Commissioners oppose sheriff's surtax

The Board of Manatee County Commissioners last night tentatively adopted a roughly $483 million budget that no longer includes a surtax for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The change brings the county budget down by about $24 million from last year, instead of about $21 million.

The surtax, which would have raised a property tax millage rate from 6.2993 to 6.3993, would have generated about $2.3 million for the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office had planned to keep the same budget as last year until faced with two unfunded mandates set by the state Legislature in recent months.

A final budget adoption hearing is set for 6 p.m., Sept. 28, at the Manatee County commission chambers, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

To review budget information online, visit the county’s website, www.mymanatee.org.

For a complete story, see the Sept. 23 issue of The East County Observer.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].