[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

After reading these posts, I am even more confused. Millage rates, appraisal rates, 25% increase; 9.1% decrease, etc.

I moved here last year so I don't have any experience with taxes over the past five years. Can someone tell me what has happened to their total taxes over the past five years?

For example what were you paying in 2017? Was it $4000?

What happened in 2018? Did your taxes go up, down, or stay the same?

Same questions for 2019, 2020, and 2021. Thanks.

Ranger99 did a nice job researching some samples. Taxes have been relatively stable. Home improvements can result in increases.

In The Villages, no development starts until funding is in place for the infrastructure to support more development.

For new homeowners, this is the Bond on the property that funds everything other than your home inside The Villages.

The County is responsible to fund the "glue" that connects the development in the form of roads, etc. Of course, this needs to happen first.

Bottom line: there was a relatively long period of no tax increase, thanks to real estate development in the Villages adding tax revenue every year as new homes were built.

To support additional developing south of the Turmpike, there was a spike in needs so a there was tax increase for the county to fund construction of roads to support future expansion of the Villages. This is what you see taking place in the Middelton area.

Investing in these roads will enable adding greater than 20 billion dollars of taxable real estate to Sumter county over the next ten years. This will more than pay back the increase and likely enable stable taxes over foreseeable future.

An early indication of this is the millage roll back for next year, due to the huge increase in property values the past year.

There are people who want their cake and eat it to. They have no problem with development keeping their taxes low but don't like an incremental investment to keep taxes lower in the future.


This is an oversimplified macro point of view.

[crash]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Ranger99 did a nice job researching some samples. Taxes have been relatively stable. Home improvements can result in increases.

In The Villages, no development starts until funding is in place for the infrastructure to support more development.

For new homeowners, this is the Bond on the property that funds everything other than your home inside The Villages.

The County is responsible to fund the "glue" that connects the development in the form of roads, etc. Of course, this needs to happen first.

Bottom line: there was a relatively long period of no tax increase, thanks to real estate development in the Villages adding tax revenue every year as new homes were built.

To support additional developing south of the Turmpike, there was a spike in needs so a there was tax increase for the county to fund construction of roads to support future expansion of the Villages. This is what you see taking place in the Middelton area.

Investing in these roads will enable adding greater than 20 billion dollars of taxable real estate to Sumter county over the next ten years. This will more than pay back the increase and likely enable stable taxes over foreseeable future.

An early indication of this is the millage roll back for next year, due to the huge increase in property values the past year.

There are people who want their cake and eat it to. They have no problem with development keeping their taxes low but don't like an incremental investment to keep taxes lower in the future.


This is an oversimplified macro point of view.

Wow a 25% increase in one year is incremental don’t think so but it is poor management. The commissioners needed to negotiate the impact fee before they signed the road agreement to cover the cost of the roads. If we had been paying 2% increases in our taxes for the 14 years they said they were cutting taxes you wouldn’t need a 25% increase. That is poor planing on their part and only one commissioner was here the entire time

[HoosierPa]

There you have it. The novices who work full time and watch this stuff at a quick glance only get it partially right. Thanks for the clarification!

[Carolynphelps]

It was Miller and Search that wanted the 25% increase!

[Carolynphelps]

You are so wrong! We live in Paradise created by the Morse family. The Daily Sun is correct. If you are not happy here move.

[nsantelli]

After the Developer offered a 40% increase in impacts fees, the commissioners rejected the offer and PASSED the 70% increase. Then the Developer flexed it’s muscle and our wonderful, compassionate, all knowing, and caring State representative added wording to an upcoming bill that made increasing impact fees almost impossible. It passed. Since state law overrides county law, this invalided the increase and the commissioners had no choice but to repeal the increase.
I do not recall seeing one word about this in the Daily ***.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by nsantelli

After the Developer offered a 40% increase in impacts fees, the commissioners rejected the offer and PASSED the 70% increase. Then the Developer flexed it’s muscle and our wonderful, compassionate, all knowing, and caring State representative added wording to an upcoming bill that made increasing impact fees almost impossible. It passed. Since state law overrides county law, this invalided the increase and the commissioners had no choice but to repeal the increase.
I do not recall seeing one word about this in the Daily ***.

The Sun only writes about stuff like that if the developer tells them to.

[Luggage]

best way is to see the ACTUAL spending budget 2020 2021 2022 and determine cost per capita ( population ) each year.

lake went up $$20 -30 million - way more than inflation or population growth. sumter - who knows .

Originally Posted by Footer

In the August 2 Daily Sun on page A9 toward the end of the article it mentions that Ulrich reduced the property tax rate 9.1%, the largest rate cut in years. This was contrasted to the "Search-Miller 25% increase".

I thought Search and Miller were elected in response to the increase by the other commissioners. Am I remembering incorrectly? Getting old so wouldn't be the first time.

[nsantelli]

While budgets and taxes are connected - they are not identical. As population and number of properties increase the need for services increases, but so does the tax base. Budgets can increase without increasing taxes. The Sun article appears to be intentionally conflating the two. Another reason why I don’t get the Sun.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Luggage

best way is to see the ACTUAL spending budget 2020 2021 2022 and determine cost per capita ( population ) each year.

lake went up $$20 -30 million - way more than inflation or population growth. sumter - who knows .

The best way is to review the detailed budget with an understanding of history & future.
Flyover ratios and comparisons are NOT the best way.

[Northwoods]

Originally Posted by nsantelli

After the Developer offered a 40% increase in impacts fees, the commissioners rejected the offer and PASSED the 70% increase. Then the Developer flexed it’s muscle and our wonderful, compassionate, all knowing, and caring State representative added wording to an upcoming bill that made increasing impact fees almost impossible. It passed. Since state law overrides county law, this invalided the increase and the commissioners had no choice but to repeal the increase.
I do not recall seeing one word about this in the Daily ***.

That's my issue. The commissioners shouldn't have rejected the Developer's 40% offer... they should have used that as a starting point to negotiate a better result.
But the previous, anti-developer commissioners didn't see the offer as an opportunity. They rejected it outright. And the end result was an impact fee that was much worse for the residents of Sumter County.
Never underestimate the power of the Developer.
I want a Sumter commissioner board that is willing to negotiate. Because we've all seen how effective it is to Dig your heels in.