Property Tax Reform

Monday, I attended a meeting with a representative from the Leaugue of Cities regarding the upcoming property tax bill that will be on the ballot in January. Several other Cities were represented there as well as the Seminole County School Board and Property Appraiser, David Johnson.
This is a very confusing bill to read and understand for many people but the bottom line is what we need to look at – what will it cost and what will I really save? Number one – I do not believe in tampering with the constitution unless it is absolutely necessary for the safety and betterment of our lives. We as constituents need to ask “what is the cost vs. the benefit?” Too many bills have passed without enough research in this area such as the class size amendment bill. While I, as a mother, am not against smaller class sizes, nobody bothered to consider or explain what it was going to cost the taxpayers if they voted for the class size amendment bill nor did they offer how it was to be paid for and yes, it does cost something. Add to this other unfunded mandates the legislature has passed down to local governments, which end up putting a greater burden on local government budgets ultimately affecting the local taxpayers.
The bottom line is that if the property tax amendment passes it will only save the average homeowner about $20 a month. This does not apply though to non-homestead properties that will not receive any savings. Businesses are not protected either.
What is the cost of this? For one thing the Seminole County School Board will face another 6 billion in budget cuts on top of the cuts they are already experiencing. Again, as a mother who enjoys the quality of our schools here in Seminole County, this scares me.
Also consider the cuts our local County and City governments will experience from loss of income if this bill passes. Granted, there is always room for cuts and trimming off the fat in any government budget, but what if the cuts are so excessive that fire and police men and women have to be laid off? Nobody knows how much the cuts will be. What if teachers have to be laid off? How can they be expected to fulfill the class size amendment if they cannot afford to hire or keep good teachers? While I am not against tax cuts, I believe we need to do our due diligence and make educated cuts rather than haphazard cuts. I want to encourage everyone to please contact your local state representatives and voice your concerns and ask questions, Make an educated vote – please! You can go to David Johnson’s web site (http://www.scpafl.org/scpaweb05/index.jsp) for more information and also visit Sandy Robinson’s web site (http://sandyseminole.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page5.html) for information related to school board budgets.

You can also download a copy of the plan as it will be on the tax bill by clicking on the picture below.