly when there is suddenly a large increase?

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/what-maintenance-assessment-291228/?highlight=Amenity+fees

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/amenity-fees-289630/?highlight=Amenity+fees

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/amenity-fees-274364/?highlight=Amenity+fees

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/solution-waiver-amenity-fees-281807/?highlight=Amenity+fees

Property Taxes - Randy Mask - Sumter County Tax Collector (https://sumtertaxcollector.com/prop.html)

http://sumterpa.com/

https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/info/Property-Taxes/FL/Sumter-County

[Bogie Shooter]

The wise learn from others’ mistakes. There is something about reinventing the wheel....

Please understand I am not only or even primarily, asking these questions for myself.

/////

[Velvet]

Obviously, there has been a lot of past interest in these questions. I always felt that the sum of the whole (community) is always more than just the addition of its parts.
Like up north, (please forgive the comparison, I just couldn’t help myself) there seems to be a lot of information on HOW they collect property tax. I wish I could attend the meetings for the discussions so I hope someone will summarize them here at TOTV if they can.

Again, most helpful information.

[Villageswimmer]

"How much is the increase?" On a homesteaded property, assuming the assessed value remains the same as last year at a little over $300K, the increase will be $320. Of course, the assessed value remaining the same is doubtful.


Why do you think the assessed value will change? In my experience, it hasn’t changed often and I’ve even seen it lowered.

[EdFNJ]

By FL law the assessed value of a home (primary residence w/homestead exemption) can only increase 3% or the percent change in the CPI (Consumer Price Index), whichever is less. I guess that is better than "unlimited"
"Save Our Homes" Amendment and Its Effects - Rick Singh, CFA - Orange County Property Appraiser (https://www.ocpafl.org/RP/SOH.aspx)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Why do you think the assessed value will change? In my experience, it hasn’t changed often and I’ve even seen it lowered.

Why would you think that it wouldn't change if, as you state, you've seen it change, and have even seen it lowered (which is a change)?

Assessed property values change. That's why they do assessments every so often; to decide whether or not to change them that year, and if so, how much, in which direction (more or less).

Our property value up north was supposed to be reassessed every 10 years, OR if there needed to be a special exception (like a hurricane blew the garage away or Space Force landed a satellite in the built-in pool and melted it into what the neighbors now call Modern Art).

The last time they did an assessment of ours, they didn't include the bonus room (which is insulated and under heat, our house doesn't have central air) in the square footage, and they included a built-in pool that doesn't - and never did - exist. It also included a long strip of square footage of the side of our property, which we deeded over to the senior housing behind us and enjoy a right-of-way to it instead, since our driveway was built off of theirs, when they created the housing development back there.

Our taxes based on this assessment went up around $400. I went to the assessor's office, we duked it out for around a half hour, and our taxes went back down around $35 less than they were the year before.

[Villageswimmer]

Why would you think that it wouldn't change if, as you state, you've seen it change, and have even seen it lowered (which is a change)?

Assessed property values change. That's why they do assessments every so often; to decide whether or not to change them that year, and if so, how much, in which direction (more or less).

Our property value up north was supposed to be reassessed every 10 years, OR if there needed to be a special exception (like a hurricane blew the garage away or Space Force landed a satellite in the built-in pool and melted it into what the neighbors now call Modern Art).

The last time they did an assessment of ours, they didn't include the bonus room (which is insulated and under heat, our house doesn't have central air) in the square footage, and they included a built-in pool that doesn't - and never did - exist. It also included a long strip of square footage of the side of our property, which we deeded over to the senior housing behind us and enjoy a right-of-way to it instead, since our driveway was built off of theirs, when they created the housing development back there.

Our taxes based on this assessment went up around $400. I went to the assessor's office, we duked it out for around a half hour, and our taxes went back down around $35 less than they were the year before.


Maybe I wasn’t clear. I didn’t say it wouldn’t change. I simply asked why poster said it would likely change (presumably, somehow related to the 25% increase). I have no idea and thought the poster could shed some light on her supposition.

[Carla B]

Why do you think the assessed value will change? In my experience, it hasn’t changed often and I’ve even seen it lowered.

Assessed Values & Millage Rate for the same parcel with no taxable improvements or additions since construction:

2009 285,451 5.8017
2010 276,857 6.1123
2011 275,757 6.1096
2012 274,150 6.1067
2013 280,080 6.2200
2014 284,280 5.9000
2015 286,550 5.7000
2016 288,550 5.5900
2017 294,610 5.5200
2018 300,790 5.3365

You're right that it has been lowered at times, probably as a result of the Great Recession. From 2014 it has steadily increased, again probably because of the economy. It will be interesting to see what happens to the millage rate this year.

[Villageswimmer]

Assessed Values & Millage Rate for the same parcel with no taxable improvements or additions:

2009 285,451 5.8017
2010 276,857 6.1123
2011 275,757 6.1096
2012 274,150 6.1067
2013 280,080 6.2200
2014 284,280 5.9000
2015 286,550 5.7000
2016 288,550 5.5900
2017 294,610 5.5200
2018 300,790 5.3365




You're right that it has been lowered at times, probably as a result of the Great Recession. From 2014 it has steadily increased, again probably because of the economy. It will be interesting to see what happens to the millage rate this year.

