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Paul “Andy” Stewart
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Tab 11
Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
September 27, 2011
Dundee Imposing Tax Rate Increase
Author: DONNA KELLY
DUNDEE Dundee residents will experience a property tax rate increase for the first time in over
a decade in order to fund an austere budget. The Dundee Town Council approved a $4.2 million
budget in a 4-1 vote Tuesday. Councilman Randy Dowd voted against it.
Council members also approved in a 4 - 1 vote a property tax rate of $7.65 — an increase over
last year's tax rate of $7.00 — per $1,000 of taxable value. Dowd cast the dissenting vote.
This means that a homeowner with property valued at $100,000 with $50,000 in homestead
exemptions will have a property tax bill of $382.50.
The town initially approved the rate Sept. 13 as the roll-back rate. The rate went up because total
property values in the town dropped. The roll-back rate is set by state law to bring in the same
amount of revenue next fiscal year as the town received this year.
Town Manager Andy Stewart was notified Monday by Property Appraiser Marsha Fox that the
actual assessed value of taxable property in the town was $9,000 less than the amount on which
the budget was based, a 1.03 percent difference. State law allows an increase in tax rate after
approval if actual property tax revenues are at least 1 percent less than projected. The $7.73 tax
rate would generate $939,851 in property tax revenue for the town, the same amount as last year.
Stewart gave the council the option of increasing the tax rate to $7.73 or adopting a revised
budget with $9,000 worth of budget cuts, including some contract work by the Central Florida
Development Council, code enforcement and $1,500 for the town's Fourth of July fireworks.
They chose the budget cuts.
The $4.2 million budget is a decrease of more than $1.2 million — 22.6 percent — from this
fiscal year's $5.5 million budget. The Dundee budget includes two spending categories: The $2.4
million general fund, which supports police, fire and most city functions, and the enterprise fund
for sewer and water activities. None of the town's 19 full-time employees will receive a pay
increase.
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