• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Pasco board discusses tax rate, potential new assessments

March 14, 2023 By B.C. Manion

As the Pasco County Commission looks ahead to the county’s 2024 budget, discussions are emerging about the county’s millage rate and whether new municipal service taxing units (MSTUs) should be established to address specific county needs.

Commissioner Seth Weightman got the conversation rolling by reminding his colleagues that in the coming tax year, the new school tax will go online and the county is considering new taxing districts for road paving and dredging.

That’s on top of the average increase in property taxes, he said.

The newly elected commissioner said he wanted to go on record that he recognizes the various tax increases and said the board must be mindful in setting its tax rate for the coming fiscal year.

Commissioner Gary Bradford, also new to the board, agreed with Weightman.

“Some of these are a choice. That’s us, up here, making those choices,” Bradford said.

But veteran board members Ron Oakley, Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano made it clear that they have no appetite for reducing the county’s current millage rate.

The millage rate is the tax rate assessed against property, with one mil equaling $1 for every thousand dollars of assessed property value.

Florida law caps the maximum amount of the increase that can be applied annually and some property owners qualify for additional reductions in specific categories.

In addition to supporting the current millage rate, Starkey is advocating for a countywide MSTU to address the shortage of playing fields and parks. Mariano also raised the prospect of establishing an MSTU aimed at the county’s drainage needs.

An MSTU provides a mechanism for collecting taxes from a delineated area to address specific needs.

Pasco already is eyeing an increase in its park impact fees, which are charged against new development to address impacts of growth. 

“I know we’re talking about raising the impact fees, but that is not money that you can bond and that’s going to take a while to build up so that we have capital money to go build some more parks,” Starkey said.

“But an MSTU we can bond. I’m not saying it should be a big number. I think it should be, you know, $25 or something like that. But it gets some money in the hopper quickly and we can bond it and go build some soccer fields and baseball fields because we are way behind.

“We actually have a Starkey Little League District now and they have no field to play. It’s the first new Little League since I moved here 30 years ago,” she said.

Mariano noted that the Southwest Florida Water Management District has reduced the number of grants that are available locally. He thinks residents would support an MSTU to tackle drainage problems to reduce flooding problems.

Commissioner Ron Oakley is standing firm on the county’s current millage rates.

“You can’t cut back millage. 

“There’s a day coming that won’t always be values like we’ve had in the last few years,” the commissioner said.

“If you change the millage rate, you change the ability to ever get that back.

“We’ve got a lot of things happening in our county to be premiere, but it costs money to be premiere,” Oakley said.

Commission Chairman Mariano agreed.

“It’s a different game from what it was, I’ll say, 18 years ago. People want services. I think they like what the board’s doing. I think we should continue on, providing services that they’re asking us for. We’re not just raising taxes, we’re giving them the services they want,” Mariano said.

Published March 15, 2023

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Exciting things are happening at Del Webb Bexley, the 55+ active adult residential community just off Sunlake Boulevard, … [Read More...] about New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

TPA-Parkview-Myrtle

Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

With every new home community, Mattamy Homes demonstrates their dedication to thoughtful details and meaningful value … [Read More...] about Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

The Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, will host a Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza on April 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be bounce houses, games, music, food trucks, and scheduled egg scrambles. The event will be at the outside football fields and basketball court. Registration is required to participate in the egg scrambles. The cost is $3 per child. Children ages 2 to 10 can register with their age division and time frame at Secure.rec1.com/FL/pasco-county-fl/catalog. For questions, call 813-929-1220. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

Kessler’s Cacti and Things will host its annual Spring Plant Sale on April 1 and April 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, at Bearss Grove, 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., in Tampa. The event features thousands of plant varieties, and an assortment of specimen and collector’s plants. For information, email . For questions and directions, call 813-264-5614. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

The Downtown Dade City Art Walk will take place April 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be more than 20 art locations for guests to meet the artists and shop local artwork, as well as a little Pre-Casso Exhibit for young aspiring artists. There will be an opening ceremony at 5 p.m., along with a map distribution, at Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

Hope City Church, 5513 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host an Easter Bash on April 1, for the whole family. Admission is free. For information, call 813-948-7555. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

04/01/2023 – Food Truck Festival

An International Food Truck Festival will take place on April 1 and April 2 at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, with more than 70 food trucks, tents and trailers, to benefit local charities. Admission is $5. For more information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Food Truck Festival

04/01/2023 – Historical Association

The Zephyrhills Historical Association will meet on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St. Participants can discover and discuss historical events, places and people of Zephyrhills and Pasco County. For information, call 813-780-0064. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Historical Association

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: