In Your Corner

Last week was the most important one in the year for your Taxpayers’ Association. On Monday The City of Stuart finalized their preliminary budget. On Tuesday the County finalized their draft and the School Board formally approved theirs. With limited space for our comments here we urge our members and other taxpayers to watch those deliberations on MCTV ch-20 or visit the County and City websites. The following were our high points:

- The City of Stuart absorbed reduced property and other tax revenues by reduced spending and maintained their current millage rate. We applauded this decision that will translate into a tax decrease for most Stuart residents and businesses. The County should have followed their lead.

- The County’s Constitutional Officers (Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Tax Appraiser, Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections all maintained or reduced their budget requests. We reiterate the public praise we’ve already given the Sheriff’s budget that has been maintained or reduced for three yeas in a row.

- We want to especially commend Ms Ruth Pietruszewski, our new Tax Collector. She collected 99.9% of 2009 taxes due (only $22,000 outstanding of $300 million) during our economic downturn while reducing expenses 9%. She also achieved many operational efficiencies and instituted programs to improve customer service and bring new income to the County.

Unfortunately, there were also low points that need to be highlight so residents, especially voters, can weigh in before the County budget is formally approved in September.

- We are concerned about the County relying on ASSESSMENTS rather than TAXES to fund specific functions. Following Commission approval to assess rather than tax there was the $2 million increase in the Storm Water budget for 2010. We understand the reasoning presented, but a 22% ($2 million) up tick is excessive. This also brings into question the proposed transfer of County Fire Service funding to a similar ASSESSMENT next year. Their 2010 operating budget is 97% personnel costs and is significantly increased due to 42 new hires and 30 positions created this year. Thirty-three of these personnel are currently 90% funded by a federal grant that rapidly decreases to zero over the next four years and there will be capital equipment to replace. We believe the total amount redistributed in 2011 by ASSESSING Fire Service could amount to well over $30 million with much of it placed on farms, churches and other tax exempt/reduced properties. Who will control the total amount being assessed? Finally, IRS regulations indicate assessments are NOT Federal Income Tax deductible.

- We were disappointed with the Commission’s funding of their individual Municipal Service Taxing Units. These are a Commissioner’s district specific taxes used to fund pet projects. There is currently $6.7 million in these accounts with another $230,000 budgeted for 2010. While not huge dollars this year, it is an average millage increase for these accounts of 13.5%. This is not the right leadership for a time of layoffs/furloughs. We believe that each Commissioner should have a yearly MSTU stipend of $25–50,000 to use as seed money for volunteer projects and district activities. Any funds not spent should be refunded to the district by a direct reduction to the next year’s MSTU millage. Any project needing more resources or multi-year support should have to compete before the entire Commission for County-wide funding. We applaud Ms Valliere for zeroing her 2010 MSTU funds and highlighting the issue.

In summary, Ms Kryzda, Acting County Administrator, melded County and Constitutional inputs with Commissioner “instructions” into a well-run, efficient presentation. However, we do not agree with some Commission decisions, particularly those mentioned above and the 8+% increase in 2010 property millage.