Volusia County stands to lose nearly $93 million in property tax revenues, if voters approve a proposal for major reforms now headed to the November ballots.
If 60% of Florida voters approve them, the proposed cuts would decimate local government budgets as they currently stand.
RELATED: Florida’s property tax reduction plan heads to voters. Here’s what’s in it
Counties and cities would need to dramatically reshape their approach to providing many of the core public services residents expect, Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald said at this week’s council meeting.
“It's not just a tax reform. It'll be a government service reform. We will no longer be able to deliver those services in the manner in which we do them today,” Recktenwald said.
Fire protection and emergency medical services, garbage collection and mosquito control are among the public services that stand to be affected.
Outside of property taxes, many of the county’s other revenue streams are restricted to specific purposes like stormwater projects, water infrastructure or the airport and so could not help offset the anticipated loss, according to Chief Financial Officer Ryan Ossowski.
“You can't use airport resources to balance these property tax obligations …. You could not raise a special assessment for garbage collection to help offset your general property tax burdens.”
District 5 council member and former state representative David Santiago said he supports eliminating or majorly reforming property taxes. He acknowledged it’s a “tough topic” of conversation, echoing other council members’ comments.
“We voted unanimously to ask the legislature to look into this,” Santiago said. “We may have been the only county in the entire state to do that … We meant what we said.”
Santiago said, while the county would need to come up with new funding strategies for certain, agreed-upon priorities, he would not want Volusia trying to make up the full anticipated shortfall from the pending property tax proposal.
“I do not support and condone finding ways to fill the entire gap,” Santiago said. “This is going to push us, is gonna push other counties and all the cities into real, serious reforms. And it's probably gonna be painful along the way. I don't say probably; it's gonna be. And how we get there is gonna be the true test.”
Environmental advocate and Charter Review Commission member Suzanne Scheiber said she’s not sure yet which way she’ll vote in November. But she feels “really leery” about what might happen next.
Especially given the tight timeframe, Scheiber said, she’s concerned about whether Volusia leaders could come up with a sustainable plan for funding key services and infrastructure, including the county’s land conservation program Volusia Forever.
“They're going to have to start working on this right now. They can't wait until November, when we vote,” Scheiber said. “And so if it is voted down, look at the manpower wasted. And if it's voted up, will they really have a good long-term plan?”
Ossowski said the proposed reforms would apply for January 1, 2027, a tax roll date. “What that means: it's the tax roll of 2027, which is what funds the fiscal year 2028 budget.”
Waiting until November to start planning for the potential shortfall would leave the county with just about six months — from next summer through Christmas — to come up with a plan.
“The speed with which this is going to occur is going to make it very difficult to change the manner in which we deliver [services],” Recktenwald said.
Election Day is Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote is July 20, according to the state elections office.
