Tavares, FL maximum possible millage rate set at 6.95 for 2020 - squabbles ensue.
Channel: FiscalRangersFlorida
Date: 2019-08-05

This 24 minute meeting of the Tavares, FL City Council on July 24, 2019 had one topic, discussing and voting on the "maximum millage rate" to be cited in new ads for upcoming budget hearings and deciding on the final millage rate for 2020 property taxes.

The proposed maximum millage rate was 6.950, slightly less than the current rate of 7.1119, but not down to the roll back rate (which was not discussed).  Thus if they select this rate, your taxes will still actually increase due to increased valuations of most homes.  At the end of the meeting, and after hearing public input from only three people, the three attending City Council members voted to approve the staff recommended maximum rate for a "balanced budget", but it is not final.  Hearings in August and September will result in a decision which is why Tavares property owners need to attend the meetings. .   

Transparency was reduced because the agenda did not specify what the roll back rate would be, which could be much lower, thus you couldn't really see possible lower millage rates.  

One reason is staff had private explanation meetings with the City Council so many facts may not have been provided only in those meetings. 

BUT, this video shows:
- Public input by Don Kehr who explains how costly it is to be annexed into Tavares for someone that buys a "fixer upper" then due to county and city rules, must agree to annexation into the city if they live near a city water line, and get higher fees and taxes than expected.  That is because there is apparently no professional standard for realtors to clearly and accurately calculate and tell potential buyers of future fees and taxes.  New owners are left to themselves to figure out what future taxes may be. 

Additionally, I gave public input showing that:
- The County property appraiser has a tax estimation calculator which can provide estimated taxes for a house in unincorporated Lake County vs any of the 14 cities here.  It turns out that for a $200,000 home (purchase price), the annual taxes in the County are $1930 but Tavares taxes would be $774 higher for $2704.  I asked if the city services were worth the added $774 and do residents know that?  There is no homebuying "tax warning label" process required of Realtors who sell homes to explain future tax risks. City Manager John Drury provided a good overview of his opinion of the value they provide. I was surprised that none of the three attending City Council members said anything to justify the higher city taxes.   
- Then I discussed the Property Appraiser's list of millages by city for 2018,and that Tavares, at 7 mills, was almost double of some other cities.  

My point was that before deciding millage rates, the City Council should evaluate and publish such analysis and get input from city taxpayers.  Businesses do that all the time.  They calculate return on investment and then compare it to alternate investments.  

A Tavares resident, Denise, came up and criticized both Don and me for living outside the city and asking pointed questions.  Don responded that he is in an ISBA and could be forced to annex into Tavares against his will, thus those folks should get the right to vote in Tavares elections.  I did not get a chance to respond but later told Denise that my focus is as a watchdog, and I believed more analysis should be provided the public and City Council before deciding budgets and millage rates that could increase taxes. 

It was a great overview of the homeowner risks of buying a rural home in Lake County or in a specific city that then they could be hit with annexation and/or higher city taxes later. 

Vance Jochim - Lake County Fiscal Watchdog for FiscalRangers.com. 
The short link to this video is:  https://youtu.be/m5xC8iJzwF8  
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