BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
The following is a non-verbatim transcript
of the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
MEETING OF SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA, held at 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday,
September 26, 2017, in Room 1028 of the SEMINOLE
COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING at SANFORD,
FLORIDA, the usual place of meeting of said Board.
Present:
Chairman John Horan (District 2)
Vice Chairman Brenda Carey (District 5)
Commissioner
Robert Dallari (District 1)
Commissioner Lee Constantine (District 3)
County Manager Nicole Guillet
County Bryant Applegate
Deputy Clerk Kyla Spencer
Absent:
Commissioner Carlton Henley (District 4)
Commissioner Dallari led the Pledge of
Allegiance.
PUBLIC HEARING
FY 2017/18 FINAL BUDGET
Proofs of publication calling for a public
hearing to consider the Seminole County FY 2017/18 Final Budget, received and
filed.
Chairman Horan announced that this
is the second public hearing regarding the budget. He advised that the Board of County
Commissioners does not have any control over the tax levies or budgets of the
School Board, the Water Management District, or any of the seven cities in
Seminole County. Questions regarding
property assessed valuations should be addressed to the Property Appraiser,
David Johnson, who is present. The Board
of County Commissioners has limited authority over the budgets of the
Constitutional Officers of the County which include the Clerk of the Circuit
Court, the Property Appraiser, the Sheriff, the Supervisor of Elections and the
Tax Collector. Chairman Horan described how
the budgets for the Constitutional Officers are reviewed and approved. He pointed out that the purpose of this
public hearing is to receive comments regarding the tentative millage rates and
budget, any amendments to the budget as desired by the Board, and to adopt the
final millage rates and County budget for Fiscal Year 2017/18 as required by
Florida law. Chairman Horan announced
that this budget hearing and Seminole Countys intent to adopt the final
millage rates and budget for FY 2018 were advertised on September 24, 2017.
Edward Bass, Resource Management Director, addressed the Board
and displayed a PowerPoint presentation (received and filed) for the Second
Public Hearing FY 2017/18 Final Budget.
He
advised at the First Budget Hearing to approve Seminole Countys FY 2017/18
tentative budget and millage rates, the Board approved a tentative budget of $755
million based on maintaining the current property tax rates. Tonight the FY 2017/18 proposed final budget
includes decreases to the tentatively approved budget totaling $133,000, which
is shown on page 25 of the Second Public Hearing booklet (received and
filed). Mr. Bass stated these changes
primarily include a reduction to the General Fund balance of $133,000 based on
an updated Reserve balance and adjustments that split fund some positions in
Emergency Management and Environmental Services.
Mr. Bass
stated by Florida law, the first issue required to be discussed at the budget
hearing is the percentage of increase in the millage rate over the rolled-back
rate necessary to fund the budget and the reason for the increase. He advised that the FY 2017/18 tentative
budget, as amended tonight for final adoption, is based on maintaining the current
year property tax rates. Mr. Bass
displayed the Millage Rate Summary and reviewed millage rates for the Adopted
2016/17 Budget; Tentative 2017/18 Budget; Rolled-Back Property Tax Rates; and
the Percentage Change in the Proposed Millage Rates over the Rolled-Back
Millage Rates for Countywide, the Fire Services District, and the Roads
District.
Mr. Bass
stated the tentative aggregate millage rate for all BCC taxing districts is 6.9261
mills, which represents a 10.69% increase over the current year aggregate
rolled-back rate of 6.2574 mills. He
discussed the 2017 Change in Taxable Property Values. Mr. Bass stated the tentative countywide General
Fund budget is balanced based on maintaining the same operating millage rates
levied last year. The $9.6 million
increase is attributable to growth in taxable valuation for the General Fund
budget. This increase is used to provide
essential services to the citizens of Seminole County.
Mr. Bass reviewed the Property Tax Revenue
slide. He concluded his presentation by reviewing
the Tentative Budget Summary by Fund Type and stated the total countywide
budget for FY 2017/18 is $755,321,456 (which is detailed on pages 20 through 22
of the Second Public Hearing book).
PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
Joe
Wheeler, 2664 Creekview Circle, addressed the Board and thanked them for
everything they do. He explained he
attended the first hearing and learned a lot about the Fire Department. He is usually not in favor of raising taxes,
but every situation is different. Mr.
Wheeler mentioned ISO ratings and stated if he is going to be paying money out,
he would rather pay it to the Fire Department to improve the training and
equipment than he would to his homeowners policy. He expressed tax increases adversely affect
people that are on a fixed salary, but balancing the needs of a few against the
needs of many is a job that the Board is called to do.
John Horvath,
1004 Bradford Drive, addressed the Board and stated he has been coming to these
budget meetings for 30 to 40 years and he has complained the last few years
that the County is too tight with the budget.
After ten years of the County underfunding the Fire Department, he is
glad to see them fund it properly. He
discussed the need for Station #29. He
mentioned ISO ratings, staffing at the Sheriffs Office, road projects and
infrastructure. Mr. Horvath talked about
the need for a Medical Examiners Office in Seminole County.
Bill Hyde,
2379 Audley Street, addressed the Board and stated he is here to oppose the tax
increase. He opined that the increase is
wanted but not needed and discussed the reasons why. Mr. Hyde compared the sales tax increase to
the Fire Fund increase. He completed the
Citizens Fire Academy and saw no shortage of very fine equipment. He also watched the Budget work session and
listened to the blame being put on other Constitutional Officers for having to
raise taxes. Mr. Hyde attended the
Seminole County Public Schools Leadership Academy and learned that almost half
of the countys students receive either free or reduced-cost meals at
school. That doesnt sound like a
community that can afford yet another tax increase. He discussed how this increase will impact senior
citizens on fixed incomes.
Leigh
McEachern, 2205 Snowhill Road, addressed the Board and stated this is not a
partisan issue. He discussed his history
in the military and law enforcement. Mr.
McEachern expressed he has come to fear his government because they have the
power to tax private property; and if he cant pay the taxes, his property will
end up being confiscated and sold to the highest bidder within the circle of
power. He explained in 2015, his taxes
were just over $2,000 with an agricultural exemption. In 2016, he had to give up boarding horses
and 4-H projects were no longer considered as a commercial agricultural
activity so he lost the exemption. His
taxes went from $2,000 plus in 2015 to $3,500 plus in 2016. He commended the Public Works Department for
the work they have done after Hurricane Irma.
Matt
Collins, 1733 Willa Circle, addressed the Board and stated he is the Executive
Director of the Seminole Committee for Government Accountability. He presented petitions (received and filed)
from residents of Seminole County who are opposed to tonights proposed tax
increase. Mr. Collins stated the Fire
Department does a superb job and absolutely should be given the resources to
keep up the good work. He explained that
can be done without a tax increase if the Commissioners would behave
responsibly with taxpayers money. Mr.
Collins shared comments from Seminole County citizens who shared their opinion
on the Seminole Committee for Government Accountability Facebook page in
opposition to the increase.
Shaun Kunz,
670 Venture Court, addressed the Board and reiterated his public comments from
the First Budget Public Hearing. Those comments included his opinion that the idea of a
tax _41_hike after
the year of spending frivolously
that the _%_County had planned is
a bit audacious. He discussed the
destruction from Hurricane Irma and how raising taxes right now is bad timing
for many citizens. He commended the
heroism of firefighters and claimed they do not show up to work to create
revenue for anyone. Mr. Kunz noted the
medical marijuana industry would increase sales tax organically. He added he is a Winter Springs resident; and
since the Fire Fund increase will be on a referendum in Winter Springs, they
should let his town decide if they want the increase or ask his town to fund
their own Fire Department.
