Walton County budget

[miznotebook]

Was there a 3-2 vote last year on this issue? Just trying to remember who voted for what for the final budget.

Last year the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a 3.3563 millage rate, a reduction from the 2008-2009 millage rate, which was 3.3644, and they cut approximately $10 million from the county budget. About a month after that millage rate was approved, it was raised administratively to 3.4076 mills because taxable property values on some properties had been reduced and otherwise revenues would not have been sufficient to fund the budget that was approved. The administrative change to the millage rate did not require a vote by the commissioners.
I have a question about last week's budget workshop. Was the tentative millage rate that was approved the roll-back rate?

 

[Bob Hudson]

Last year the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a 3.3563 millage rate, a reduction from the 2008-2009 millage rate, which was 3.3644, and they cut approximately $10 million from the county budget. About a month after that millage rate was approved, it was raised administratively to 3.4076 mills because taxable property values on some properties had been reduced and otherwise revenues would not have been sufficient to fund the budget that was approved. The administrative change to the millage rate did not require a vote by the commissioners.
I have a question about last week's budget workshop. Was the tentative millage rate that was approved the roll-back rate?

Yes, but it is about 2.6million dollars greater than necessary to have a balanced budget.

I have never seen this happen before !

 

[Bob Hudson]

so does this mean our property tax bill will be 20% higher than last yr when the bills come out in sept-oct?amazing as people reeling from real estate crash and gull spill disaster to rentals will have higher tax bills waiting.This will cause even more strategic foreclosures as many who are already udnerwater 30-40% on there values will see no reason to hold even though they have the financial means

No it doesn't . Your total taxbill is a combination of the taxrates (millage rate) set by each taxing authority where you live. If you live in South Walton your tax bill would include the taxes set by, the BCC, Northwest Florida Water Management District, South Walton Fire District, South Walton Mosquito Control District and the Walton County School District.

The increase in your taxbill will be itemized on your trim notice and is the aggregate of each of those tax rates. Another way to think of this would be thus: You make a purchase and the taxes calculated would be 7% this year compared to 6% last year.

The second component of this is the value of your property. Last year it had a taxable value of 300,000 ( 300,000x6%= 1800.00), this year its value is 290,000 ($290,000x6.5%=$1875.00)

You property's market value was set January 1 of 2010. Your taxable value is determined this way (market value - exemptions= taxable value).

On my property the net effect of the initial rate calculates to a 14.8% increase in my property tax bill from the BCC action.

Your mileage will vary based on many factors such as homestead, age, veterans status, widow/widowers status and comparable sales to your property.

Some people may see less of an increase and others will see more based on the conditions specific to their property.

In 99% of the specific properties your taxes are going up! Homesteaded properties purchased prior to 2003 will see the greatest increase. Their are about 8000 properties that are in this specific category (homesteaded purchase prior to 2003).

The example given at the Budget meeting showed a $224.00 increase on a property with a value of $300,000. This is just the BCC portion and excludes any increase based on the rates set by the other taxing authorities where you actually reside.

 

[miznotebook]

Bob, in most cases would it still be an advantage taxwise to have a property that is homesteaded and purchased prior to 2003, as compared with a nonhomesteaded property purchased later than 2003?

 

[idlewind]

No it doesn't . Your total taxbill is a combination of the taxrates (millage rate) set by each taxing authority where you live. If you live in South Walton your tax bill would include the taxes set by, the BCC, Northwest Florida Water Management District, South Walton Fire District, South Walton Mosquito Control District and the Walton County School District.

The increase in your taxbill will be itemized on your trim notice and is the aggregate of each of those tax rates. Another way to think of this would be thus: You make a purchase and the taxes calculated would be 7% this year compared to 6% last year.

The second component of this is the value of your property. Last year it had a taxable value of 300,000 ( 300,000x6%= 1800.00), this year its value is 290,000 ($290,000x6.5%=$1875.00)

You property's market value was set January 1 of 2010. Your taxable value is determined this way (market value - exemptions= taxable value).

On my property the net effect of the initial rate calculates to a 14.8% increase in my property tax bill from the BCC action.

Your mileage will vary based on many factors such as homestead, age, veterans status, widow/widowers status and comparable sales to your property.

Some people may see less of an increase and others will see more based on the conditions specific to their property.

In 99% of the specific properties your taxes are going up! Homesteaded properties purchased prior to 2003 will see the greatest increase. Their are about 8000 properties that are in this specific category (homesteaded purchase prior to 2003).

The example given at the Budget meeting showed a $224.00 increase on a property with a value of $300,000. This is just the BCC portion and excludes any increase based on the rates set by the other taxing authorities where you actually reside.

I appreciate your efforts and explanations. Now, what can we do? Are recalls possible? Can we ask for this to be put on the ballot? Are there remedies I am missing? What do you reccommend?

 

[Bob Hudson]

Bob, in most cases would it still be an advantage taxwise to have a property that is homesteaded and purchased prior to 2003, as compared with a nonhomesteaded property purchased later than 2003?

No it would not. Homesteaded property purchase prior to 2003 will most like have a built up SOH (Save Our Homes) balance that must equalize with market value before they see a reduction in their market value. They are actually going to see an increase of 2.7% in value based on the "recapture rate". Even thouugh their market value may have dropped by 30% they will see a 2.7% increase in their just value. (recapture is a provision of the SOH legislation that allows the taxing authority to increase the just value of the property by the CPI (consumer price index or 3% whichever is less).

In most cases the just value on homesteaded property purchased after 2003 will have equalized by this time and they will see a reduction in both market and just value that accurately reflects the decreased value of their property based on the actual market value adjustments seen in the last year.

It should be noted that the most affected will be long term permanent residents.

Second home owners (non-homesteaded) will see a major reduction in their taxbill and permenant residents will bear the cost of the increases.

This is a flip flop of years past where just the opposite was true.

 

[Bob Hudson]

I appreciate your efforts and explanations. Now, what can we do? Are recalls possible? Can we ask for this to be put on the ballot? Are there remedies I am missing? What do you reccommend?

The WCTA is holding a called Board meeting on Tuesday to develop a plan of action that we will ask the taxpaying citizens of Walton County to participate in.

The citizens of Walton County have two more opportunities to object to this rate. The BCC must hold two "Public Hearings" and take public comment on their proposal. The taxrate can come down but except under certain circumstances can not be raised. Their are many questions that they should answer (avoided many of them on Tuesday and tried to deflect the questions)


The called meeting is necessary because the informational campaign we had already developed never considered that the BCC would take such an action to actually set a rate higher than necessary.

Their action is truly unprecedented and will be detrimental (in our opinion) to the economy of our County.

We are trying to understand their logic and exactly what their plan is for utilization of the excess.

Recalls are not a possibility in Florida.

 

[TheZohan]

let's vote them all out and start over! They have not saved any money just told you what you needed to hear or see

 

[idlewind]

let's vote them all out and start over! They have not saved any money just told you what you needed to hear or see

Amen, vote every single one of them out at the first opportunity. And keep voting um out until we get people who understand what is going on.

 

[Bob Wells]

If you continue to vote them out then you have the bureaucrats running things.