Commission voted a 3% property-tax increase

The St. Augustine Beach City Commission voted Monday, October 5, to keep the operating property tax at $2.50 for every $1,000 of taxable value. The ordinance says that rate brings in 3 percent more than the rate that would have raised the same property-tax money as last year. On a house, that is about $7 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value.

The vote was the special budget meeting restarted at 5:45 p.m. from the earlier hearing. Ordinance 26-09 passed with no votes against, at 5:50 p.m. They opened public comment again for anyone who missed the first hearing. No one spoke.

At the Sept. 24 hearing, a speaker told the commission that misinformation had been mailed out claiming the commission has been raising taxes, and that the taxes have gone down. A commissioner said they had been about to make the same point. The ordinance adopted Monday is what calls this same $2.50 rate a 3 percent increase.

Staff had just called the history of the rate excellent, and said the city is still trending down. At 5:52 p.m. they adopted the budget that spends the tax.