Manatee County Commission Adopts FY 2014 Millage Rates, Budget

BRADENTON – In a unanimous vote on Thursday evening, the Manatee BOCC approved the county’s millage rates and budget going into FY 2013-14. 

The meeting was the second and final public hearing for the approved items.

The millage rates for all property tax funds will remain unchanged per the budget, and so the countywide millage rates, or the total rate for all funds, will stay at 6.3.

County Administrator Ed Hunzeker gave both positive and cautious comments to the county’s fiscal situation, saying 2014 “will be the first year (in several) that we will have a bit of uptick in revenues,” while remarking that $18 million from the county’s reserves was used to balance the coming year’s budget. 

He also noted that the county’s credit rating was recently upgraded. 

James Seuffert, County Director of Financial Management, explained that due to growth in the county’s tax base, the county will receive increased funding from property tax revenues.

Seuffert said that the additional property tax proceeds will be used to pay for public safety costs, including increasing the size of county law enforcement.