Thanks. That’s interesting. Overall, the assessment increased just 15k over 9 years. Not bad.

[pauld315]

Thanks. That’s interesting. Overall, the assessment increased just 15k over 9 years. Not bad.

Assessment went up as the millage rate decreased. They call this being revenue neutral. It is done often in municipalities to keep the revenue they collect the same

[Villageswimmer]

Assessment went up as the millage rate decreased. They call this being revenue neutral. It is done often in municipalities to keep the revenue they collect the same

Thanks for the explanation. That’s even better.

[biker1]

You may sometimes hear reference to the "rolled-back rate". This is the adjusted millage rate if the assessed property values change so the same amount of revenue is generated.

Assessment went up as the millage rate decreased. They call this being revenue neutral. It is done often in municipalities to keep the revenue they collect the same

[PennBF]

Couple of things: It appears to be a Commissioner you should have a strong "Financial" background as budgeting and financial controls are significant to the office. I see a lot of the current members saying they want to control taxes, spending etc but none with the Educational Qualifications/Experience to justify their ability to meet the requirements they site as critical?? Another observation is that a number of the Directors have a number of outside responsibilities which makes you question how they have time to justify their salaries and pensions. :ohdear:

[RosieYo]

I have been told (so not confirmed) the commissioners are giving THEMSELVEs a 12% raise. Can anyone validate that?
There is a little advertised meeting on the 25% increase at Colony Rec Center at 5m today (Tuesday, 7/3). See you all there.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I have been told (so not confirmed) the commissioners are giving THEMSELVEs a 12% raise. Can anyone validate that?
There is a little advertised meeting on the 25% increase at Colony Rec Center at 5m today (Tuesday, 7/3). See you all there.

Sumter County commissioners start out at over $50,000 per year, some earn well over $80,000 per year. It's not even a full time job. Plus they get benefits. Nice gig if you can grift it.

[CWGUY]

Sumter County commissioners start out at over $50,000 per year, some earn well over $80,000 per year. It's not even a full time job. Plus they get benefits. Nice gig if you can grift it.

What do your commissioners in Lake County make? :oops: Never mind..... I live in Sumter Co. and don't care. Thanks anyway. :ho:

[skip0358]

Went to the meeting tonight couldn't even get in so crowded. Joke was it wasn't even on the agenda.

[eyc234]

Couple of things: It appears to be a Commissioner you should have a strong "Financial" background as budgeting and financial controls are significant to the office. I see a lot of the current members saying they want to control taxes, spending etc but none with the Educational Qualifications/Experience to justify their ability to meet the requirements they site as critical?? Another observation is that a number of the Directors have a number of outside responsibilities which makes you question how they have time to justify their salaries and pensions. :ohdear:

Do not believe the Commissioner is the one preparing the budget. In my past experiences I hired people to do that and then explain it to me. Yes you have to have some education and common sense to ask the right question but not sure a CPA is needed . I also as upper upper management had a lot of responsibilities. Not saying they are perfect but how is it okay to disparage people or a process you do not have any details about.:pray:

[Carla B]

Got there at 4:30 and couldn't get very far past the front desk. The meeting room was already filled to capacity. Got a copy of the agenda and the rate increase wasn't on it. IF I heard correctly, that will now be addressed September 10 at the Courthouse in Bushnell.

[judithamorrison]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.
25% increase in property taxes is outrageous!

[graciegirl]

It won't be that. Wait and see.

[tophcfa]

Lets Look at the 5 Sumter County Commissioner's
1. Al Butler-Dist - #1[/COLOR]
-Came to Sumter County in 2005
-Was a Director of Homeowners Association
(Is there anyone on the face of the earth that does not know
the HOA is an Arm of the Developer and therefore he
[Developer] has a major influence on the Board)
-Degree in Engineering
-Lives in Wildwood
-Term ends 2020
-Background in Commission write up does not indicate what he believes
2. Doug Gilpin - DIST#2
-States he has been able to keep Tax burden low while service
level high
-Believes in personal responsibilities
-Believes use of tax payers money is big responsibility , takes
jt seriously
-Had no opponents in 2010
-Believes to keep tax burden low.
-Term ends in 2022
3.Don Burgess - Dist#3
-Appointed by Governor in 2009
-Chairman of Board of Commissioner
-Believes in Balanced Budget
-Below in low taxes
-Believes in efficient Government Service
-Conservtive Values
-No indication of Education level
-Term runs out in 2020
Gary Breeden - Dist#4
-No statement of beliefs, accomplishments, education, etc
in Commissioner's write up in Official publication
-Term runs out 2022
5.Steve Printz - Dist#5
-Believes in focusing on achieving quality growth while
maintaining rural Summter County nature.
-Believes in quality affordable growth.
-Believes have to support and serv growing population
-Education=BS, Secondary Education, MBA in Business Admin.
Term Runs out 2020

Some Observatioins:
How many use "tax" in some form to get elected while ignoring
fundemental reserve planning. Of course everyone believe in lower taxes so what better way than to use that as a basis for election. What is truly shocking is that with these 5 individuals a "Reserve Funding" was not applied to the Village planning and thus it is accountability time.

