Best of 2014: Mega Taxing District Looks Like a Slush Fund

The largest taxing district ever created in Manatee County has been approved. The goals of the Southwest County Improvement District (SWTIF) are voluminous, and whether they want to admit it or not, county commissioners had the power to achieve any of them without creating a new taxing district.

You might ask why you should care. Well, first of all, the money to do all of this will come from your taxes. As taxable values increase, 50 percent of the new money will go into the new taxing district, even though Manatee County is deficit spending right now. The county does not have enough revenues with current taxes to pay for budgeted expenses. In business, we call this operating at a loss.

Manatee Commissioners have been using what are called budget stabilization funds to have enough money to pay their bills. Most of the budget stabilization fund was generated about 6 years ago, and targeted for parks and other quality of life improvements. The recession hit and taxable values plummeted. So instead of using the money for the intended purpose, it has helped make up for the deficit.

This year, the BOCC also increased the countywide millage rate from 6.2993 to 6.3126, increasing taxes for a total tax increase of 5.23%. To make matters worse, the county commission did not have enough money from the indigent care fund to fund a full year, so they took over a million dollars from the taxpayers’ savings to avoid reducing hospital subsidies.

The impact from the new taxing district will likely force an increase in tax rates to maintain needed public services. As the county grows, there is no free ride. We will surely see more calls for service for law enforcement, more ambulance transports, as well as increases in things like senior services.

We can’t meet the budget now, and taking 50 percent for this new taxing district will either cause a reduction of services impacting public safety, and/or an increase in taxes to help the SWTIF, which some of us believe will be little more than a subsidy program for developers.

The mission statement for the SWTIF plan states: “Thirty year plan to improve neighborhoods and redevelop corridors while protecting environmentally sensitive areas. Support transportation mobility, encourage economic investment and redevelopment, maintain public safety, provide affordable housing options, transform area corridors into vibrant places, assist small business, sustain the involvement of the public and partner with academic institutions to better integrate schools into the fabric of the community.”

That sounds like what the commissioners should be working to do for the whole county in the first place! Stop with the smoke and mirrors. To me, this looks like nothing more than a new slush fund to help developers offset costs and pad their bottom line. Taxpayers in Manatee County deserve better.

Joe McClash is the Publisher of The Bradenton Times. He served on the Manatee County Commission for 22 years.