I’ve done a little research in the past few weeks – I’m worried about my city and county and imminent threats to our quality of life posed by the dictates of Amendment One. Here’s what I’ve discovered:
For many years (probably since the ‘70s, actually) property values in Florida have been climbing. Even before the sharp increases in the early part of the 21st century, the worth of a home seemed guaranteed to rise, maybe forever. And interestingly enough, as values rose, our local elected leaders opted to LOWER millage rates.
This would seem to be a no-brainer. Because of rising values, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County could realize an increase in property tax revenues while at the same time decreasing the tax levied on a percentage basis. If you paid more tax it was because your home was worth more – fair enough, right? And we citizens reaped the benefits in the form of more and better parks, more branch libraries, better funded human services and the like. Life in these parts was good. In fact, I’ve regarded Tallahassee as one of America’s best-kept secrets, and, like the citizens of the state of Oregon, always felt that we welcomed visitors, but didn’t need to let the word spread to potential permanent residents.
Unfortunately, not all the counties and municipalities in Florida have had the benefit of mature leadership, apparently. Some city and county governing bodies in other parts of the state used the opportunity afforded by rising home values to raise millage rates, thereby creating windfall funding for their various entities. And inevitably, when housing values began to climb precipitously, homeowners in those jurisdictions began to demand relief.
Thus was born Amendment One. Without regard to differences in circumstances, it was crafted as a mandate for all governments to roll back millage rates. In a classic example of throwing out the baby with the bath water, our Legislature, supported by our very popular new Governor, went after property taxes with a club, when a selective scalpel might have been better.
But there’s hope: we have a window of opportunity this summer. By a super-majority vote of our City and County Commissions, we can override this rollback, just this one time. Our Commissioners can opt to set millage rates at a level that will continue funding the needs of the citizenry. And in my view, these elected officials have an actual mandate from the electorate to do so.
Analysis of the results of the January 2008 vote on Amendment One yields this: of 173 Leon County precincts, only TWO voted in favor of the amendment. This vote crosses all racial, economic, geographic and party lines. North, south, east and west, inside the city limits and in all the unincorporated areas, Leon County residents overwhelmingly, by a two-to-one margin, voted AGAINST a property tax rollback.
Anecdotal evidence will bear this out, I believe. When asked the question, would you prefer to save a little money on your property taxes or continue with the excellent services provided by City and County government, virtually any citizen on Tallahassee’s streets will respond resoundingly in favor of the latter.
I can think of no better way for City and County Commissioners to continue the excellent decision-making that has been the hallmark of our local government in this area than to vote at least in a super majority, and preferably unanimously, to override this unwarranted usurpation of local powers. This would be statesmanship of the first order.
For many years (probably since the ‘70s, actually) property values in Florida have been climbing. Even before the sharp increases in the early part of the 21st century, the worth of a home seemed guaranteed to rise, maybe forever. And interestingly enough, as values rose, our local elected leaders opted to LOWER millage rates.
This would seem to be a no-brainer. Because of rising values, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County could realize an increase in property tax revenues while at the same time decreasing the tax levied on a percentage basis. If you paid more tax it was because your home was worth more – fair enough, right? And we citizens reaped the benefits in the form of more and better parks, more branch libraries, better funded human services and the like. Life in these parts was good. In fact, I’ve regarded Tallahassee as one of America’s best-kept secrets, and, like the citizens of the state of Oregon, always felt that we welcomed visitors, but didn’t need to let the word spread to potential permanent residents.
Unfortunately, not all the counties and municipalities in Florida have had the benefit of mature leadership, apparently. Some city and county governing bodies in other parts of the state used the opportunity afforded by rising home values to raise millage rates, thereby creating windfall funding for their various entities. And inevitably, when housing values began to climb precipitously, homeowners in those jurisdictions began to demand relief.
Thus was born Amendment One. Without regard to differences in circumstances, it was crafted as a mandate for all governments to roll back millage rates. In a classic example of throwing out the baby with the bath water, our Legislature, supported by our very popular new Governor, went after property taxes with a club, when a selective scalpel might have been better.
But there’s hope: we have a window of opportunity this summer. By a super-majority vote of our City and County Commissions, we can override this rollback, just this one time. Our Commissioners can opt to set millage rates at a level that will continue funding the needs of the citizenry. And in my view, these elected officials have an actual mandate from the electorate to do so.
Analysis of the results of the January 2008 vote on Amendment One yields this: of 173 Leon County precincts, only TWO voted in favor of the amendment. This vote crosses all racial, economic, geographic and party lines. North, south, east and west, inside the city limits and in all the unincorporated areas, Leon County residents overwhelmingly, by a two-to-one margin, voted AGAINST a property tax rollback.
Anecdotal evidence will bear this out, I believe. When asked the question, would you prefer to save a little money on your property taxes or continue with the excellent services provided by City and County government, virtually any citizen on Tallahassee’s streets will respond resoundingly in favor of the latter.
I can think of no better way for City and County Commissioners to continue the excellent decision-making that has been the hallmark of our local government in this area than to vote at least in a super majority, and preferably unanimously, to override this unwarranted usurpation of local powers. This would be statesmanship of the first order.