FYI, Al Butler, who is supposed to be representing residents of District 1, is hook line and sinker supporting the tax increase. I reached out to him with my concernes regarding the huge proposed tax increase as a resident of District 1. He returned my correspondence with a cookie cutter, cut and pasted, bla bla bla response, that was in full support of the increase. I sent him back a long and well thought out response, which was totally disregarded. Please, anyone who votes for Sumter County's commissioners, vote for a different candidate!

[Altavia]

25% increase in property taxes is outrageous!

Small increases sound big when made against a small amounts.

It's less than a dollar a day for the average home.

[PennBF]

A simple profile as to who you voted in to manage your Sumter County:
A. 2 that mention educational highlights, (Eng/Admin)
B. 2 that indicate some Tax (Interest, Control)
C. 1 that highlights involvement in HOA (Developers Org)
D. 3 that don't feel its necessary to state what they believe in
E. 1 not even voted for by Villages, (Was appointed by Gov)
This is why you never had any forward thinking, no planning for the future to reduce impacts of accumulation of obligations. Where are the Accountants, CPA's, where are the Attorney's. where are the ones that understand Business management/planning and state laws. These allegedly represent what a Political Slate looks like which is further highlighted by wanting a 12% salary increase while some residents face terrible problem because of no future planning.:ho:

[TimeForChange]

Did anyone catch on page C4 of the Daily Sun the article regarding Sumter County increasing this years property taxes by 25%? Maybe they should not have asked the developer to continue building south of 44.

So your property tax goes up $300 per year. I moved from another place in the SE where property tax was almost twice what it is here. TV is growing, roads have to be built etc. If you didn't plan for some increase in retirement I'm sorry.

[tophcfa]

So your property tax goes up $300 per year. I moved from another place in the SE where property tax was almost twice what it is here. TV is growing, roads have to be built etc. If you didn't plan for some increase in retirement I'm sorry.

We planed for our expenses to go up based on the CPI, not by 25%. Since a good portion of our income is tied to the CPI, seeing a 25% increase in property taxes takes a bite out of our discretionary spending budget. Is it not unreasonable to expect our government officials to be fiscally responsible, just like seniors on a fixed budget have no choice but to be?

[Aw Man]

We planed for our expenses to go up based on the CPI, not by 25%. Since a good portion of our income is tied to the CPI, seeing a 25% increase in property taxes takes a bite out of our discretionary spending budget. Is it not unreasonable to expect our government officials to be fiscally responsible, just like seniors on a fixed budget have no choice but to be?

If the property tax millage rate increased each year based on the CPI we would NOT have had tax decreases each of the past 6 years and the millage rate for next year would be even HIGHER (7.018) than the current proposed rate (6.7).
The Sumter County property tax millage rate was above 6.0 from 2009/2010 through 2013/2014 with the highest millage rate being 6.35 for 2012/2013.
If the proposed millage rate of 6.7 for 2019/2020 is approved, this would represent only a 5.5% increase to the 6.35 rate we were all paying in 2012/2013.
If the 2012/2013 millage rate of 6.35 had automatically increased each year based on the annual Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustments (CPI-W), then the proposed millage rate for 2019/2020 would be 7.018, an 11.5% increase to the rate we were all paying in 2012/2013.

[biker1]

You can't just look at the millage rate by itself. It is the millage rate times the total assessed value of the property in the county that matters. The millage rate has been rolled back for the last several years.

If the property tax millage rate increased each year based on the CPI we would NOT have had tax decreases each of the past 6 years and the millage rate for next year would be even HIGHER (7.018) than the current proposed rate (6.7).
The Sumter County property tax millage rate was above 6.0 from 2009/2010 through 2013/2014 with the highest millage rate being 6.35 for 2012/2013.
If the proposed millage rate of 6.7 for 2019/2020 is approved, this would represent only a 5.5% increase to the 6.35 rate we were all paying in 2012/2013.
If the 2012/2013 millage rate of 6.35 had automatically increased each year based on the annual Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustments (CPI-W), then the proposed millage rate for 2019/2020 would be 7.018, an 11.5% increase to the rate we were all paying in 2012/2013.

[Aw Man]

You can't just look at the millage rate by itself. It is the millage rate times the total assessed value of the property in the county that matters. The millage rate has been rolled back for the last several years.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. It's the county commissioner's proposed 25% increase to last years millage rate that has many of the posters upset or concerned.

Several posters have said they believe the commissioner's budget process seems arbitrary or flawed and they feel it would be better if annual changes to the millage rate were tied to the CPI.