Steve
Edminsten, 1047 Reading Court, addressed the Board and noted he is both a
resident and a Lieutenant with the Fire Department so he understands both sides
of the issue. He stated he thinks it is
important for people to be educated on exactly what theyre getting. Mr. Edminsten explained that his taxes are
actually going to go down next year. He
discussed the rollback to the Fire Fund in 2008 and how that affected the Fire
Department. He stated the Fire
Department is CAAS (Commission for Accreditation of Ambulance Services)
accredited department. There are only 15
departments in the entire state of Florida that have that accreditation, and
Seminole County is one of them; that is what taxes pay for. He discussed the different duties with the
Fire Department performs. Mr. Edminsten
stated, as a department, staff did very well performing those duties on the
resources that they currently have, but they were very taxed. He approves the millage increase as a citizen
because he understands the importance of it.
Tommy
Minton, 344 Timberwood Trail, addressed the Board and stated he is opposed to
any increase in the Countys millage rate.
Mr. Minton discussed
the proposed homestead exemption and explained while some may have an idea or feeling of what might happen, no one in th e
room knows for sure that
such an amendment would pass and thus cause the exemption to increase. He
added assessed values are
already increasing for some people, and the number of new homes being built
around the county could account for a sizeable increase in tax revenue without
the need to increase the millage rate. He
asked the Board to focus on the absolute needs and
make fiduciary decisions based on projected revenues from the current millage
rate and any possible reserves that are in excess of state statute wi th taxpayers' dollars that have
already been collected.
Fanny
Benites, 3419 S. St. Lucie Drive, addressed the Board and stated she is here
with her mother and neighbors because they oppose the tax hike because it will
affect her family. She discussed being a
young professional and noted that this increase wont directly affect her right
now, but it will in a year or two. Ms.
Benites stated one day she may be sitting in a Commissioners seat; and she
hopes if her constituents went to her and told her how it would hurt their
families, she wouldnt let her head get big from fame or power. She concluded with a quote from the
Republican Creed, Government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow
individuals to keep more of the money they earn. The proper role of government is to provide
for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by
individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which
governs least.
Gladys Benites, 3419 S. St. Lucie Drive,
addressed the Board and stated she thinks a 25.77% increase to the Fire millage
is too much. She believes the County can
find other ways to fund the money for the Fire Department. Ms. Benites stated government needs to be
careful of what they invest their money in.
She provided some examples of mismanagement of funds. She urged the County to spend money on their
basic needs. She discussed rising
property values and stated she does not benefit from that unless she sells her
house.
Commissioner
Carey stated before the meeting is over, she would like staff to display the
chart that shows what taxes actually go towards because a lot of the speakers
were not present for the last meeting.
She explained 65% of taxes go to Public Safety, and sharing that chart
with the public may be beneficial.
Isabel
Neme, 3425 S. St. Lucie Drive, addressed the Board and Ms. Fanny Benites
translated for her. Ms. Neme is a senior
citizen and her resources are limited so this tax hike would be detrimental to
her life.
Delia
Hernandez, 3401 S. St. Lucie Drive, addressed the Board and Ms. Fanny Benites
translated for her. Ms. Hernandez is
also a senior citizen and it would be very detrimental for her to have her
taxes increase.
Thomas
Wilczak, 413 Boxwood Circle, addressed the Board and stated his parents taught
him not to spend money if he doesnt have money. He urged the Board to spend money on
necessities. Their job is to manage the
County and not to spend money. Mr.
Wilczak expressed he is not against the Fire Department and agrees it is
necessary, but there are other areas that the County is spending money where
they should not. He stated he is opposed
to the tax increase and this is not the right time.
Jim Turney,
668 Cortez Circle, addressed the Board and discussed a 7% tax increase in
Altamonte Springs. He stated he looked
at his bill and the Public Schools went down and the Fire District rate went
up. Overall, it didnt have much effect
on him, but that means somebody else is paying a lot more. According to his math, on average for
Altamonte Springs residents, about 18% more revenue is going to be taken from
property taxes. He opined its a very
good policy to separate the tax rates between Public Schools, Fire, and other
categories. Mr. Turney stated the
concern is where things are going with the General Fund. He asked the Board to consider very carefully
the General Fund expenditures and save on every line item that they can. He noted every line item on his bill goes up
except for the School Board, which goes down.
