[charlie1]

Originally Posted by Joecooool418

Employees will be the last thing they cut.

The proposed budget did cut staff also! Service levels and response times of county services were mentioned as the result of cutting the staff.

[Normal]

Capital Penny tax was the solution back in 2008 when all the neigh sayers were crying wolf.

[eyc234]

Originally Posted by Normal

With the new tax rates now being written into constitutional law, what will be the adjustments by county and city governments?

We know tourist revenue will increase, we know impact fees can be rewritten and there are caps for the value assessed on residential homes. We also know business taxes and fuel taxes have limits for general fund usage.

Does anyone have suggestions to help reduce wast in Sumter county, Wildwood, Leesburg, Fruitland Park or Lady Lake?

What waste??? All that is talked about is the waste in local governments but no publication of widespread massive waste. Just saying there is waste does not make it fact or a problem nor does it make it a widespread issue. Budgets, budget meetings and details have been available for public review for years yet it is crickets in meetings about these items. Why are not the people that develop and approve these wasteful budgets not fired or voted out by the public. Sure there is probably waste but it must be identified before it can be fixed. Having Tallahassee telling locals how to spend for their constituents is not the way to go since some real estate developer in Miami has not a clue what the needs are for a rural farming community in the panhandle of Florida. Also not like this is going to result in thousands of dollars a month in savings, first year we get a massive $103 a month, wooohooo let the party begin.

[Babubhat]

Originally Posted by Normal

With the new tax rates now being written into constitutional law, what will be the adjustments by county and city governments?

We know tourist revenue will increase, we know impact fees can be rewritten and there are caps for the value assessed on residential homes. We also know business taxes and fuel taxes have limits for general fund usage.

Does anyone have suggestions to help reduce wast in Sumter county, Wildwood, Leesburg, Fruitland Park or Lady Lake?

Wildwood

Among potential spending cuts are planned capital
improvements such as a new community and outreach
center at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, additional
improvements at Millennium Park, and redevelopment of the
former Martin Theatre property into a municipal center with
a museum, street-level retail, community space, expanded
city commission chambers, staff offices, and an elevated
pedestrian crossing over U.S. 301/Main Street.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Babubhat

Wildwood

Among potential spending cuts are planned capital
improvements such as a new community and outreach
center at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, additional
improvements at Millennium Park, and redevelopment of the
former Martin Theatre property into a municipal center with
a museum, street-level retail, community space, expanded
city commission chambers, staff offices, and an elevated
pedestrian crossing over U.S. 301/Main Street.

And none of that was waste. It was all planned improvements for the city.

[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by DrMack

Veterans services are both federally and state funded. I don’t think there has been an announcement from the government about cutting their support.

The VA is federally funded, the Veterans Services Office in Sumter County is 100% funded by the county and not related to the VA. It is NOT a required service and will likely be eliminated to have the needed funds to support the dozens of unfulfilled (by the state) state mandates.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

And none of that was waste. It was all planned improvements for the city.

They plan on building an elevated
pedestrian crossing over U.S. 301/Main Street? It may not be waste but it surely isn’t a necessity.

How long has 301 been there without an elevated pedestrian crossing? It appears that the road was built in the 1920s so people have gotten along without the overpass for about 100 years.

I would consider a traffic light might be less expensive.

[Retiredsteve]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Any mention of cutting administrators????

Maybe some of the people complaining in here how wasteful their spending is should run for office

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

They plan on building an elevated
pedestrian crossing over U.S. 301/Main Street? It may not be waste but it surely isn’t a necessity.

How long has 301 been there without an elevated pedestrian crossing? It appears that the road was built in the 1920s so people have gotten along without the overpass for about 100 years.

I would consider a traffic light might be less expensive.

Are you proposing that the 301 corridor is fine just as it is so it should be frozen in time with no improvements?

There have been a lot of changes to 301 since 1920. While the changes have increased the flow of traffic, they have also restricted the flow of pedestrians/customers and therefore limited business opportunities. Opening up the downtown area to foot traffic to attract new businesses and revitalize the area should be seen as a positive step, not a waste of money.

