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| If you're a taxpaying Escambia County property owner---pay attention to the meeting today. Watch it closely....... |
I've never once voted to approve increased year over year property tax rates on existing Escambia County Taxpaying property owners. Not once in my 15 years in elected office. And I'm not about to start now, either.
They truly feel there is no choice and that they need 45 more career, paid firefighters and that the ONLY way to pay for this extra cost is to put it onto the back of Escambia County taxpaying property owners via a massive increase in the MSBU or the addition of an extra MSTU. It's a tax increase they are proposing--make no mistake about it.
But here's why I won't/don't support that.
Property owners are getting crushed right now with historic property insurance rates if not outright policy cancellation. They are dealing with unprecedented, 40 year inflation on materials for maintenance and repairs of their properties. If they are paying for services, they are paying rapidly escalating fees and costs as wage-push inflation is rippling through the economy like a Tsunami and forcing service providing purveyors to raise wages and then by extension, service call fees. Example: a one hour (or less) easy-peasy installation of a dishwasher is now officially over $200. (Was $99 or FREE- included with purchase -just two short years ago). Bleach for cleaning properties has increased a whopping 400% in the last year. Yeah, 400%. Everything is going up for everybody in this crazy inflationary environment (did I mention gas prices doubling, to historic high prices over the last year and a half?)---------so I will not let bureauracrats and staffers make the homeowners shoulder more tax burden as the average homeowner is hurting like never before thanks to fiscal dysfunction coming out of Washington DC.
So no, I don't think struggling families that have purchased a home, or small mom and pop businesses who own property and who are battling this double-edged sword of inflation and employee wage pressure, should be hit over the head with another increase on their property tax bill. (remember, they just got hit with a new tax the electorate approved for the Escambia Children's Trust).
There's another way, and a better way.
We have the ability, under Florida Statutes 212.055(8), to ask the electorate to approve the levy of an additional sales tax .5 percent or up to 1 percent for the specific purpose of providing fire service county-wide. This would also, conveniently, compel us to eliminate the current $125 MSBU from current property owners. Yes, you heard that right. It would cut property taxes for Escambia County taxpaying property owners. That's something I believe we could all support.
Additionally--it will make everyone pay toward the service. Right now---a LOT of citizens do not pay direct MSBU or property taxes that support the fire service. Out of state visitors pay nothing toward Fire Coverage and services---this funding source change would positively alter that paradigm and provide for a hefty percentage (potentially as much as 35-40%) of the total sales tax funding to be burdened by out of state visitors or those traversing the interstate who pay for goods and services while travelling through. Like our LOST penny and like the School Board's half penny sales tax---it generates a consistent revenue stream with much of the revenue coming from non-residents. It also captures revenue from those who make purchases but who currently pay no property taxes or MSBU for fire---like folks who work for Escambia but live in Pace and pay ZERO toward fire protection where they work.
Now, the naysayers will say it is regressive, and that it hurts poor people. I'd simply say that for the poor this will be less burdensome than some espouse---as essential basics like groceries are already exempt from all sales taxes. for other, taxable cash purchases a disadvantaged person might make--the hit of a half-percentage will be de minimus. (if taxable purchases of $1000 are made monthly--the net effect of the levy of a half penny on that would be $5.00--if $2,000 is spent, it would be $10 additional for a month) At this point I'd simply point out that if a "poor" individual is spending $1,0000, $2000, or $3000 monthly on retail or non-tax exempt purchases some (many? most?) might question whether or not such an individual is/was really poor?
Nevertheless--we can and will have those conversations when and if it becomes necessary. And I will ask staff to explore this option and I hope to at least get two additional commissioners' support.
I will not cave in the the reflexive, easiest path of least resistance to simply add more to the MSBU on property owners. Nope, especially if there is another way to do it better. And I believe there is. A tax that everyone pays. Everyone.