Chairman
Horan explained the budgets of the Constitutional Officers are not within the
control of the County Commission, and 65% of the General Fund pays for those
Constitutional Officers. In regard to
the School Board, the one mill that dropped off this year was a voted one
mill. The voters approved that three
years ago, so it went off by operation of law.
Pete De
Rosa, 1612 Eagle Nest Circle, addressed the Board and stated he is surprised at
how few people showed up. There was very
poor communication, very little information put out, and the information that
was put out was put out late. He
explained he has heard nothing about controlling the costs that are causing these
things. He wants to hear government say
heres what were doing to compensate, but he didnt hear that. He suggested to the Board they concentrate as
if they are a taxpayer and not a tax spender.
Chairman
Horan noted the budget development that the County has gone through took
several months. They had several public
workshops that were all advertised in the paper where there was an opportunity
for public input. Discussion ensued on
advertising. Bryant Applegate, County
Attorney, stated Florida law requires the County to advertise this hearing,
which they did. The Trim Notice that was
mailed out by the Property Appraisers Office had the date, location and time
of the first hearing, which is required by law.
At that hearing, the citizens heard when the next meeting was to
occur. And because of Hurricane Irma,
more people knew about this meeting than in the past because of the special
advertisement and the special requirements imposed by the State. The budget is on the website, the information
is available publicly, so the law was followed in the advertising of this
hearing and the first one as well.
David
Williams, 110 Sisso Cove, addressed the Board and presented General Millage by
County 2017/2018 (received and filed).
He reviewed the sheet which included the 2016 millage rate breakdown for
each municipality. He discussed the
petitions that Mr. Collins presented and opined the petitions didnt include
any information as to what the increase was actually for. Mr. Williams also commented on the fact that
taxpayers are paying less next year than they are this year. He stated as funding decreased in 2008, the
equipment and supplies have all increased.
Call loads have also increased. He
discussed ISO ratings, the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), and all
of the services that the Fire Department provides. Mr. Williams explained to continue to meet
the growing needs of the community, they need to build more stations, add
personnel, increase equipment and evolve as technology requirements continue to
change. He stated he supports the
millage rate increase and asked the Board to approve it at the proposed rate.
David Bass,
3424 Kayla Circle, addressed the Board and stated first responders are taxed in
the area. He discussed impact fees and
asked why they cant go to the developer and say their growth is the reason the
County needs public safety positions.
Mr. Bass discussed growth control and the impact an increase will have
on senior citizens. He agreed the
firemen and policemen need help, but he urged the Board to go where the deep
pockets are; go to the developers and not the taxpayers.
Stacey
Yuan, 217 Springview Court, addressed the Board and stated she is a single mom
with three kids, so a property tax increase would be a big impact to her. Ms. Yuan is a real estate agent and discussed
how it will also impact her sales.
Commissioner
Carey asked staff to speak to where the County is in the ranking of taxes
compared to other counties in the state.
Mr. Bass stated he cant give the Board that exact information, but
staff can pull that information. Ms.
Guillet indicated one of the documents that Mr. Williams submitted had some of
the surrounding counties. Chairman Horan
stated the average unincorporated residential household tax bill in this county
is the lowest rate in the region. Ms.
Guillet explained at the top of Mr. Williams submittal, it shows the combined
General Fund millage rate and Fire Fund millage rate for the respective
counties. Commissioner Carey stated she
believes the county is in the top four or five as the lowest-taxing county in Florida,
and Ms. Guillet agreed.
A citizen
who did not identify himself addressed the Board and stated he lives at 312
Tangerine Street. He asked the Board to
vote against the tax increase. He opined
the Fire Department is a bloated bureaucracy and provided some examples as to
why he feels that way. He discussed his
previous job at the Pentagon and offered to work for the County auditing all of
the various departments.
With regard
to public participation, no one else in the audience spoke in support or in
opposition and public input was closed.
Speaker
Request Forms and a Written Comment Form were received and filed.
Speaker
Request Forms for Mr. De Rosa, Mr. Williams and the citizen who did not
identify himself were not received.
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Chairman
Horan recessed the meeting at 8:27 p.m., reconvening at 8:32 p.m.