My post above just makes the point that if the commissioners had used the CPI the last 6 years we would not have had 6 years of decreased millage rates and next years millage rate would actually be higher, at 7.018, than it will be if the current proposed millage rate of 6.7 is approved.

Yes, your total annual property tax amount is determined by dividing the taxable value of your property by 1,000 and then multiplying the result by the millage rate. But the county commissioners and their proposed 25% increase have nothing to do with establishing the taxable value of your property.

[Altavia]

We planed for our expenses to go up based on the CPI, not by 25%. Since a good portion of our income is tied to the CPI, seeing a 25% increase in property taxes takes a bite out of our discretionary spending budget. Is it not unreasonable to expect our government officials to be fiscally responsible, just like seniors on a fixed budget have no choice but to be?

Talking percentages is like a blind man touching the tusk or an elephant and concluding it is made of ivory ;-)

Devil is in the complex details well documemted in this thread,

I had a similar reaction until I comprehended this is an increase in just the county tax portion of the tax bill. It is not a 25% increase in the total property tax. Net increase if I understand correctly is less than a dollar a day for 300K property.

[biker1]

My point is you can't just look at the millage rate. Your taxes are your assessed value times the millage rate. There is no reason why the millage rate would have been tied to the CPI so I don't understand your point in making that comment. If the millage rate didn't change and the assessed value of each home didn't change, the county would realize about a 4% increase in revenue from the 2400 new homes built in Sumter each year. You can get any tax revenue you want by modifying the assessed value so concentrating on just the millage rate is not useful. The millage rate has been rolled back in the past after the total assessed values were determined to hit a specific revenue target. You also need to consider changes to the assessed values. I thought that was clear enough.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. It's the county commissioner's proposed 25% increase to last years millage rate that has many of the posters upset or concerned.

Several posters have said they believe the commissioner's budget process seems arbitrary or flawed and they feel it would be better if annual changes to the millage rate were tied to the CPI.

My post above just makes the point that if the commissioners had used the CPI the last 6 years we would not have had 6 years of decreased millage rates and next years millage rate would actually be higher, at 7.018, than it will be if the current proposed millage rate of 6.7 is approved.

Yes, your total annual property tax amount is determined by dividing the taxable value of your property by 1,000 and then multiplying the result by the millage rate. But the county commissioners and their proposed 25% increase have nothing to do with establishing the taxable value of your property.

[AzAuSenior]

For both of the tax items (10% sales / 25% property tax increase), there is a permanent answer. We must take citizen self-action. The sooner the better. The solution takes a long time and there no other approaches to a permanent solutions.
We are a retirement state and our senior citizens are especially vulnerable to tax increases. Many are on fixed incomes or even worse have finite financial resources and can’t cope with double digit percentage cost increases. We can stop this process now to protect our future tax costs.
The state of Florida allows for referendum (Google: “Florida Referendum” for information on Florida State Referendum). We must take citizen action to make laws to protect ourselves as was done in California in 1978 with Proposition 13 (the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation). The 1978 Proposition 13 (Google: "1978 California Propostion-13" for information about Limit Property Taxation Referendum) is referred to as a “taxpayer revolt”. It was brought about by hefty tax increases as are proposed for Sumter County.
We must protect ourselves, as was done in California, by using the Florida process for referendum to make legislation that protects the taxpayers from exorbitant tax increases as was done with the 1978 Proposition 13. We must modify Proposition 13 to suit our needs to protect taxpayers from current and future tax increases and pass the modified Proposition by Florida state Referendum.
The pressure is on and the time to get a referendum passed is years. As more and more people relocate to Florida, state and local government will want to jump to the easy solution: raise taxes. A taxpayer referendum will stop this process. No more maneuvers like: raising the tax rate one year followed by raising the assessment the next year and then repeating the cycle to move tax increase passed the taxpayers. A modified form of Proposition 13 passed by Referendum in Florida will not allow a taxpayer’s bottom line taxes to be increased by a fixed amount as specified by the new Referendum.

[eyc234]

While I agree that we should be wary, cognizant and on guard of government as a long time centrist I would have even more concerns with anything the comes from California as being better. Let's see what the powers that be have to say at the upcoming meeting before we make drastic and potentially negative moves.
:popcorn:

[Goldwingnut]

For both of the tax items (10% sales / 25% property tax increase), there is a permanent answer. We must take citizen self-action. The sooner the better. The solution takes a long time and there no other approaches to a permanent solutions.
We are a retirement state and our senior citizens are especially vulnerable to tax increases. Many are on fixed incomes or even worse have finite financial resources and can’t cope with double digit percentage cost increases. We can stop this process now to protect our future tax costs.
The state of Florida allows for referendum (Google: “Florida Referendum” for information on Florida State Referendum). We must take citizen action to make laws to protect ourselves as was done in California in 1978 with Proposition 13 (the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation). The 1978 Proposition 13 (Google: "1978 California Propostion-13" for information about Limit Property Taxation Referendum) is referred to as a “taxpayer revolt”. It was brought about by hefty tax increases as are proposed for Sumter County.
We must protect ourselves, as was done in California, by using the Florida process for referendum to make legislation that protects the taxpayers from exorbitant tax increases as was done with the 1978 Proposition 13. We must modify Proposition 13 to suit our needs to protect taxpayers from current and future tax increases and pass the modified Proposition by Florida state Referendum.
The pressure is on and the time to get a referendum passed is years. As more and more people relocate to Florida, state and local government will want to jump to the easy solution: raise taxes. A taxpayer referendum will stop this process. No more maneuvers like: raising the tax rate one year followed by raising the assessment the next year and then repeating the cycle to move tax increase passed the taxpayers. A modified form of Proposition 13 passed by Referendum in Florida will not allow a taxpayer’s bottom line taxes to be increased by a fixed amount as specified by the new Referendum.

