Tax rate stays flat for county residents

Seven years and counting.

For the seventh year in a row, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners approved an overall millage rate of 6.4326 mills — the same millage rate the county has used since 2008 — when it approved the 2015 fiscal year budget Sept. 18. The new budget begins Oct. 1.

One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed valuation. Commissioners set the overall tax rate at $7.04 for every $1,000 in taxable value for a property in unincorporated Manatee County.

For East County residents, a property owner with a homesteaded property valued at $150,000 in unincorporated Manatee County will pay $1,036.54 in property taxes.

Property owners, though, may see an increase in their county tax bills because home values have increased an average of 7.48% countywide, including new construction.

For the second year in a row, the county’s property tax base began to rebound, this year from $24.9 billion to more than $25.9 billion.

The $540.8 million budget commissioners approved last week includes an increase in revenues that is approximately $20 million more than a year ago. Property taxes account for $195.2 million of the new budget; other revenues include impact fees, utility rates, licenses, grants, gas taxes, permits, interest income and other sources.

A voter-approved rate of 33 cents on every $1,000 in taxable value for children’s services is also included in the 2015 fiscal year budget.

The budget, though, does not include any revenue to help infuse a depleted indigent care trust fund that is estimated to run dry during the coming fiscal year. Commissioners wrestled with ways to restore a healthy balance to the health care fund on Tuesday.

How does the budget affect homeowners?
For East County residents, a property owner with a homesteaded property valued at $150,000 in unincorporated Manatee County will pay $1,036.54 in property taxes.