BOARD DISCUSSION
Upon
Commissioner Careys request, Ms. Guillet explained the budget process. Commissioner Carey asked when the County
Managers budget proposal got posted on the County website. Ms. Guillet answered it is posted at the same
time the Board receives it, so mid-July; and the work session documents are
posted as well. Commissioner Carey
requested that Mr. Bass review Expenditures by Service Area (a slide from the
first Public Hearing PowerPoint presentation).
Ms. Guillet stated this pie chart represents the percentage of the total
funding of the budget, which includes Enterprise Funds and other funding
sources. She explained if you were to
look at a similar graphic of just the General Fund revenues, you would see that
Public Safety gets an even bigger piece of that pie. Chairman Horan stated he doesnt have the
exact figures but the General Fund budget is approximately $170 million, and
$110 million of that is the Sheriff, and 65% of the General Fund budget is
actually for the Constitutional Officers.
Mr. Bass
displayed a slide (not received and filed) showing that 65% of the General Fund
expenditures goes to the Constitutional Officers and 35% stays with the Board
of County Commissioners. Commissioner
Carey noted those are the General Fund dollars, which is the biggest pile of
money they have. She stated the only
increase that is being discussed is the Fire Fund; and the Board has had a lot
of presentations about the increase and they have asked a lot of questions
about it.
Chairman
Horan announced there was one additional request for Public Participation from
Mr. John Leaman. He informed Mr. Leaman
the Board already closed the Public Hearing, but noted Mr. Leaman is in favor
of the Fire tax increase.
Fire Chief
Mark Oakes addressed the Board and stated it is important to note that
Hurricane Matthew, numerous wildfires and Hurricane Irma all happened within
the same fiscal year. He commended his staff
for the outstanding job they have done this year. He discussed how the Fire Department has
changed and stated with change comes cost.
Chief Oakes explained they have delayed a lot of projects that are
needed in Fire Services; in particular, the radio system. He spoke to the efficiency of the Fire
Department and reminded that it has been since 1999 that they have expanded
service. He stated they are being
fiscally responsible. They have done
that not only through efficiency of service but also because of the first
response system. The first response
system in the county is second to none.
It is not duplicated in the state of Florida. It started back in the 80s with the city of
Altamonte Springs and the city of Longwood joining into first response
regardless of jurisdiction providing that service. Today all city Fire Departments within the
county cooperate regardless of jurisdiction.
Chief Oakes stated cooperation is an efficient way of delivering a
service to two cities in unincorporated Seminole County. He indicated they are also trying to merge
Station #17 with Station #24 to put in a better road network, not expanding
service but taking the current service level and making it more efficient for
all of the citizens of unincorporated Seminole County, Longwood and
Casselberry.
Upon
Commissioner Dallaris request, Chief Oakes explained ISO ratings and how that
affects the citizens and their insurance.
Discussion ensued regarding ISO ratings and level of service. Chief Oakes indicated having a higher level
of service will result in lower costs by paying the MSTU on the Fire millage
versus the insurance companies. Upon
Commissioner Careys request, Chief Oakes discussed the five-minute response
time and level of service.
Commissioner
Carey stated the Property Appraiser has been a great partner to the County,
informing them what he thinks the future looks like as far as values and
revenues so the County can plan for more than one year at a time, which is the
right thing to do. She discussed
consolidation and opined people forget the reason the cities asked the County
to consolidate was because they could no longer afford to provide the high
quality of service of what they were having to charge their taxpayers. Chief Oakes explained due to the
consolidations, they have actually closed three fire stations since those
merges with the cities and reallocated those resources to make it more
efficient. He discussed road networks
and placements of fire stations. Upon
Commissioner Dallaris request, Chief Oakes discussed sino kits and the Fire
Departments stroke protocol.
Chief Oakes
stated everybody on the Fire Department is a basic level EMT, and in most cases
over 60% of personnel are paramedics that can perform advanced-life
techniques. With that being said, a lot
of time the ambulances are tied up on transporting patients to hospitals. They have engines, tower companies, and
special ops squads. Every one of the
units has at least one paramedic on it; so if the ambulance rescue is tied up
on another call, an engine will arrive and be able to have the same capability
as a rescue truck minus the ability to transport. Then they follow in with a transport unit
from another station.
