The St. Johns County Commission voted last Thursday, Sept. 20 to adopt its millage rates and budget for Fiscal Year 2019.
The county’s rolled-back millage rate is 6.9128, and the final aggregate millage rate is set at 7.2511. The percentage increase from the rolled-back rate is 4.89 percent. According to Jesse Dunn, the county’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, the purpose for the increase over the rolled-back rate is to fund operations including capital outlay and deferred maintenance in the General Fund, Fire District Fund and Transportation Trust Fund. The commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt the millage rates, which encompass specific rates such as the Fire District Fund millage rate and County Transportation Trust Fund millage rate, among others.
The county’s final budget for Fiscal Year 2019 is $840,609,758. As discussed by Dunn, the budget focuses on many of the issues highlighted this year. He said it adheres to the budget guidelines set forth by the Commission in February 2018, which included 2 percent operating costs and a 3.2 cost index applied for all employer, employee and retiree healthcare contributions, among other guidelines.
Dunn noted the budget addresses upcoming property tax reform to ensure continuity of services. If such reform is passed on the ballot this coming November, he said tax reform will reduce property taxes in excess of $10 million annually beginning in Fiscal Year 2020. The Property Appraiser’s certified valuation determined an 8.9 percent taxable value growth increase for Fiscal Year 2019 resulting in an incremental $14.6 million in property taxes, said Dunn. As a preemptive response to the potential tax reform, $8.1 million of the $14.6 million will be appropriated into Fiscal Year 2019 operations, with $6.5 million set aside into reserves for Fiscal Year 2020.
In addition, Dunn said the 2019 budget increases investment into deferred maintenance to preserve existing infrastructure and balances recurring operating costs with recurring revenues without using reserves to do so. The budget, he noted, also preserves reserves to address unanticipated challenges. The county’s total reserves represent almost $227,000,000.
The budget process, which began in February 2018, also included continued examination of cost recovery for services and carryforwards.
The tentative budget workbook, Dunn said, came in at $840,660,313. Because the commissioners voted not to levy the East Ponte Vedra and Vilano Beach MSTU on Sept. 4, that number was taken out of the budget, bringing it to $840,080,706. Between the tentative budget and advertisement of the final budget hearing, the Office of Management and Budget found two corrections, including almost $22,000 in a general fund ad valorem adjustment and a $48 Vilano Street Lighting District ad valorem adjustment. The final budget advertisement on Sept. 17 brought the budget to $840,058,758. At the Commission’s most recent meeting on Sept. 17, the commissioners approved a few items that ultimately resulted in the adjustment of the 2019 budget, bringing the final number to $840,609,758.
The budget passed 4-1. Commissioner Jeb Smith was the dissenting vote, voicing his reservations with two recommended Full Time Employees (FTEs) in the budget and a few of the other line items.
For more information, visit http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/.
