Sumter County’s proposed $441.8 million budget for 2023-24 holds the line on the property tax rate while boosting the number of employees and collecting $40 million in revenue bonds for capital projects.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold presented the proposed budget this week to commissioners at a pair of workshop meetings. Public hearings are scheduled in September with adoption by the end of that month. The next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The proposed property tax rate of about $5.20 per $1,000 assessed valuation would be a 7 percent reduction from this year’s rate of $5.59. The rate would be at the rolled-back rate, the amount needed to collect the same amount of revenue as the prior year.
Sumter County would collect $101.3 million in total property tax revenue next year under the proposed budget, up from $95 million this year. Other revenue sources include the local option sales tax, intergovernmental transfers, service charges and the annual fire assessment. Revenue includes the gas tax and development impact fees.
Over the past two years, the county received $25.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds, which have been allocated for water-sewer projects and broadband expansion.
County tax rates have been set at the rolled-back rate for the past decade except in 2019, when a 25 percent tax rate increase led to the ouster of three commissioners in the 2020 election.
Growth allows the county to keep its tax rate lower, although the number of building permits declined slightly this year. Fueled by home building in the Villages of Southern Oaks and apartment construction in Wildwood, Sumter County adds about 3,000 residents a year for a total of 145,000 in 2022. Property tax revenue is up nearly 160 percent over the past 15 years, the largest increase in Florida.
Business and industrial growth includes site planning for the Rep. Marlene O’Toole Industrial Park, a rail spur at the Gov. Rick Scott Industrial Park, trucking companies near Interstate 75 and State Road 44 and expansion of existing manufacturers.
Expenditures would be up 41 percent in the proposed budget from $313 million in this year’s adopted budget.
Spending on capital projects would rise to $45.8 million next year, a 203 percent increase from $15 million in the current budget.
Projects include a new service center, fire training facility, sheriff’s training center and a supervisor of elections building and warehouse. They would be funded with $40 million in revenue bonds paid back over two decades.
Due to the takeover of ambulance services by the county and The Villages Public Safety Department, special revenue funds would be created for fire and emergency medical services, fueling an 83 percent hike in the total of special revenue funds to $143.7 million.
The county would add 27 firefighter-paramedic positions, bringing the total number to 174.
Last fall, the county and The Villages Public Safety Department took over ambulance services from American Medical Response, a private national company. The county has been moving toward full control of emergency medical services.
A referendum to create an independent fire district was defeated last November, which means the county continues to pay a portion of the cost for fire and emergency medical services in The Villages.
Twenty-two new positions would be added to the Sheriff’s Office for a total number of 404 employees. New positions include four dispatchers, four traffic deputies, four regular deputies, six detention officers, a latent print examiner, a financial crimes detective, a victim advocate and a court supervisor.
Four animal services technicians and three animal technician supervisors also would be added for a total of 24 employees.
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