general fund and transportation trust fund millage rates

55:50Alright, and so what we're here to do today is approve Tentative millage rates and the budget and set the final hearing. So now Chair, if you'd like to go back to the script with me.

56:02We go. I'll try to read the proper lines.

56:06So I think

56:07I think

56:07where we left off is the bottom of page your last bit, bottom of page one.

56:12In accordance with Florida Statute 200.065, the first issue to be discussed is the recommended village rates and the percentage changes from the Rollback rates.

56:23Chairman Members of the Board of the aggregate millage rate as advertised on the trim notices was 9.8403 MILLs, which represents a 0.57% decrease from the aggregate rolled back rate of 9.8970 MLs. Table one in your handout shows the millage rates for the various county levy levies and a comparison of the recommended millage rates to the rollback rates and the prior year adopted millage rates. Rather than read this chart into the record, we have provided copies to each commissioner, board

56:53records, and members of the audience. Tonight, I would like to ask the commission to adopt the tentative millage rates and total budget. The millage rates adopted tonight are the maximum allowed. By Florida law without mailing each property owner an additional notice. The board can reduce the millage rates tonight through the final hearing on September 22nd. However, the millage rates cannot be increased. Later in the meeting, should the commission wish to modify the budget, we ask that staff be re be directed to return on the September 22nd at the final public hearing with the desired amendments.

57:24I'd like to give a summary of the General Fund and Transportation Trust Fund budgets, stating the tentative millage rates, the percentage change from the rollback rate, and the reasons for such a change. The tentative millage rate for the general fund is seven point two five nine three MILS, which is a 0.14% increase from the rollback rate of seven point two four eight eight. The County realized a six point eight percent increase in taxable assessed values over the past year. The increase in property values resulted in an additional twenty point four million in

57:54revenue. For now, as discussed during and as discussed during the presentation, these expenses are placed in the reserve account as part of the footlocker recommended from the County Administrator. Prior action by the Florida legislator eliminated the requirement for a mandatory transportation ad valorem tax. No transportation millage was levied last year, and we propose no millage be assessed this year for the Transportation Trust Fund. I would ask that the Board accept public comment and then vote on the general fund and the Transportation Trust Fund Millage Rates and Associated Budget. The

58:25minimum vote required to levy the General Fund Millagerate for this tentative hearing is a simple majority or three votes. However, it will be a minimum of four votes for the final public hearing.

58:35Okay. Does anyone wish this is for the public, does anyone wish to speak to the board require regarding the General Fund and Transportation Trust Fund?

58:43Sorry, you have a couple signed up um in person.

58:48Natalia? Chop a bullet? Yeah. I am so sorry that it was terrible if you can um come to the podiums and give your name properly and address for the

58:59My name is Natalia Shepilievich.

59:01Thank you. And your address? In your address.

59:04Pardon?

59:05Your address?

59:06Uh [address removed]. Good evening, Commissioner. My name is Natalia Shipilevic and I am County Pasco County resident and taxpayer. And I am here today to speak against our current property tax burden and excessive county spending. Pasco County is growing rapidly. More homes are being built. Uh we have more taxpayers, a larger tax base, and the county is collecting more property

59:36tax revenue. Taxpayers should be seeing meanful uh tax relief. Look at our look how our property tax are divided. More than 33% goes to county operating alone. More than 43%. It's a larger single share. Of our Advaloran property taxes. By comparison, our school taxes combined are about 37%. Fire rescue Receives only by

1:00:0614%, and the road MSTU is only about uh two and a half. Think about that. County operating alone takes a larger share than all our schools' taxes combined and more than three times the share going to fire rescue. More than 43% is too much. Even the Southwest Florida Water Management District reduced its tax rate this year. Water management is essential, but they found a

1:00:37way to lower the rate. As the tax base grew, so why can't Pasco County do the same? Uh this is taxpayers' money. Uh we are taxpayers uh should have a real say in how our money is spent. County governments work for the people, not the other way around. Pasco County need to curb its appetite, and uh I demand a sixty percent reduction in administrative and bureaucratic spending

1:01:07uh and meanful property tax relief. Uh it's not a request uh it is not a request for a favor. It's our money. And I want to ask everyone here tonight Please raise hand if you agree that Pasco County should cut its administrative and bureaucratic spending and reduce our property tax burden.

1:01:32Oh, okay. Thank you. And I also have petition signed by Pasco County residents and taxpayers. I would like to submit it for the public record.

1:01:44Okay. That's

1:01:45it.

1:01:47Uh move to receive and file. Second. All in favorites and aye. Aye.

1:01:56No.

