Opinion
By Steve Nicklas, 8-3-23
A majority of Fernandina Beach commissioners tried to deliver a Christmas gift in July to city residents – rolling back the property-tax rate. But the frugal endeavor was met with grinch-like resistance.
Bradley Bean, David Sturges and Darron Ayscue voted last week for holding the line on property taxes next year. It is a commendable, Santa Claus-spirited effort. However, it is not yet final.
Leading the resistance was head grinch Chip Ross, a city commissioner who has never seen a tax dollar he didn’t like or want to spend. James Antun sided with Ross in a 3-2 vote, a monumental mistake that could make him a one-term commissioner, if history is a guide.
“The rollback rate is not a tax decrease,” Bean said at the meeting. “We’re not lowering taxes. We’re simply not raising them.
“It’s been over a decade since we have achieved this goal,” Bean said. “We’ve raised your taxes year after year after year.”
Over the last year, taxable property values increased by 14 percent in the city. This follows an even larger increase last year. So what will city officials do if property values decline from a hurricane or a recession, generating less tax revenues?
During the commission meeting, 10 residents surprisingly spoke in favor of raising property taxes. These are likely pawns for Ross, their appearances orchestrated to support his big-spending ways.
Ironically, many people move here from the north, drawn by lower taxes and less regulations and more freedom. However, they sometimes revert to their previous lifestyles, dominated by bigger government.
The city is hardly hurting for money. The city’s budget has exploded in recent years through a seismic increase in property values. And city officials spend just as quickly.
It appears the trio of frugal musketeers want this expansion to end. City residents and businesses deserve a tax break. After several more public hearings, the tax cuts would be cemented in a final vote.
Hopefully Bean, Sturges and Ayscue can stick to their convictions. It’s unlikely they will be joined by either the bullheaded Ross or the indecisive Antun. You hope more residents turn out to endorse their bold attempt to curtail our lavish spending.
In the past, city officials have embraced unnecessary big-ticket projects like the $5 million fire station, the $4 million airport terminal, the nearly $2 million in repairs at the Peck Center, and more. Part of these costs were covered by state or federal grants, but most came from local tax dollars.
In their sights now are a $2 million opening of Alachua Street, a multi-million-dollar relocation of city hall, and an elusive sea wall that could cost more than all these projects combined. Maybe we could put a dancing fountain and lights on top of the sea wall for decoration.
Instead, how about putting a freeze on new spending, especially big-ticket items, and scaling back the bloated staff and fleet of vehicles reminiscent of CarMax. These line-item revisions would free up money for maintaining the streets and sidewalks and beach accesses, all of them necessities.
Thinking outside the box, Ayscue suggested coordinating services with the county government and seeking funds from the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council. Let’s not overlook the powerful attraction of downtown Fernandina Beach to the tourism industry.
Bean explained how renters are particularly harmed by tax increases. Each year, any additional costs (i.e. homeowners’ insurance) are passed on to renters by their landlords. This is also a vicious, never-ending cycle.
In addition, a sizable amount of tax dollars is left over from the last budget. “We taxed you so much last year that we literally couldn’t spend it all in a calendar year,” Bean said.
Steve Nicklas is the managing partner of Nicklas Wealth Management in Fernandina Beach. He is also an award-winning columnist. His columns regularly appear in weekly newspapers in Northeast Florida and in Southeast Georgia, and on his website at www.SteveNicklasMarketplace.com. He has published a book, “All About Money,” of his favorite columns from the past 20 years. The book is available on Amazon. He has also done financial reports for area radio stations and for National Public Radio in Jacksonville. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 904-753-0236.)
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
