Will county taxes go up? Manatee unveils $1B budget with eye on infrastructure, inflation
Manatee County this week unveiled a $1 billion budget that focuses on improving local roads, expanding public safety and retaining its government workforce during a period of high inflation.
County Administrator Scott Hopes shared the details of the 2023 budget in a public workshop meeting Wednesday afternoon. Along with the county’s finance department, he explained that the budget process has been especially challenging this year with supply chain delays and rising interest rates.
“There’s uncertainty at the door,” said Sheila McLean, the county’s interim chief financial officer.
That uncertainty is why county staff will head back to the drawing board in the coming weeks to revise certain items in the budget. During Wednesday’s meeting, several commissioners said they wouldn’t support the tax rate proposed by Hopes.
Last year, commissioners approved a $50 tax cut for the first time in over a decade. They achieved that cut partly by diving into the county’s budget reserves and covering the cost of a voter-approved tax referendum meant to raise money for environmental land protection.
But residents will pay for the environmental lands tax later this year, which means property owners would pay a higher tax rate than they did last year.
“The first presentation is always sort of overwhelming. There will be a lot of hours spent going through the (budget) binders before we make any decisions,” said Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
“The board, of course, has no control over the tax increase that was voter mandated,” he continued. “The board will have discussions on reducing property taxes further down the road in budget discussions.”
The administration’s proposed increase comes at a time when property values in Manatee County have risen by 10%. Despite those rising values, homesteaded properties — houses that are occupied by the landowner — will only see a 3% increase.
Under the proposed 2023 budget, the average homeowner would pay about $1,487 in property taxes, which is about $37 higher than last year. Properties that don’t qualify for a homestead exemption, such as apartment complexes and commercial buildings, will see higher rates.
Officials ask for lower property taxes
Board members called on the county’s finance department to tweak the budget and lower the tax rate to remain the same as it was before.
“Housing prices and values are going through the roof. We’re not increasing the millage. That’s not going to happen,” Commissioner George Kruse said.
“I’m not a commissioner who wants to raise or lower the (tax rate) every year, but this is the year we have to lower it,” Commissioner Misty Servia added. “Our people cannot afford to live with all that’s going on in the economy.”
In response, Hopes said the presentation was meant as an introduction to a months-long budget process that gives board members “ample opportunity” to adjust the final tax rate.
“I started to lower the millage, but I realized that’s not my role,” Hopes responded. “It’s my role to tell you what I think we need to run the county at the service levels you expect.”
What’s in Manatee County’s 2023 budget?
The budget includes major investments to fix roads, intersections and sidewalks throughout the county. Highlights include four-laning 59th Street West between Cortez Road and Manatee Avenue, four-laning Upper Manatee River Road north of State Road 64 and expanding Moccasin Wallow Road.
“The highlights of the budget are consistent with your priorities last year — roads, roads, roads, infrastructure,” Hopes said.
County staff are set to see pay raises across the board, too. Pointing to inflation costs and the competitive job market, Hopes included about $10.7 million of wage increases for county workers, who could see 7.4% increases in pay, including merit pay and cost-of-living increases.
“This is an important area that we spent a lot of time on,” Hopes said. “When we look at inflation exceeding 10%, we have to understand that there’s a large number of our employees that are feeling the brunt of that. They’re feeling the cost of gas pushing $5 a gallon and the rising cost of groceries.”
The county’s public safety agencies were another key area of investment. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office budget will see a 12% increase and receive $166 million in funding. That increase covers the cost of raises, a new fleet facility, a new property evidence building and a new medical wing at the jail.
There are also plans to support Emergency Medical Services with new base stations in parts of the county that have seen tremendous growth in recent years. EMS stations are planned near Lake Manatee, Moccasin Wallow and North County in Parrish.
Ahead of the opening of the Sheraton hotel in Palmetto, the county plans to spend more than $16 million to expand the Bradenton Area Convention Center next door.
Also tucked into the budget is a 4.75% rate increase, which is expected to begin Jan. 1, 2023 for the county’s utilities customers. Utilities rates haven’t been raised since 2018. The proposed increase follows a third-party evaluation that recommended an increase in order to accommodate the added maintenance that comes with a growing population.
Manatee County officials will hold several public meetings this summer before approving a final budget in September. The next meeting will be held 9 a.m. Monday at the Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. For more information, visit www.MyManatee.org/budget.