1:01:57Um that's the only one signed up in person. There is someone online, but do you want to take from the Uh

1:02:02anyone else from the audience would like to speak to the board?

1:02:07Okay.

1:02:07So if not we have Vincent Garino online. Mr. Garino, or if you are there, please give your name and address for the record and then you have your three minutes.

1:02:19Eight two zero four. Laura Del Rail Drive, Fort Ritchie, 08037. Thank you, sir. 54668 Sorry.

1:02:31Okay, thank you. Proceed.

1:02:35So

1:02:37Listers nose rate was 7.40420. And this year it is seven point two four eight eight year, is that correct?

1:02:49We don't respond, we just listen.

1:02:53And I was like to know. It's the same thing. Law passes in November. Where do you want to get the rest of the revenue and cover all the rest of these expenses?

1:03:08that's the million dollars. We don't respond.

1:03:12Well

1:03:13it's it's a big question. And I think your board should be able to answer that. Saddlebrook. Kind of.

1:03:22I think a lot of people want to know.

1:03:27Can you

1:03:27tell about

1:03:27the same right now? Can you tell about the hands?

1:03:32Any other public comment?

1:03:34No one else uh signed up, sir.

1:03:37Now is there any discussion by the board? No.

1:03:44I'll j I'll just I'll just say as far as the property tax amendment, if it does pass, we don't know what we're gonna do. And that's part partly why we have this footlocker account because by capital expenses we want to go spend, we don't have to spend, but if it does go through after the sheriff The the jail 911, we figure right now we're about four million dollars short of doing everything else. Everything else. Now that's not gonna happen this year's budget, but it's gonna happen next year's budget. So we're looking at right now, what are

1:04:14we going to do? We don't know. But I will tell you in years in years past when we had the big recession back in uh 08-09, we had fees everywhere. Parks and libraries cut 29%. I don't know how dramatic these cuts are going to be or what we're going to do for offset of fees, but it's going to be a tough thing to happen. And I just hope that people realize there's other, I think 27 other counties that can't make budget now before this cut even goes into play. And part of the reason the governor didn't support it initially

1:04:45coming back out after he passed it because they didn't do any of a backstop for that. And when even the state, I think, tried to cut their proper their sales tax rate 25 cents out of out of out of the total money, they didn't even have the support to get that done because they thought that might be too devastating for the budget. In the next couple of years, we don't even know what their budget's gonna be because they say they're gonna be coming up with a shortfall themselves. So we're looking at all the unfunded mandates are in front of us, we just talked about. We're looking all the other fees and we don't know what's going to happen.

1:05:16I I just want to I just want to say for the record that that the team is we have a a financial alternative solutions team that is currently engaged in in looking at what the impacts of of why widespread property tax reform would be. They're looking at revenues, we are looking at expenses. We're also looking at legal mandates and requirements and law changes too that could help reduce that. I think that exercise would not be in vain, especially on the latter, because I do believe there are a lot of expenses that come to bear on local governments that probably could be adjusted and

1:05:46changed. And and treated through the legislature. So uh a number of a number of activities are going on as to what specific cuts will look like. Those decisions would have to be made when the time comes. But we we will be ready with with options, alternatives and things that we've thought through um as a as a result of that. It is it is it is on everyone's mind.

1:06:08Or a two-day or two-day event to get this thing through. I think they had a wiser option years earlier in the previous year where they had a million dollars set aside to put a committee together, study it, go through it, dissect it, let's go see what we can do. Uh we could look at these unfunded mandates, we could look at the state, go into fighters with the federal government for the hospital care that we have to s pay for ourselves because. That's not taken care of, that could have been worked on. I think there's opportunities for how we can do better on purchasing, because everybody knows when you go through the government with the RFPs that

1:06:38are 600 pages long to go through it, that drives up costs. When we got to advertise how much money a road project's gonna be, well, guess what happens? Our road project's gonna be very close to that number. And I think we saw today, we saw the dramatic increases on fire stations what it costs. Can we do better? Can the Fed, State, and locals work better before we make this big move? I think we should. And hopefully uh this thing fails we actually get together and go to the go to it. I will volunteer today to be on that committee. Mr. Stark.

1:07:08I I just want to say we've been rolling back our millage every year. Um and I'm sure if we weren't facing this Amendment three, we would be doing the same this year. Um but You drove back to Millage and then you get hit with With uh Amendment three you're you've dug even bigger holes, so Um, you know, I don't know what's gonna happen on the twenty second. Um but We we have been Rolling back every year. And um

1:07:39And I I you know I get it, I I hear From people, how Especially if you're buying a new house, how much the property tax? Is. Um But I I wish that our legislature had waited and Took advantage of the tax commission that's meeting next year. Which is the same commission that came out with our Save Our Homes idea, which I think was a good idea. I think more states across the country should do it. Uh but we we we need uh There's

1:08:09no doubt that we need some kind of relief, but to What they've done is is too drastic and I'm I'm hopeful that um that we we aren't in a huge red hole next year.