A pedestrian overpass has been planned since at least 2021 but it would cross the train yard. The crossing would open up area on the other side of the tracks for additional business expansion as well as enabling residents in that area to reach the businesses on 301 - a win/win situation. A traffic light makes no sense at all in the middle of the train yard.

[RoboVil]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

They plan on building an elevated
pedestrian crossing over U.S. 301/Main Street? It may not be waste but it surely isn’t a necessity.

How long has 301 been there without an elevated pedestrian crossing? It appears that the road was built in the 1920s so people have gotten along without the overpass for about 100 years.

I would consider a traffic light might be less expensive.

All the above is all waste. They have so much money they found silly projects to spend it on. It will be interesting to see the differences between the original proposed budget if amendment 3 passes and the real budget now that it has.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by RoboVil

All the above is all waste. They have so much money they found silly projects to spend it on. It will be interesting to see the differences between the original proposed budget if amendment 3 passes and the real budget now that it has.

Some (maybe all) of the above was planned over five years ago. If they have so much money it is because they were working towards a 10-year plan for the downtown area.

It's interesting to hear that there is nothing worth going to in Wildwood and then hear that no money should be spent to revitalize Wildwood. We ought to have (pick a business) closer but it's a waste to make the area marketable to (that business). Life is good for us in our pretty little houses in the Villages but there are many Wildwood residents outside the Villages and they would like nice things too.

[RoboVil]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Life is good for us in our pretty little houses in the Villages

The problem is that not everyone in the Villages is rich. It is that belief which has led to assessing houses in the Villages more than they are worth and consequently helping to pass amendment 3. I am certain that the vast majority of all Sumter county citizens will not have a meaningful decrease in their quality of life by cancelling a museum dedicated to the city and county.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by RoboVil

The problem is that not everyone in the Villages is rich. It is that belief which has led to assessing houses in the Villages more than they are worth and consequently helping to pass amendment 3. I am certain that the vast majority of all Sumter county citizens will not have a meaningful decrease in their quality of life by cancelling a museum dedicated to the city and county.

Prove it. Prove the county appraiser is not doing his job properly.

This site does not allow me to provide my honest opinion of why amendment 3 was passed.

The vast majority of all Sumter County citizens will say they have not had a meaningful decrease in their quality of life if every cultural display or activity was canceled. The vast majority of all Sumter County citizens would be wrong.

[RoboVil]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Prove it. Prove the county appraiser is not doing his job properly.

This site does not allow me to provide my honest opinion of why amendment 3 was passed.

The vast majority of all Sumter County citizens will say they have not had a meaningful decrease in their quality of life if every cultural display or activity was canceled. The vast majority of all Sumter County citizens would be wrong.

Well, the landscaped house a few doors down just listed for $475k and my non-landscaped house is assessed at over $600k. Every measure indicates housing values in the Villages have fallen since 2023 which was the peak, yet assessment has increased each year. Established home valuations (excluding new homes) have fallen by about 7.8% since 2023. Did the assessment of your house decrease by 7.8% since 2023. Mine didn't. It increased each year. Proof enough for you?

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by RoboVil

Well, the landscaped house a few doors down just listed for $475k and my non-landscaped house is assessed at over $600k. Every measure indicates housing values in the Villages have fallen since 2023 which was the peak, yet assessment has increased each year. Established home valuations (excluding new homes) have fallen by about 7.8% since 2023. Did the assessment of your house decrease by 7.8% since 2023. Mine didn't. It increased each year. Proof enough for you?

No, not proof enough.

Do "Established home valuations" include recent sales prices? It doesn't matter what the agent says the home is worth, what matters is what the home sells for.

That home near yours listed for $475K some time ago, has it sold yet? I believe I mentioned the last time those numbers were brought up: IF it sells in 2026 and IF it is the same model as yours THEN that sale should be part of the data used to establish the market value on your TRIM notice that you will receive around August 2027.

Look for sales of the same model in the same area in 2025 and see whether the number is significantly different than your market value. That will show that there is or is not a problem and will be good exercise for 2027. When you receive your TRIM in 2027 do the same thing using 2026 sales. If there is a problem, follow the instructions on the back of the TRIM to contest the assessment. That will be much more effective than making claims on this forum.

As of Jan 1, 2026 the market value of my home had fallen 3.7% from 2023. I don't know how the last 10 months have affected that.