Property Taxes (Alachua: real estate, budget, house)

[bale002]

Originally Posted by firemed

There are mixed messages when it comes to the property tax amendment on this month's primary ballot.

Voting on the property tax amendment may prove tougher for some than choosing their next president.

Janes says a $240 savings is peanuts for most homeowners. And that money comes at the expense of roads, housing, and emergency services. He's just not sure that it's worth it."

Why does he not point to wasteful spending?

You're absolutely right, there are mixed messages coming from this proposal, as is the intent to keep people confused.

The confusion will continue until wasteful spending is the center of the debate, but that's hard to do.

[HIF]

I voted NO this morning. Some counties have multiple special taxing districts, so the impact if this goes through would not be as great as in counties that primarily rely on property taxes.

[randian]

Originally Posted by SouthFloridaNative

They told me to think twice before we vote yes because emergency services will be slashed in half because they will loose alot of their funding. They told me that if we vote yes there may not be an ambulance available for us if we were having a heart attack and it would be OUR fault.

What a fraud! Cities play this game all the time. Bad, horrible things will happen if taxes go down! Oh yeah, how about cutting back on the fat and pork before cutting EMS? How about holding the line on salaries and benefits (especially pension benefits)? How about not building another useless senior center?

[paradiddle]

Originally Posted by Lilybeans

Vote no on this. This doesn't solve anything, and your taxes will definitely go up. School taxes will now become disconnected from any cap, and school taxes are the biggest portion of your tax bill.

This goofy amendment was cobbled together in 5 days. We all know how much insurance went down after that law was passed and that took a little longer than 5 days. This is bad.

The property tax system here is very flawed. SOH-1 was a political ploy to get the votes. Who wouldn't vote for having everyone else pay most of the tax. SOH-2 is just another extension of that. It is better than nothing and it makes Charlie look good. (I do like Charlie though). I didn't know it would unleash the school tax?? If true that's a baaad idea.

Don't be fooled that millage rates won't go up and in the end you end up paying the same. Do you really think that the county is going to take a 10-20% cut off the top?

I do believe we need something that makes budgets hold the line. Maybe a cap rate on the money collected - not property value. People, it's just simple math.

SOH-1 was also invented "protect" the house rich and fixed income crowd. I say give them the discount but on sale of home pay up what you should have been paying. No exemptions. Everyone pays their fair share and make govt. hold budgets to inflation rate increases. Allow tax overides if voted upon by community. Pretty simple.

I always use the example of my street - one pays $550 another pays $3100.
I'm sure the $550 guy thinks its fair....

[floridasandy]

Originally Posted by paradiddle

The property tax system here is very flawed. SOH-1 was a political ploy to get the votes. Who wouldn't vote for having everyone else pay most of the tax. SOH-2 is just another extension of that. It is better than nothing and it makes Charlie look good. (I do like Charlie though). I didn't know it would unleash the school tax?? If true that's a baaad idea.

Don't be fooled that millage rates won't go up and in the end you end up paying the same. Do you really think that the county is going to take a 10-20% cut off the top?

I do believe we need something that makes budgets hold the line. Maybe a cap rate on the money collected - not property value. People, it's just simple math.

SOH-1 was also invented "protect" the house rich and fixed income crowd. I say give them the discount but on sale of home pay up what you should have been paying. No exemptions. Everyone pays their fair share and make govt. hold budgets to inflation rate increases. Allow tax overides if voted upon by community. Pretty simple.

I always use the example of my street - one pays $550 another pays $3100.
I'm sure the $550 guy thinks its fair....

that person is going to be your no voter.

[nanwalt3]

You're all right, it doesn't seem like this is going to solve the real problem we have with taxes and spending.
The Mayor of our fine city said "This would be devastating!" when this was introduced. She fails to realize that its devastating for every homeowner in the State, when as someone said earlier last year, "our city council spends like drunken sailors," and our taxes keep going up and up.