And what services do you propose cutting? If the revenue doesn't match the expenses either the revenue has to go up or the expenses have to go down. You are apposed to the proposed increases to fund the current spending plan so what austerity measures are proposed?

Don't use the favorite of many in Washington of raising taxes on businesses, businesses don't pay taxes, they collect them and pass the money on to the government. Everything we buy or do with our money goes to a business, when you add an extra layer or two on to the tax/revenue stream it always costs more than without the middleman. The bottom line is we, the consumer/taxpayer, end up paying more.

The current 24% is the maximum and does not reflect all the budgetary numbers to determine the final amount. It will be less.

The budget proposed reflect 14 years of public officials patting themselves on the back for no tax increases, now it comes back to haunt them. It also reflects 14 years of public disinterest, of not getting involved, of citizens not carrying out their own basic civic responsibilities. Doubt my words, check the normally monthly attendance of the county board meetings or CDD meeting. Thousands of residents and hardly a one makes the time to get involved. We are all to blame for the pending tax increase. It's time to make some hard decisions.

[AzAuSenior]

I appreciate your reply, GoldWingNut; and I appreciate your videos. Keep up the good work. The map orientations help considerably for context in the newer videos.
A modified Prop 13 (a.k.a. “Prop 2½”) would take years to push through the Florida state process. It will not do anything to stave off an increase of the type(s) being considered / discussed today. What it will do is eliminate consideration of such unreasonable increases in the future, and I predict that the pressure to increase taxes will only increase. Since there is no limitation on tax increase, we will continue to face the problem again and again in the future. Prop 13 / Prop 2½ has many parts, most of which are valuable protection to the taxpayer. One part is the limit of 2½% per year increase of the total property tax paid by a taxpayer unless ratified by the electorate. Since 1978, a period of 41 years, the Prop 2½ has been in operation in the state of California, and California has continued to thrive. Florida offers no such taxpayer protection to its taxpayers; and, without the protection of a Prop 2½, we will be back in this situation again an unpredictable number of times in the future (Proof: We’re here now or we wouldn’t be having this discussion). It only makes sense to limit the taxation powers of the government with a Prop 2½ type legislation. Legislation which can be only produced by the taxpayers through Referendum, since legislatures will never produce this type of legislation on their own.
But, be advised, the Referendum process since its inception in Florida has been made increasingly difficult by the legislators:
“The state’s elected officials have not always been comfortable with the initiative process, and have repeatedly tried to curtail citizen lawmaking. The legislature placed Amendment 3 on the ballot raising the approval requirements to 60 percent for initiated constitutional amendments. With the passage of Amendment 3, Florida became one of only two states in the nation to require a supermajority for constitutional amendments, and the only initiative state with such a requirement. Since then, three initiatives have received majority support, but failed to reach the 60 percent threshold.”
We are in for a struggle to make an initiative law through referendum. But, even with the odds stacked against us, this initiative it should be possible to produce limitation on taxation.

[AzAuSenior]

I appreciate your reply, GoldWingNut; and I appreciate your videos. Keep up the good work. The map orientations help considerably for context in the newer videos.
A modified Prop 13 (a.k.a. “Prop 2½”) would take years to push through the Florida state process. It will not do anything to stave off an increase of the type(s) being considered / discussed today. What it will do is eliminate consideration of such unreasonable increases in the future, and I predict that the pressure to increase taxes will only increase. Since there is no limitation on tax increase, we will continue to face the problem again and again in the future. Prop 13 / Prop 2½ has many parts, most of which are valuable protection to the taxpayer. One part is the limit of 2½% per year increase of the total property tax paid by a taxpayer unless ratified by the electorate. Since 1978, a period of 41 years, the Prop 2½ has been in operation in the state of California, and California has continued to thrive. Florida offers no such taxpayer protection to its taxpayers; and, without the protection of a Prop 2½, we will be back in this situation again an unpredictable number of times in the future (Proof: We’re here now or we wouldn’t be having this discussion). It only makes sense to limit the taxation powers of the government with a Prop 2½ type legislation. Legislation which can be only produced by the taxpayers through Referendum, since legislatures will never produce this type of legislation on their own.
But, be advised, the Referendum process since its inception in Florida has been made increasingly difficult by the legislators:
“The state’s elected officials have not always been comfortable with the initiative process, and have repeatedly tried to curtail citizen lawmaking. The legislature placed Amendment 3 on the ballot raising the approval requirements to 60 percent for initiated constitutional amendments. With the passage of Amendment 3, Florida became one of only two states in the nation to require a supermajority for constitutional amendments, and the only initiative state with such a requirement. Since then, three initiatives have received majority support, but failed to reach the 60 percent threshold.”
We are in for a struggle to make an initiative law through referendum. But, even with the odds stacked against us, this initiative it should be possible to produce limitation on taxation.

