Manatee County leaders vote to lower the property tax rate. What does that mean for you?
With property owners facing higher tax bills than last year because of rising property values and inflation, Manatee County commissioners voted Thursday to lower the tax rate to help save taxpayers money.
According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, land values throughout the county are nearly 18% higher than last year. Average homeowners’ rates are capped at a 3% increase, but without a tax rate reduction, some property owners would still end up paying more than they did last year, commissioners said.
Commissioner George Kruse called on his fellow commissioners to reduce the tax rate at Thursday’s meeting. He explained that he didn’t want property owners to receive a mail notice telling them that the tax rate could be the same as it was in 2021.
While county administrators recommended keeping the tax rate the same as last year’s, commissioners voted to reduce the tax rate. Without that reduction, the average homeowner would have paid $47 more in taxes than they did last year.
Thursday’s unanimous vote reduced the tax rate to $6.33 per $1,000 taxable property value, which means the average homeowner would pay about $1,485 in property taxes to the county. Homeowners also pay separate taxes to special districts, the Manatee County School District and municipal taxes, if they live in a city.
“We do have to lower taxes,” said Commissioner Misty Servia. “This board is 100 percent in agreement on that because with property values going up, people cannot afford to live.”
Kruse also challenged the board to go even further, asking staff to present the impact on the proposed $1 billion budget if the board were to consider additional reductions.
“I think we should be doing more,” Kruse said.
County Administrator Scott Hopes said commissioners will be briefed on new budget scenarios with even lower taxes in the coming weeks. Reducing the tax rate further would require another vote by the board.
“We will be prepared — well before Sept. 7 — to provide you those scenarios,” Hopes said. “We have put a substantial amount of money in this budget as an inflation hedge anticipating costs — both labor and materials.”
This is the second year in a row that the Manatee Board of County Commissioners has voted to cut the tax rate. In 2021, commissioners reduced the tax rate for the first time since 2008, lowering property tax bills for the average homeowner by about $50.
“All of our citizens, no matter where you live in Manatee County, are seeing an increase. It’s hefty,” said Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. “We need to look out for our citizens and do our job up here.”
County staff will review the budget before coming back to a public meeting to have the board consider lowering the tax rate even further. The county will hold its first public hearing on the budget on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m.
Visit www.MyManatee.org/budget for more information on Manatee County’s budget.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 4:24 PM.