1:08:23Commissioner Weightman.

1:08:27Not not going to surprise anybody here, but uh I'm not I'm not afraid if there's an appetite to reduce millage and and find some cuts. Um I have some ideas, but I think we need to have a a a full board before before we do it and and hear some of the refinement before our last budget hearing. But uh like always, you know, amendment three is is on the table, but I'm not intimidated by the outcome either way. I

1:08:58think we'll figure it out and government will survive. Um Better chance of surviving unless this American experien the experiment ends. But um, you know, businesses figure it out day by day and running their operations and Uh we're no we're no different, but um If there's ideas and anybody wanting to reduce taxes, I'm I'm I'm all in to to figuring it out no matter how difficult the decision is. And

1:09:28um It'll go from there. So,

1:09:34Commissioner Weightman, I'm gonna bring you back to what we talked about earlier today. So we talked about Different things of costs have gone up for us. Road costs have gone up since 2008, 35%, sidewalks 257%. Wastewater treatment led partially from construction, but also with increased performance mandated by the state, up over 500%. Fire stations have gone up, partly because we put extra safety in for our people so they don't get cancer, went up 388%. Multi-purpose

1:10:05fields up 88%. Multi-use paths, 567%. The the thing is, we're looking at ad valorem cuts and trying to make these cuts. Seventy-five percent of the budget spent on other things through enterprises and other things that mandated that way. So we're looking at a small window. Of that small window, you've got another

1:10:2675% of the budget that's with the sheriff, the jail, and 911. Just with what they say we're gonna get hit with. We're in the middle of $4 million. Just that alone. No. I'm all for trying to cut. But I think it's more important to have this discussion how bad this is for an idea to get it quashed. Saving another little bit here or there is tough. I'll give you an idea. One of the things I brought up before was trying to look at the development services

1:10:56part where we actually pay in development services. Maybe we can cut that back a little bit and let the development community pay its full free all all the way through. I don't mind taking a closer look at that. But as far as all these other things, we've we struggled before when We had a big recession and we had no reserves. At least at this point in time, we've got a position where we got a footlocker to decide are we gonna need this money until this thing straightens itself out? Because

1:11:27it may too take two years to straighten it out. We don't know what the state's gonna do. But maybe after one year when they find the 27 people or 27 counties that can't make budget today before any of these cuts that may Maybe that wakes them people up. to go forward. You may get a whole shake up in this state the way this is going right now. But What what I mean, I'm I'm I'm afraid what's gonna happen if you don't have the money in reserves to get you through the next year.

1:11:53Can I can I ask a favor?

1:11:55I'm sorry.

1:11:56Um We have another meeting to discuss this if we don't have to do it today. I'd like to get home. My husband's home all alone. I'm either you know. We we gotta wrap this up tonight. And meeting. No,

1:12:09I'm not I'm not looking to do to do all that night. I just putting it out there because we have one more meet.

1:12:15Well if you had a specific idea you want to go, give administration during the week. Go forward. And you can take my idea and say we're gonna uh approach that as well because I think you're saying is there.

1:12:25We can f we can float those. We'll speak with you and we'll of course we we can float that at the next meeting.

1:12:31Okay. Alright, is there a motion to adopt the tentative millage rate for general fund of 7.2593?

1:12:38Mr. Chair, I I would I'm sorry, just real quick. Uh Commissioner Yeager is online. Just so you know. So I think roll call. So does that mean roll call? You got to do a roll call.

1:12:47Correct. Okay.

1:12:50We

1:12:50have a second? Second. Alright, roll call vote.

1:12:54District 1, Commissioner Oakley. Aye. District 2, Commissioner Weightman. Aye. District 3, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District 4, Commissioner Yeager. Aye. District 5, Chairman Mariano.

1:13:04Aye. Is there a motion to adopt the tentative millage rate for the transportation trust fund of zero mills?

1:13:11Go ahead, wait and make that motion. Come on, zero

1:13:14point zero zero. Where are we

1:13:15at?

1:13:16I'll move. I'm five. Oh yes, I know, yes. You can't find a way to cut that? On the zeros. I'll find a way. Alright, do we have a second?

1:13:27Second. District one, Commissioner Oakley. Aye. District two, Commissioner Weightman. District three, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District four, Commissioner Yeager.

1:13:38District 5 Chairman Mariano.