[Velvet]

The snowbirds and snowflakes can’t even get to the meetings physically, they need a clear way of being counted too in any votes - if that process means anything to anyone. Otherwise, it’s just someone steam roading their will and trying to make it look like a democratic process.

Revenue does have to cover expenditure, but the people asked, forced to pay the taxes don’t seem to have much say on what the expenditure is spent on. I think the higher the transparency probably the higher the understanding and cooperation.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

We planed for our expenses to go up based on the CPI, not by 25%. Since a good portion of our income is tied to the CPI, seeing a 25% increase in property taxes takes a bite out of our discretionary spending budget. Is it not unreasonable to expect our government officials to be fiscally responsible, just like seniors on a fixed budget have no choice but to be?

They "fiscally responsibled" themselves into debt. By not spending when they should have, in order to boast about how much they were saving for the constituents, the infrastructure and other services were neglected. Now, instead of maintenance, they need repairs. Someone has to pay for it, since no one paid for the maintenance.

You would've had to pay all along, if they were being TRULY "fiscally responsible." You just would've paid it gradually.

Being "fiscally responsible" doesn't mean cutting corners and not spending money. It means spending it efficiently on things that need spending on, to prevent having to spend even more on those things when something goes wrong.

That ALSO means including into a budget a significant buffer of funds, which apparently they didn't do. My town up north is fiscally responsible. Our taxes are high, but we have top-notch services. Our roads are taken care of; this year every major road in the town is being repaved. We have snow removal services and own all the machinery needed and the crew is all trained. We have our own EMS system. We have our own town police and 911 dispatch and multiple fire department houses. We have some of the best schools in the state, which are some of the best schools in the country.

We have enough funding to handle at least the immediate recovery of disaster mitigation; clearing roads, moving trees, getting live wires off the roadways, redirecting traffic around floods, etc.

Our taxes also cover the cost of weekly trash pickup, bi-weekly recycling pickup, yard waste pickup, and twice yearly bulk pickup. And we have our own town dump, where we have solar panels built on the side of the "hill" and that solar energy from that one location powers every single official town building in the town.

We also have comprehensive senior services, including low-income senior housing partially funded by the state, partially by the fed, and partially funded by the town. We have a senior community center which, while nothing compared to the Villages, is pretty significant for our low-volume senior population. We have a couple of public parks that are maintained in part by the town, with state and federal fund assistance.

THIS is "fiscal responsibility." Making sure the constituents have what they need to live safe, comfortable lives and their kids offered excellent educational backgrounds from which they can thrive in adulthood.

We pay for it. That is OUR responsibility to the town.

I'm not suggesting that you should expect to pay as much as we do for our services in our town.

I'm suggesting, however, that what you thought you would automatically be getting, you haven't been paying for. And now it's time to pay for it, because the town has to play catch-up with costs vs. services.

[graciegirl]

They "fiscally responsibled" themselves into debt. By not spending when they should have, in order to boast about how much they were saving for the constituents, the infrastructure and other services were neglected. Now, instead of maintenance, they need repairs. Someone has to pay for it, since no one paid for the maintenance.

You would've had to pay all along, if they were being TRULY "fiscally responsible." You just would've paid it gradually.

Being "fiscally responsible" doesn't mean cutting corners and not spending money. It means spending it efficiently on things that need spending on, to prevent having to spend even more on those things when something goes wrong.

That ALSO means including into a budget a significant buffer of funds, which apparently they didn't do. My town up north is fiscally responsible. Our taxes are high, but we have top-notch services. Our roads are taken care of; this year every major road in the town is being repaved. We have snow removal services and own all the machinery needed and the crew is all trained. We have our own EMS system. We have our own town police and 911 dispatch and multiple fire department houses. We have some of the best schools in the state, which are some of the best schools in the country.

We have enough funding to handle at least the immediate recovery of disaster mitigation; clearing roads, moving trees, getting live wires off the roadways, redirecting traffic around floods, etc.

Our taxes also cover the cost of weekly trash pickup, bi-weekly recycling pickup, yard waste pickup, and twice yearly bulk pickup. And we have our own town dump, where we have solar panels built on the side of the "hill" and that solar energy from that one location powers every single official town building in the town.

We also have comprehensive senior services, including low-income senior housing partially funded by the state, partially by the fed, and partially funded by the town. We have a senior community center which, while nothing compared to the Villages, is pretty significant for our low-volume senior population. We have a couple of public parks that are maintained in part by the town, with state and federal fund assistance.

