At the September 6, 2016 tentative budget hearing, the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to maintain its existing 6.9912 millage rate and approved a tentative budget of $399,219,825. The final budget hearing will be held September 20, 2016, 5:01 p.m., at the Government Center located at 20 N. Main Street in Brooksville.
This tentative millage rate will generate $50,911,058 in revenue for the General Fund. The General fund includes the Clerk of Court, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, Sheriff’s Office and programs and services provided by the Board of County Commissioners such as animal services, parks and recreation, facilities management, libraries, health and human services, economic development, veterans services, code enforcement, planning, zoning, extension services, administration and more.
The BOCC voted to redirect $252,000 designated for the Hunter’s Lake project to restore funding to the Florida Blueberry Festival, Brooksville Main Street Program, Chinsegut Hill, Hernando County Fair, Community Outreach Grant Program and the Small Business Development Program. These programs, along with the Unsafe Building Program, were eliminated during this year’s budget process in order to balance the budget.
“Aid to these outside organizations boosts tourism, helps build small businesses and brings money to our county,” Chairman Jim Adkins stated. “We’ve made commitments to these events and programs and I believe they benefit our community.”
Funding for the Hunter’s Lake restoration project and the Unsafe Building Program will be revisited at a later date. Other expenses that are being deferred include replacement of aging air conditioner systems, roofs, fire alarms, parking lots, playground equipment and library materials. In addition, there are no new or re-class positions budgeted for BOCC departments in the coming fiscal year.
The BOCC did not approve the Sheriff’s Office request for a $1.7 million increase to fund new positions including a major case detective, a new canine deputy, a new mental health worker, a new animal services officer and six public service technicians.
“The money just isn’t there,” Commissioner Wayne Dukes explained. “If we raise the millage rate to cover the Sheriff’s budget, I’m going to have to lay off people and I can’t do that.”
If approved, the millage rate of 6.9912 will cost a homeowner $699.12 in annual property tax for a home with a taxable value of $100,000.
Approved tentative millage rates:
• General Fund – 6.9912
• Transportation Trust Fund – 0.7091
• Health Unit Trust Fund – 0.1102
• Emergency Medical Services MSTU – 0.6700
• Stormwater Management MSTU – 0.1139
• Mosquito Control MSTU – 0.0000
• HC Consolidated Fire/Rescue MSTU – 0.0000