Commissioner
Carey expressed she is glad to see young people being involved but they
probably dont know that in 2004 the millage rate was almost 5 mills. The millage rate today in the General Fund is
lower than it was in 2004. In 2008, the
Board had to make a lot of tough choices.
They eliminated over 260 positions, cut millions of dollars out of the
budget, and rolled the taxes back to the bare bones to be able to continue to
operate the county while giving a break to the taxpayers. She stated her job is to try to make the best
decision to make sure that the citizens still receive the quality of service
that they expect. She indicated because
of that, she supports the budget that the County Manager has put forward. Commissioner Carey stated she is all for less
government, but the Boards biggest responsibility is public safety.
Commissioner
Constantine announced he would like to hear from Mr. Leaman even though
Chairman Horan already closed the Public Hearing.
John
Leaman, 227 Royal Oaks Circle, addressed the Board and stated he very much
appreciates Commissioner Constantines courtesy in recognizing him. He stated he would like to strongly endorse
the Fire millage increase. The County
has a Fire Department that is excellent and has been underfunded for many
years. He suggested the Board consider
having a fire-rescue individual stationed at hospitals so they could rapidly
return a rescue to in-service status. He
noted the County also has an excellent Sheriffs Office. Mr. Leaman stated investing in positive
relationships will pay dividends. He
gave the highest acclaim to the Emergency Management Division and Health
Department for the exemplary manner in their preplanning and service delivery
during Hurricane Irma. Mr. Leaman opined
the road district funds need to be reexamined as the Wekiva Springs Road
Ultimate project, that the Board hasnt heard of yet, will come in at a range
of $10 million to $20 million. He proposed
when the County is credited with having one of the highest median incomes in
the state, why should citizens be so proud of having so low a tax rate where so
much is put off and not done. He stated
if the residents desire the benefits of a natural Florida with far superior
services, they should pay for it.
Commissioner
Constantine stated in the budget process, he was looking at trying to make sure
that they reached a level that was going to continue the service that they have
and ensure the quality of life that they have in the county. He indicated he would have gone for a little
bit less instead of what they are looking at now; but at the same time, he was
assured at the last meeting that if the homestead exemption doesnt go up, they
will be able to readjust this to a downward number.
Commissioner
Constantine explained $748 million is the total amount of the budget of the County
today, and next year the budget will be $755 million. That is an increase of .009, which is less
than 1%, and the cost of living has gone up a lot more than 1%. He discussed the sales tax and how it allowed
the School Board to eliminate their millage.
He reminded that the Road tax is not increasing at all, the ad valorem
of homes has not increased, the only portion of the budget that they are
increasing is the Fire District which affects unincorporated Seminole County, and
the cities of Altamonte Springs, Casselberry and Winter Springs. Commissioner Constantine stated he wants
everyone to remember that the Countys aggregate millage rate is 7.64, Lake
Countys is 8, Orange Countys is 8.5, Osceola Countys is 9.85, and Volusia Countys
is 11.33.
In regard
to the petitions submitted by Mr. Collins, Commissioner Constantine stated when
he was in the Senate, he would get thousands of petitions a day where people
would sign arbitrary petitions. It
doesnt indicate what people believe, its just indicative of somebody putting
something together and getting others to sign it. Commissioner Constantine discussed
homeowners insurance and ISO ratings. He
explained for an average home, the Fire increase will be about $64.72; but if
the ISO rating drops, homeowners will possibly pay an additional $80 to their
homeowners insurance. Commissioner
Constantine opined the reason the chamber is not packed is because the people
of the county get it. He indicated if
the increase isnt passed, the Fire Department will still protect the citizens;
but if it takes them more than five minutes to get to a call, there will be
complaints.
Chairman
Horan stated in 2010, the County was in bad shape. The tax base of the County had gone down 40%,
they were looking at painful cuts to Public Safety and Public Health, and they
knew they needed to move the green line.
