HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 05 17 Hand Out
CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS
AD HOC WINTER SPRINGS CITIZEN PROPERTY TAX
REFORM MITIGATION STUDY COMMITTEE
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007
THE ATTACHED WAS A HAND OUT FROM
KEVIN SMITH, GENERAL SERVICES DIRECTOR.
~ FLORIDA LEAGUE Of CITIES, INC.
Ken Small
Deportment of Financial Services
P.O.8ox 1757, Tallahassee, Fl 32302.1757
850.222.9684 · KSmall@flcities.com . www.ttcities.com
Finance-FYI is brought to you by the "Florida League of Cities Financial Services."
Click here to visit our website at: www.flcities.com/financial
May 7, 2007
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
State relying on local tax growth
Lawmakers approved a $72 billion state budget that includes a $546 million property-tax increase to
provide more money for schools.
BY GARY FINEOUT, Miami Herald, 5/5
TALLAHASSEE -- State lawmakers have spent most of the legislative session debating how to cut
property taxes -- yet they passed a state budget Thursday that depends on a half-billion-dollar increase
in property taxes levied by schools to make the numbers work.
Legislators justified the move, saying it's really not a property-tax increase. Instead, they said,
they are just using money that will come in anyway because of the increase in property values.
"They'd never let me get away with saying that," said John W. Smith, a lobbyist for the Florida League of
Cities.
Cities and counties have borne the brunt of the criticism in the property-tax debate, with lawmakers
accusing them of reaping the benefits of the state's real estate boom without rolling back tax rates.
But in a year in which Florida's economy has cooled down and state tax collections have tumbled,
legislators themselves are using the growth in property-tax collections to help give the state's 67 school
districts an increase of $1.23 billion for their day-to-day expenses. Of that total, $546 million will come
from local property taxes.
"That goes against everything they have been trying to do," said Miami-Dade School Board Chairman
Gus Barrera, who noted that this year's budget will actually require the school board to slightly raise its
taxing rate.
Added Broward School Board member Eleanor Sobel: '" think the state should spend more on
education and not shift the burden to local governments."
For more than 30 years, Florida has relied on a complicated school-spending formula that tries to ensure
that every child gets the same type of education regardless of where they live. In order for school
districts to qualify for state money, they are required to generate some of the money they need from
local property taxes. But in recent years the GOP-controlled Legislature has relied more and more
on the growth in property values, and less on state tax dollars, to pay for school funding.
That trend continues with the $71.9 billion state budget that the Legislature approved Thursday despite
criticism from Democrats.
But Republican leaders defended the use of a property-tax increase this year, saying that school funding
is supposed to be split between the state and local school districts.
"We are in a partnership," said Sen. Lisa Carlton, an Osprey Republican and chairman of the Senate
Budget Committee.
Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican and top lieutenant to House Speaker Marco Rubio, admitted it
was a "paradox," but noted that the House's property-tax plan would have swapped a one-cent sales-tax
increase for the elimination of all school property taxes paid by Floridians who enjoy a homestead tax
exemption.
"We're looking for far-reaching, comprehensive tax reform across the board," said Rivera.
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... FI.ORlDALIlAGUn 01' CITIES, INC.
Ken Small
Deportment of Financial Services
P,O,Box 1757, hlhJhassee, Fl 32302.1757
850.222.968" .. kSma,lI@flcities.com . www.flcities.com
Finance-FYI is brought to you by the "Florida League of Cities Financial Services."
Click here to visit our website at: www.flcities.com/financial
May 11 , 2007
Governor, House speaker would rather run cities
By RON LITTLEPAGE, The Times-Union, 5/7
I really don't understand what all the fuss is about Charlie Crist and the Republicans in the Legislature
wanting property taxes to, in Crist's words, "drop like a rock,"
The answer is simple: Do away with local governments,
In Jacksonville, doing away with the mayor and City Council members would save about $1 million in
salaries alone.
But that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the $50 million or so that would be sucked out of
Jacksonville's budget by the so-called "property tax reform" being touted in Tallahassee.
Wouldn't cutting that much money cause problems here?
Sure it would.
When it does, just call the folks who lumped Jacksonville in with other local governments as "spending
wildly" - Mayor Crist and City Council President Marco Rubio.
For instance, if it ever rains again and mosquitoes start draining your blood, call Mayor Crist because
the $2 million Jacksonville spends a year on mosquito control had to be cut.
Is all that litter trashing your neighborhood and the city's streets bugging you?
Call Council President Rubio and ask him what happened to the $1.8 million spent on litter pickup.
Oh yeah. He cut it as a part of the "wild spending."
When the street sweepers stop sweeping the streets, ring up Mayor Crist, who thought the almost $1
million the city spends on them was excessive.
Veterans needing some assistance may want to get in touch with Council President Rubio about the
$1.2 million for veteran services that he slashed from Jacksonville's budget.
The 4-H program ($225,000), the canning center ($66,908), the Mayport ferry ($738,000), victims
services ($1.9 million), disabled services ($428,000), public service grants ($12 million).
All gone. Upset?
Call Mayor Crist and Council President Rubio.
Being politically astute, Mayor Crist and Council President Rubio won't decimate the police and fire
budgets that eat up half of Jacksonville's general fund, although that fire station near your house may
have to close and there may be fewer police officers on the street.
But everything else in Jacksonville's budget will have to be cut dramatically.
Hello potholes and flooded streets. Goodbye libraries. Does Jacksonville really need all of those parks
anyway?
Republicans usually are rock solid in the philosophy that the best government is the government that's
closest to the citizens governed.
That has been abandoned in Tallahassee this year and replaced with Big Brother knows best when it
comes to what local governments, elected by local citizens, are spending to meet their city's and
county's needs.
You might want to call Mayor Crist and Council President Rubio, remind them they are Republicans and
ask them what the heck happened.
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