I think it would be refreshing if they quit trying to use scare tactics by saying the first cuts, will be fire and police. Instead, why don't they decide the first cuts should be a 50% reduction in their salaries, just for starters. They constantly tell us during an election year, how they enjoy public service. Now is the time for them to prove it by action NOT words and promises.

Everyone needs to pay their fair share in taxes. You shouldn't have 1 homeowner pay $550 and another pay $3,100. If it was a level playing field, then it wouldn't be a burden. I have a homesteaded property, but I think it needs to be a fair system.
Government officials have to be accountable for spending our money!

[ssgt]

The problem here is spending. No doubt about it. Everyone says" cut spending!" but what they really mean is " cut spending as long as it doesnt effect MY freebes".


Road Rangers...... Change your own tire or call someone who will

Senior Centers....sorry guys, install your own shuffleboard court

"The Arts"....this should be self supporting, let those that want it pay for it

Road Work....put the chain gangs back to work, they did it when I was growing up AND crime wasnt nearly as bad as it is now.

The list goes on. No one wants to give up their own personal freebe....just the other guys.

[wacahootaman]

In Alachua county, they got over 120 million dollars in increased property tax revenue during 3 years of the real estate bubble yet cry doomsday if they are forced to cut 7 million from their budget. In addition the county commissioners have set aside tens of thousands of tax dollars to campaign against admendment to reduce taxes.

They also just added a new gas tax of 5 cents a gallon and have 20 million in unused funds in their coffers.

And they are proposing building a new 23 million dollar "arena" with the taxpayers dollars.

They own the Gainesville Regional Utilities that they could sell for hundreds of millions in new funds plus add hundreds of millions to the local tax base but they wont. The need another 140 million dollars to refurbish their power plant and bring it up to enviromental standards.

They are typical of many arrogant, greedy, local governments that oppress their citizens in Florida.

People talk about the greed or the corporations but what about the greed of the bloated local government extorting money from its citizens under the threat of property confiscation and with bogus scare tactics?

At least no corporation can force me to buy its product.But the local tax mafia can force its serfs, er I mean its citizens, to pay them almost any tax rate they deem necessary to fund their pompous projects.

Despite my feeling on this, I will vote no to the admendment because it is a sham. If we give the long time SOH beneficiaries portability they will be forever satisfied with their priviledged status and will never vote for REAL tax reform.

Reject these table crumbs from the politicians and let the pressure for true property tax relief build.

There will be a much better offer fro tax reform on the ballot during the 2008 presidential elections.

[Aaron Long]

Originally Posted by SouthFloridaNative

I just had to post after a conversation I had tonight with my neighbors (who both are employed by EMS). They asked me tonight if we were voting for the super homestead. They told me to think twice before we vote yes because emergency services will be slashed in half because they will loose alot of their funding. They told me that if we vote yes there may not be an ambulance available for us if we were having a heart attack and it would be OUR fault. This made me start thinking. We pay almost 4x what all our neighbors pay for taxes. We have the smallest home in our neighborhood on the same exact amount of land, but we pay 4x the taxes because we bought in 2006. How is that fair? I think it would better if the county adjusted OUR taxes to an average of what our neighbors pay. Heck, if I paid what they paid in taxes I could also care less about having my exemption doubled!! Doesn't this make more sense than doubling everyone's homestead exemption??? Base property taxes on a neighborhood average rather the price paid on the home.

That dang ambulance better answer my 911 call before my neighbor's if I'm paying 4x the amount of taxes to fund it, right?

Everyone, I am sure does not understand that anyone with a home valued under 50,000.00 does not get any additional break in Taxes. This amendment is Strictly to Benefit People with Big estates, and people Like Donald Trump a friend of Our Governot who is pushing this amendment, old Smily Charlies Himself.
Aaron Long

[macguy]

Originally Posted by Aaron Long

Everyone, I am sure does not understand that anyone with a home valued under 50,000.00 does not get any additional break in Taxes. This amendment is Strictly to Benefit People with Big estates, and people Like Donald Trump a friend of Our Governot who is pushing this amendment, old Smily Charlies Himself.
Aaron Long

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