Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Lake Worth Taxes - The Power of People

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As poverty hits a 52 week high with 46.2 million people living below the poverty line, the Lake Worth City Commission did the right thing by its people last night. It voted down the 17% proposed rate hike in garbage fees. Many of those who live here are a part of the poverty statistic. They have lost their jobs, lost their homes or businesses, living on fixed incomes or struggling to pay the rent and high electric bills.

With North Palm Beach, Palm Springs, PB Gardens, Wellington and Greenacres to name a few that are holding their millage at last year's rate, Lake Worth still has raised many taxes and wants to raise its millage by 7% over roll-back rate. The Fire Assessment of $60 per parcel will be heard on September 22.

The commission chamber was packed. There was a room full of people who seldom or never go to commission meetings--new faces who showed up to let the Commission know of their displeasure. Cesar Figueroa, part of my extended family, was literally escorted out by an armed sheriff deputy. He didn't care. He was just plain furious. He has been struggling just to hold on to his business in this economy and all he saw were people trying to grab what little cash he has. Cesar said, "Small businesses are being annihilated. We are unemployed because there is not enough economy and we can't meet these increases and taxes imposed by Lake Worth." The very fact that new faces confronted the Commission spoke volumes and it made them listen and act.

From Palm Beach County to Lake Worth, people are in an uproar regarding tax increases. Labor costs have been steadily growing beyond sustainability during this depression. Not one citizen understands why public safety takes more than half of the operating budget. No one understands why pension costs have escalated beyond common sense and beyond their capability to pay for the very services they need.

In Lake Worth, we have seen budgets cut, lay-offs, the closing of our pool, our museum, and shockingly learn that for the past several years, we were operating beyond our means and burning all our cash reserves. We wonder how other cities operate more efficiently and why we can't manage our money especially when we have our own Utility and worry about the multi-millions spent there. We wonder why the City has to raise so many taxes as all property values have gone down throughout the County, not just Lake Worth and other cities are managing better.

The Neighborhood Associations have become much more active and giving back with their time and labor to clean up yards and helping the guy who lives next door. The residents of Lake Worth have always been ready to defend their neighborhoods and their friends. During these difficult times, it will be up to the neighborhoods, as Code Enforcement clearly has not worked.

A lot of us have come together during these difficult times. We all hope that the City Commission will appreciate the hardships that a majority of us are enduring every day. We ask them to consider that when the vote comes up on the fire pension tax on September 22 that will be a burden to 77% of the property owners in Lake Worth who will be paying more as City manager Susan Stanton wants to "democratize" the rate (everyone paying the same regardless of ability or income).

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened with the storm water assessments? Citizen after citizen got up to complain how flawed and un-fair the calculations were.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update Lynn as this is at least one step in the right direction....Normally not a sceptic how do you feel that this is happening right before elections and not a ploy to sway voters? It great that this is one that did not increase but it would be nice if this is sincerity from the commission and not just another "smoke and mirror" performance right before elections to win votes.

Lynn Anderson said...

The Commission directed that a process for non-residential Mitigation Credits be developed and
the Resolution contains the application for credit adjustments. The tax passed on a 5/0 to stay the same as last year, $75.60

Anonymous said...

The Commission had no choice but to listen to the public last night. The only reason the property owners got this notice of increase was because the Commission approved it. Why weren't all the questions asked by the Commission last night asked when this increase was first proposed? If they had done their job then and said no, there would have been a lot less anxiety among LW residents. But at least the outcome was the correct one.

Lynn Anderson said...

Well, I personally do not think it was political. I believe that the vast numbers of "new" people was what swayed them to make a 180^ and the many e-mails of condemnation.

Robert said...

Unfortunately it is another "smoke and mirror" performance right before the election. The Commission is the one who voted to tentatively put the increase on the non-ad valorum assessment. If they were doing their job, the proposed increase would never have been accepted.

Sue said...

Lynn, they did a 180 turn last night because they are worried about re-election, Golden knows she won't likely be elected and Waterman is really worried as so many residents have complained to her about all these taxes and assessments. What ever happened with the past when we were told we could not be increase more than 3% in one year from the previous year? Is that still in place? Governments need to be more effective, spend less, stop the waste, and take pay cuts, make salaries comparable to the average person, the CM makes way too much and she seems to cause a lot of grief for us in this city. How is she able to manipulate things they way she does?

Lynn Anderson said...

You are referring to Save Our Homes, a Florida law. This exemption is the very one that the city manager is objecting to as the city is unable to collect advalorem taxes because of the drop in value.

It is a cap on the assessed value of a homesteaded property, not on the taxes paid. Florida also allows a 10% cap on non-homesteaded properties, such as second homes or Commercial properties.

Anonymous said...

Correction, the fire assessment isn't $60 a parcel, its $60 a dwelling unit as I've got two assessments for one parcel (I've got a carriage house).

The County and PBSO are just crazy, the budget balooned under the real estate bubble but population and services did not keep up, where did all the money go (to pensions and contracts, at least 70% or more of both budgets is personnel costs) they could all cut their budget to keep millage flat without reducing services but instead Bradshaw, who I'm never voting for, claims that any further cuts will require cuts to deputies and the County trots out favorites, like parks and recreations, that people will object to. Why not give all the County and PBSO making more than $100,000 a hair cut, the average household income in PB co. is $40 thousandish, but we all have to pay more in taxes to make sure the public "servent" can retire in style.

Give me a break. I've made a commitment not to vote for any of these people, I'm not voting for Golden who I've supported twice in the past or anyone else at the City or County level that supports this irrational position.

Lynn Anderson said...

The assessment for the fire pension is per parcel but they count the number of dwelling units on the parcel. I failed to mention that so thank for pointing it out.

Anonymous said...

Further on the Fire Assessment....its not just $60 a parcel, its &60 per residential unit, plus $.13 per SF for Business....so all your licenced rentals are classified as business....so a lot could have more than double or triple, while a more expensive single still gets the $60. I think they need to re-evaluate a little on that.... I am willing to do my part, but fairly.....

Anonymous said...

This tax bothers me more than any other assessment or tax that the city wants to impose on us. I think it is illegal.

Anonymous said...

Regarding rental assessment, one of my three assessments is for a rental unit, with a rental license, I follow the rules, so 8.27 are you saying I'm going to pay $60 for the unit plus .13 per square foot because its got a business license?? If that is true, that is not what the City is telling me via the assessment notice I received for that property?

Is that coming later, when is the meeting on this assessment??

Lynn Anderson said...

The city commission will vote to implement the special assessment (tax) on September 22 at 6pm City Hall. Whatever you received in the mail will be your tax.

Anonymous said...

I've done more research on this issue, I believe, based on a review of the special assessment statute and case law interpreting same that a special assessment for fire service is permissible. But here the problem is that LW is not assessing us for service but for a pension. I don't see how pension costs can be defined as falling within the term "fire service" rather pensions go to pay people for no service not service and its future costs.

I think the City would have been better off if it had assessed for acutal fire services rather then pension costs, but I'm guessing it can't do so since we don't run the fire dept in the City any more.

Anyone with thoughts on this, I'd like to hear more.

Lynn Anderson said...

I am doing a blog on this very thing ready to come out in the a.m.

Anonymous said...

Lynn, I like many others received assessments for fire
coverage on my units from Lake Worth & I believe this
to be improper as I believe this to be an item that should
by law, be on the ballot box. Am I right??? Gene!!!!

Anonymous said...

It's $60 per unit for residential, or $0.13 per SF for business, not both.