Property Appraiser budget and True Roll
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Property appraiser, Mr. Mike Wells.
Good morning commissioners. Appreciate the opportunity to give you a brief update on the property appraiser's office. I'm joined with uh Chief Deputy Brendan Fitterer and Finance HR Director Lisa Gonzales in case you have any questions that I cannot answer.
I'm excited to share some improvements and a brief overview of our position in the marketplace and how we compare to other agencies statewide and of course where we're headed in the future. Since I took office, our budget has undergone steady, predictable increase despite Pasco's explosive growth. I know the judge brought it up, we're all talking about the growth. I mean it it's crazy. We now have more than 317,000 parcels and a real estate market value of 80 billion. It's no secret that property assessment and ultimately property taxes are the single
largest funding mechanism to local government. So here's some insight of just how efficient and effective we're serving the citizens of Pasco County. Our office budget per capita is $12.12. Per reference, that's the third lowest of the state's 67 counties. The statewide average is $2.20. Per capita for property appraisers. Our budget per parcel is $21.30. That's the fifth lowest in the state of Florida. And our parcels per position is $5,100.
That's right, more a little bit more than 5,000 parcels per team member. That's the fifth highest in the state. The statewide average is $3,400 per parcel. And I might add that we are the reigning champs of the KIP. Championship.
Throw that out there. Fasano's team wasn't there, but next year's a new one.
So, but seriously, so what does that mean? I'm very proud of my team. Every single day we're move doing more with less to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money. Some of these efficiencies have come thanks to partnerships with County Administrator and of course Eric and and his team. I can't tell you how often we meet with them. it's weekly on s on several things with Todd Bailey. I mean seriously it's neat to be on this side of it 'cause I was on that side, but truly the partnership that we have with the county, I could not ask
For anything better. If we need something, they need something, we're there. It's it's it really is awesome. So thank you all. Um we're as Commissioner Starkey knows, and I'm just saying that because she's the one who brought it to our attention, we're using True Roll to weed out exemption fraud and put value back on the tax roll and real dollars in hands of this board. Last year alone, these efforts accounted for more than one million in recovered revenue. Um we're working towards state-of-the-art aerial. imaging capabilities as we speak with IT. Um because the way it works now we do like
one we got one flyover every four years. The new technology via three to four flyovers a year, which not only help us, it will help you. I believe it off the sheriff's office it's gonna it's gonna be unbelievable for Pasco County, but I understand the bid process is taking a little bit but we'll we'll get that done. But it's it's going to help us to be even more efficient where our team's not out there because the way it works now we do rechecks the days of walking on properties are over we do not do that um so this is going to be able to help us this new technology will pick up structural changes
on a building which which will help us. It's actually certified survey-wise so we can actually do it in-house in the office and and s figure out that square footage and add that value. It's gonna be a great thing for the county. For folks that I know there's no one that does unpermitting stuff, but if they do we can catch them with the unpermanent stuff. Just saying.
Well. And again, make no mistake, there will be costs associated with this with all the growth, personnel, technology, and capital expenses. With time, I'm trying to be quick, but I want to make sure we go over this. This is great, you all are doing this. To highlight a few things we're looking at over the next five years. We'll undergo server upgrades and maintenance in the next 36 months as required, safeguard the back of our systems. These are capital expenses. IT security is a major expense. I know somebody else brought up Hernando and what
they're dealing with. I can it's it's good that we don't I don't want to say we don't need to worry about it, but we're working together to make sure that doesn't happen. Um we now have two, but we may need four programmers to deflect continual rising software costs. Um we're streamlining the process to keep programs in-house and provide an efficient Tax roll with less reliance on vendors. We have no way to predict future legislation which really dictates our budget. A change in homestead could change the entire process, just like the senior
exemption did, which we've already added up two additional employees. We're getting them up to speed, so they're ready as soon as this rolls out. It's going to be a great thing for our seniors in Pasco County.
I I don't really have anything else. Again, we appreciate your time. Um I don't know if you all have any questions, but appreciate it.
Um I'm I'm so glad that the true role is working like that. I have a couple questions on that revenue. Um so finding people who were uh illegally homesteaded, whether on purpose or not, um were their fines paid or did they just get added to the tax?
No, they're fines. We legal you know, statularity were able to go back ten years? You know, there's every situation's different but but ninety nine percent of the the time they're paying back taxes, penalties, late fees. And I'm sending
you stuff all the time.
