- April 26, 2024
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County commissioners shaved an additional $400,000 from their budget Monday, an attempt to decrease the property tax rate.
On July 31, a tentative tax rate of $8.055 per $1,000 of taxable value was approved unanimously by the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners. Monday’s cuts decreased that by 6.5 cents per, bringing the tax rate to $7.99 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.
County residents have already been mailed trim notices that reflect the July 31 tentative tax rate. Once a tentative tax rate is set, it cannot be raised, but it is usually lowered.
Because of the cuts, the county will not start a pretrial release program this year, as it had formerly discussed. The program is meant to curb costs of operating the county’s jail, to hold down the jail’s inmate population, and to discourage people arrested from committing more crimes.
“I am adamantly opposed to starting a new program this year,” Commissioner Barbara Revels said, adding that she believes the program will be an asset to the community at a later date.
She hopes that in the future, taxable values will increase, which would in turn increase the county’s tax revenue without it having to increase its tax rates. She said she will support the program in the future when the county can afford it more.
Not moving forward with that program saves the county about $100,000 in its budget for the next fiscal year. Another $100,000 will be cut from funds allocated for capital equipment and self-insurance costs, as well as an additional $200,000 slated to be put in the county’s reserve funds.
Commissioners will hold its first public hearing on the tax rate, during which public comment will be heard, at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 5.
