Advocates for less fortunate make plea to Brevard County commissioners for funding shift

As of Monday, Brevard County begins its new fiscal year with a $1.3 billion budget that county commissioners approved unanimously last Tuesday.

But some local residents aren't happy with what's not in the budget.

Three of them addressed commissioners before the vote on Tuesday, saying the county budget doesn't do enough for the less fortunate in the community.

More:Finding ways to expand bus service becomes focus of county budget hearing

More:Brevard County's proposed $1.29 billion budget includes decrease in tax rate

Cocoa resident Sara Ann Conkling cited three areas of the budget she called "very upsetting." They were:

• Reduction in recent years in the budget for the Community Action Agency, which helps "vulnerable populations" with certain one-time expenses.

Conkling said the cuts will affect "elderly people, disabled people, vulnerable people, mothers with children — people I care dearly about."

• Continued cuts in funding for nonprofit community-based organizations, "who also serve our most vulnerable citizens." The cut is part of a previously approved plan to eliminate funding for this program entirely over a five-year period.

• Not enough money for public transportation.

Conkling said, while funding for Space Coast Area Transit bus service has been increasing in recent years, "all of you know that it's going to take substantial, substantive, huge, much-bigger commitment to our public transportation system to make it a good system for the disabled people who depend on it, to make it a good commuter substitute for people who go to work, to make it good for our tourists who want to get back and forth."

"I'm concerned that you don't care enough about our poor and disenfranchised citizens to use public money to care for them," Conkling told commissioners. "These vulnerable citizens need your help."

She said she is tired of the "political crap" that is going on.

"I want politicians who are willing to do the right thing, even when it takes political courage, and may cost you re-election to do it, to support it," Conkling said.

Satellite Beach resident Gail Meredith told commissioners that "it's shocking to see that we no longer care for the poor in our community and that things are as bad as they are and that public transportation is a joke here."

And Titusville resident S. Elizabeth Adams said inadequate public transportation affects many of their constituents, including their ability to get to their jobs because of the limited hours that Space Coast Area Transit buses run.

After the public comment period, county commissioners did not further discuss the speakers' concerns and made no changes in the budget plan. 

The speakers "gave their opinion, the board listened to them and made their decision," Assistant Brevard County Manager for Community Services Jim Liesenfelt said after the meeting.

Brevard County Housing and Human Services Director Ian Golden said he believes county commissioners are "trying to do the best they can with what they have," while juggling various priorities like projects to cleanup the Indian River Lagoon, road repairs and other infrastructure projects.

Brevard County Commissioner Curt Smith said after the meeting that "there are a lot of things that are worthy, but you have to focus on the necessities, and we just don't have enough money to fund everything. That's the unfortunate reality."

Bus service also was a big part of the public comment at the first county budget hearing two weeks earlier. At that Sept. 11 hearing, seven members of the public — most of them visually impaired — addressed commissioners on what they felt were shortfalls in public transit service. They urged commissioners to seek ways to find money to improve the service.

Both County Commission Vice Chair Kristine Isnardi and Commissioner Jim Barfield said they will work on ways to address that issue.

Homestead exemption change

One thing on the minds of county commissioners is a proposed Florida constitutional amendment that could drastically reduce property tax revenue for the 2019-20 budget year that begins Oct. 1, 2019.

If approved by voters on Nov. 6, it would have a potential $12 million impact on the county budget — meaning some tough decisions on what to include and not include in budget a year from now.

The Florida Legislature last year enacted a measure that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot as Amendment 1. If at least 60 percent of Florida voters approve Amendment 1, it would increase Florida's homestead exemption by $25,000 on homes with an assessed value more than $100,000. The current maximum homestead exemption is $50,000.

Brevard County Manager Frank Abbate told county commissioners at a budget workshop earlier this year that the additional homestead exemption would reduce property tax revenue to Brevard County by $12.06 million, starting in the budget year that begins Oct. 1, 2019.

That would include $7.28 million for the general countywide fund, with the rest of the impact split between various other budget components. The largest of those impacts would be on law enforcement ($1.09 million), library services ($873,330), recreation districts ($782,982) and fire control ($698,686).

Abbate told commissioners at the time that, based on latest-available data, 71,824 properties in Brevard County — or 21.9 percent of the Brevard's 328,711 properties — would be eligible for part or all of the proposed additional homestead exemption.

The rest of the properties would not qualify for one of several reasons, including:

• They are commercial properties, so would not qualify for a homestead exemption.

• They are residential properties, but are not the owners' primary home or are rental properties, so would not qualify for a homestead exemption.

• They are primary residences that have an existing homestead exemption, but are assessed at less than $100,000.

Budget by the numbers

Here are some details about the 2018-18 county budget and the tax rates that commissioners unanimously approved:

• Increase from current budget: The $1.30 billion budget represents a 1.41 percent increase from the current budget of a little more than $1.28 billion.

• General fund tax rate: The general fund tax rate is $3.95 per $1,000 of taxable property value, down from $4.16 per $1,000 in the current year. This is the sixth consecutive year that the general countywide property tax rate has been reduced from the prior-year rate. 

• Increased property tax revenue: The combined effect of an 8.97 percent increase in property values, new construction and the reduction in the general countywide property tax rate resulted in increased general property tax revenue of $5.3 million for 2018-19.

• Impact on other tax rates: Separate from the general fund, tax rates will decline in 18 taxing districts and would rise in the other four. These taxing districts cover such areas as law enforcement, fire control, recreation, roads, libraries, mosquito control and environmentally endangered lands.

• Aggregate tax rate drops: The aggregate tax rate — which represents all operational tax rates — is $6.03 per $1,000, down from current aggregate rate of $6.33 per $1,000. 

Dave Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY. 

His Political Spin column runs Sundays in FLORIDA TODAY. 

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649

or dberman@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @bydaveberman

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