THIS is "fiscal responsibility." Making sure the constituents have what they need to live safe, comfortable lives and their kids offered excellent educational backgrounds from which they can thrive in adulthood.

We pay for it. That is OUR responsibility to the town.

I'm not suggesting that you should expect to pay as much as we do for our services in our town.

I'm suggesting, however, that what you thought you would automatically be getting, you haven't been paying for. And now it's time to pay for it, because the town has to play catch-up with costs vs. services.

What city are you speaking of so we can fairly compare.

[Goldwingnut]

The snowbirds and snowflakes can’t even get to the meetings physically, they need a clear way of being counted too in any votes - if that process means anything to anyone. Otherwise, it’s just someone steam roading their will and trying to make it look like a democratic process.

Revenue does have to cover expenditure, but the people asked, forced to pay the taxes don’t seem to have much say on what the expenditure is spent on. I think the higher the transparency probably the higher the understanding and cooperation.

The transparency is there, under Florida Law what is commonly know as the Sunshine Law all public business is open to the public including all meetings and documents. Unfortunately few people take the time to get involved.

As a District Supervisor for the last 5 years I have been involved in the budgets for CDD-10 and the Project Wide Fund for 5 time over now. In that time there are normally 4 meetings/workshops dedicated each year for each budget. This makes about 40 +/- budget meetings that were open to the public that I was in attendance and during that time the number of people interested in the budget that showed up can be counted on one hand and the number of questions, inquiries, and complaints at these meetings by the public was ZERO!

The only meeting I've seen that anyone had anything to say about budgets was when the AAC & PWAC decided to recommend removal of the deferral cap on the Amenity Fee. What was apparent with the vast majority of the comments was that people didn't read their deed restrictions, believed the hype of realtors who will do or say anything to sell a house, didn't bother to read the information that was put out to the public, and/or have forgotten how the real world works since they have retired. The Supervisors and District Staff involved in the process don't have these luxuries and have to do their homework to make a decision that is best for the long term of the community.

The county meetings have been no different. I've been to about a dozen so far and the room is normally vacant of residents and citizens. Unless there is a pet project that someone has an interest in, people simply don't show up and don't bother to find out the agenda of what is happening. This leaves the Commissioners in a vacuum to make the decisions based on their own best judgement.

The first step to transparency is to be looking, otherwise all the transparency in the world is useless. As much a failure of the County Commissioners to plan ahead and prevent this budget crisis, it is also a failure of us as residents and taxpayers to provide them with our oversight, input, and feedback on their conduct of the everyday business of the county.

[CWGUY]

The transparency is there, under Florida Law what is commonly know as the Sunshine Law all public business is open to the public including all meetings and documents. Unfortunately few people take the time to get involved.

As a District Supervisor for the last 5 years I have been involved in the budgets for CDD-10 and the Project Wide Fund for 5 time over now. In that time there are normally 4 meetings/workshops dedicated each year for each budget. This makes about 40 +/- budget meetings that were open to the public that I was in attendance and during that time the number of people interested in the budget that showed up can be counted on one hand and the number of questions, inquiries, and complaints at these meetings by the public was ZERO!

The only meeting I've seen that anyone had anything to say about budgets was when the AAC & PWAC decided to recommend removal of the deferral cap on the Amenity Fee. What was apparent with the vast majority of the comments was that people didn't read their deed restrictions, believed the hype of realtors who will do or say anything to sell a house, didn't bother to read the information that was put out to the public, and/or have forgotten how the real world works since they have retired. The Supervisors and District Staff involved in the process don't have these luxuries and have to do their homework to make a decision that is best for the long term of the community.

The county meetings have been no different. I've been to about a dozen so far and the room is normally vacant of residents and citizens. Unless there is a pet project that someone has an interest in, people simply don't show up and don't bother to find out the agenda of what is happening. This leaves the Commissioners in a vacuum to make the decisions based on their own best judgement.

The first step to transparency is to be looking, otherwise all the transparency in the world is useless. As much a failure of the County Commissioners to plan ahead and prevent this budget crisis, it is also a failure of us as residents and taxpayers to provide them with our oversight, input, and feedback on their conduct of the everyday business of the county.

:boom: Thank you.

[bob47]

They "fiscally responsibled" themselves into debt. By not spending when they should have, in order to boast about how much they were saving for the constituents, the infrastructure and other services were neglected. Now, instead of maintenance, they need repairs. Someone has to pay for it, since no one paid for the maintenance.

You would've had to pay all along, if they were being TRULY "fiscally responsible." You just would've paid it gradually.

Being "fiscally responsible" doesn't mean cutting corners and not spending money. It means spending it efficiently on things that need spending on, to prevent having to spend even more on those things when something goes wrong.

That ALSO means including into a budget a significant buffer of funds, which apparently they didn't do. My town up north is fiscally responsible. Our taxes are high, but we have top-notch services. Our roads are taken care of; this year every major road in the town is being repaved. We have snow removal services and own all the machinery needed and the crew is all trained. We have our own EMS system. We have our own town police and 911 dispatch and multiple fire department houses. We have some of the best schools in the state, which are some of the best schools in the country.