Yes, and we g we've gone back ten years. Yes, we we take it very seriously, especially the ones that are late.
Okay, so where did that m where does that money go? Does that come to the county? Does
it go to
the state?
Because you know
something.
It goes back to the Board of County Commissioners.
So it went back to us and to our general revenue?
Brendan, is that
federal fund. Essentially we're recovering the value so then the revenue is in turn recovered back on the bowl, just as the entire funding mechanism works.
So d um so it comes in as you get it? No? Or does it come in in one big check?
We we collect.
We don't
collect anything, Mike. clocks. BSS, I want to make it very quick. DSS
is i collect.
Alright, so um so not only is did we get money uh in fines, and so that's a one-time payment. It's a large fine. Yeah. Ten years, yeah, that's a big one anymore. Um We actually had a house in Aristida that somehow got missed, although it turned out to be our fault, but for three years, big house. It was not only textbooks. And they were paying as uh undeveloped thing. Um So not only did we get the fines, but we added those people back onto our tent.
Absolutely. So that
so that's really wonderful. Um on your flyover with the drones, I think
No drones, it's planes but yes. Oh no no drones, yeah, airplanes.
Why can't you use drones? Which are cheaper than planes. Is that a legislative
this
issue?
Th this technology this company has with the planes is unbelievable. It can pick up like I want to say down to three inches. Uh it's it's pretty amazing what and we can go over it more. I mean I know Mr. Kabala's up to speed on it, um, but we could we spent a lot of time meeting with several vendors and we picked one that we all thought would help you all as well as us. Um
Just just um for information that company that we hired to um do permitting uh with kind of artificial intelligence, um they also have a drone application that can go go over property and catch code violations, but apparently we're not allowed the county's not allowed to do code violations by air. Which I I think is something we have to look at legislatively because when new technology comes up and
can save the taxpayers a lot of money, I don't know why we can't use it. Um but you can use it for for tax advisor, I mean for property crazers, why can't we use it when people are you know doing things without the permission? I don't know. That's just kind of question in general. And um Okay, well that those are my questions. Thank you so much.
Thank you for
the
Mr. Mariano, I don't
know how many years ago when this technology was first being used, there was a lot of pushback on what might have been exactly what you're flexing. What?
Um
Google Earth, I do it all day long.
Question from on the previous slides we saw VA B numbers sort of appeals a lot. Any any reason for that?
I mean the more houses, the more appeals. I mean we've got three hundred and seventeen parcels and I can just tell you and and I know Nicky uh Heather spoke on it, we spend with them hours. I mean when I tell you our days on this stuff, it's it's a they're an um their team's unbelievable. I think there's five of 'em. They do an unbelievable job helping us because it's important. I mean these are You know, fi fifty percent are the only ones that actually come forward, but it's it's it's still a huge number. Yeah.
Yeah. Brennan, do you want to add something? No, Commissioner, to that point, it's also a product of the marketplace in the past two years too. We've had historic increases as far as value. So even folks who are capped, uh, you know, combined with other assessments that have come along the way, uh that you know, they've seen more fluctuation in their tax bills in the past two years than they have over the past many years. Yeah. So that's I think that's going to be drive.
Mr. Wayne. Thank you. Yes, no secret. I'm I'm uh only for the government taking what it needs, absolutely what it only needs to operate. But I appreciate especially during tax time our office gets a number of calls, people wanting to understand the values, think that they've been overbilled and what have you, and I just appreciate it to my clothes your office and bringing your staff and taking time. time to meet our folks and help them understand um their obligation to the county and
and make it clear what they're what they're paying for because folks call us in a panic and uh we're very sensitive to that and appreciate work you do to help to help them understand.
Thank you.
Seeing none, thank you Mr. Wells for being here today. Thank you, Chairman Mariano. Appreciate it. Now we'll move on to uh our
Yes, fine.
Well just think about it, you're not last.
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman Mariano. Uh well and um just a point of information for the sheriff. We're doing this a manual way because these pikes don't work, do they? That's good.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, everyone. Um Tax collector. One of the things that of course we do is collect property taxes along with many other assessments that are put on to the people of Pasco. We've expanded our offices from four to five since I've been here. We put one office in the Wesley Chapel area because we knew the growth and it's worked out very well. In fact, uh when we first put it up ten years ago, I was concerned uh will people Will come. Uh and uh the first couple