They needed to restore the County to a structural balance. In the most recent years, they have provided
that structural balance to the budget in every one of the funds except for the
Fire Fund where they are going to run out of reserves next year if they dont
do something about it. He explained they
are trying to maintain a balance in the Reserves in every one of the funds for
a rainy day, and they have recently experienced a rainy day. Sometimes they have to use those reserves to
go ahead and fund things because theyre not going to get reimbursed for
certain expenses until four or five years down the road. He indicated they have maintained their Reserves
and given a structurally balanced budget since he has been in office. They have experienced an annual growth rate
of about 6% over the last four years.
They have also experienced an increase in economic development so that
they have more sales taxes. They have
been able to bring back structural balance to all of the funds except for the
Fire Fund, and that is what they are trying to do tonight.
In regard
to total revenue, Chairman Horan stated they are just now getting to the point
they were at prerecession in 2008. Since
2008, the county has had tens of thousands of new residents, the scope of
services has increased manifold, and yet they are operating on about the same
amount of revenues that they were in prerecession. He explained thanks to all of this, the 2017/18
adopted budget maintains a General Fund operating millage that is the same that
it has been for the eighth straight year. The average unincorporated residential
household bill still remains the lowest of any in the region.
Chairman
Horan expressed he is proud to be in this County because it is a leader in job
creation and economic development, the schools are the best in the region, the
neighborhoods are the safest due to the lowest crime rate in the region, and
the infrastructure is maintained and endowed.
He praised the penny sales tax and everything it has done for the County. He stated the only thing they have not been
able to endow is the Fire Fund, and that is what theyre doing tonight. Chairman Horan indicated he understands
nobody likes taxes, but his job is to make sure that the County is adequately
funded and that the needs of the many are served. He stated he will be voting in favor of the
budget and he knows that they set taxes at the lowest possible rate that
provides an adequate level of service in all of the different funds.
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Motion by
Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Dallari, to adopt the FY 2017/18 General
Countywide ad valorem tax rate of 4.8751 mills.
Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Dallari, seconded
by Commissioner Carey, to adopt the FY 2017/18 Unincorporated Road District
MSTU ad valorem tax rate of 0.1107 mills.
District 1,
2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Constantine, seconded
by Commissioner Carey, to adopt the FY 2017/18 Fire District MSTU ad valorem
tax rate of 2.7649 mills.
Districts
1, 2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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At the request of Chairman Horan, Mr. Bass read the established
millage rates into the public record as follows: The adopted Countywide General Fund tax rate
of 4.8751 mills represents a 6% increase over the rolled-back millage rate of
4.5991 mills. The adopted County Municipal
Fire Services District property tax rate of 2.7649 mills represents a 25.77% increase
over the rolled-back millage rate of 2.1984 mills. The adopted Unincorporated Road District ad
valorem tax rate of 0.1107 mills represents a 5.73% increase over the
rolled-back rate of 0.1047 mills. The
adopted aggregate millage rate for all BCC taxing districts is 6.9261 mills,
which represents a 10.69% increase over the current year aggregate
rolled-back millage rate of 6.2574 mills.
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Motion by Commissioner Constantine, seconded by
Commissioner Carey, to adopt appropriate Resolution #2017-R-159, Millage Levy Resolution
for FY 2017/18 inclusive of the millage rates announced, as described in the
proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Carey, seconded
by Commissioner Dallari, to approve budget adjustments to the FY 2017/18
Tentative Budget totaling $133,066, as described in the proof of publication.
Districts
1, 2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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Motion by Commissioner Dallari,
seconded by Commissioner Carey, to adopt the appropriate Resolution #2017-R-160,
Budget Resolution for FY 2017/18, as described in the proof of publication.
Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 voted AYE.
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Chairman Horan thanked the public for coming in and providing
the Board with their input and thoughts.
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There being no further
business to come before the Board, the Chairman declared the meeting adjourned
at 9:35 p.m., this same date.
ATTEST:_______________________Clerk_____________________Chairman
ks