We have enough funding to handle at least the immediate recovery of disaster mitigation; clearing roads, moving trees, getting live wires off the roadways, redirecting traffic around floods, etc.

Our taxes also cover the cost of weekly trash pickup, bi-weekly recycling pickup, yard waste pickup, and twice yearly bulk pickup. And we have our own town dump, where we have solar panels built on the side of the "hill" and that solar energy from that one location powers every single official town building in the town.

We also have comprehensive senior services, including low-income senior housing partially funded by the state, partially by the fed, and partially funded by the town. We have a senior community center which, while nothing compared to the Villages, is pretty significant for our low-volume senior population. We have a couple of public parks that are maintained in part by the town, with state and federal fund assistance.

THIS is "fiscal responsibility." Making sure the constituents have what they need to live safe, comfortable lives and their kids offered excellent educational backgrounds from which they can thrive in adulthood.

We pay for it. That is OUR responsibility to the town.

I'm not suggesting that you should expect to pay as much as we do for our services in our town.

I'm suggesting, however, that what you thought you would automatically be getting, you haven't been paying for. And now it's time to pay for it, because the town has to play catch-up with costs vs. services.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. The Sumter county commissioners have NOT been fiscally responsible in planning for the future and now have to play catch up. Is it a surprise that large portions of Buena Vista and Morse, for example, need repaving?

And the other significant part of the decision: whether to have the developer and future residents pay a significant portion of the cost of new infrastructure via impact fees, or to have the existing residents pay for new infrastructure required by the developer's plans.

[graciegirl]

I think you've hit the nail on the head. The Sumter county commissioners have NOT been fiscally responsible in planning for the future and now have to play catch up. Is it a surprise that large portions of Buena Vista and Morse, for example, need repaving?

And the other significant part of the decision: whether to have the developer and future residents pay a significant portion of the cost of new infrastructure via impact fees, or to have the existing residents pay for new infrastructure required by the developer's plans.

How can anyone responsibly plan for the unknown? The growth here is unprecedented. It is the fastest growing area of it's kind in the whole country according to Forbes.

I still say that with more shoulders to lift the load that the tax increase will not be close to 25%.

[eyc234]

And what services do you propose cutting? If the revenue doesn't match the expenses either the revenue has to go up or the expenses have to go down. You are apposed to the proposed increases to fund the current spending plan so what austerity measures are proposed?

Don't use the favorite of many in Washington of raising taxes on businesses, businesses don't pay taxes, they collect them and pass the money on to the government. Everything we buy or do with our money goes to a business, when you add an extra layer or two on to the tax/revenue stream it always costs more than without the middleman. The bottom line is we, the consumer/taxpayer, end up paying more.

The current 24% is the maximum and does not reflect all the budgetary numbers to determine the final amount. It will be less.

The budget proposed reflect 14 years of public officials patting themselves on the back for no tax increases, now it comes back to haunt them. It also reflects 14 years of public disinterest, of not getting involved, of citizens not carrying out their own basic civic responsibilities. Doubt my words, check the normally monthly attendance of the county board meetings or CDD meeting. Thousands of residents and hardly a one makes the time to get involved. We are all to blame for the pending tax increase. It's time to make some hard decisions.

Hallelujah :bigbow: No one cares until it hits their pockebook!

[Velvet]

The transparency is there, under Florida Law what is commonly know as the Sunshine Law all public business is open to the public including all meetings and documents. Unfortunately few people take the time to get involved.

As a District Supervisor for the last 5 years I have been involved in the budgets for CDD-10 and the Project Wide Fund for 5 time over now. In that time there are normally 4 meetings/workshops dedicated each year for each budget. This makes about 40 +/- budget meetings that were open to the public that I was in attendance and during that time the number of people interested in the budget that showed up can be counted on one hand and the number of questions, inquiries, and complaints at these meetings by the public was ZERO!

The only meeting I've seen that anyone had anything to say about budgets was when the AAC & PWAC decided to recommend removal of the deferral cap on the Amenity Fee. What was apparent with the vast majority of the comments was that people didn't read their deed restrictions, believed the hype of realtors who will do or say anything to sell a house, didn't bother to read the information that was put out to the public, and/or have forgotten how the real world works since they have retired. The Supervisors and District Staff involved in the process don't have these luxuries and have to do their homework to make a decision that is best for the long term of the community.

The county meetings have been no different. I've been to about a dozen so far and the room is normally vacant of residents and citizens. Unless there is a pet project that someone has an interest in, people simply don't show up and don't bother to find out the agenda of what is happening. This leaves the Commissioners in a vacuum to make the decisions based on their own best judgement.

The first step to transparency is to be looking, otherwise all the transparency in the world is useless. As much a failure of the County Commissioners to plan ahead and prevent this budget crisis, it is also a failure of us as residents and taxpayers to provide them with our oversight, input, and feedback on their conduct of the everyday business of the county.

Thank you.