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(Unfortunately, the 55 route bus is the ONLY
public transportation available to us here at Gateway--the nearest bus route
is too far for many of us to walk to!)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Broward County Commission trims individual property taxes by $100
Libraries, parks, transit pay the price
By Scott Wyman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 24, 2008
The average homeowner will receive a tax break of almost $100 from Broward County government this fall, but the savings will come at the expense of libraries, parks and mass transit.
Voters mandated the tax cut in January when they approved a
constitutional amendment to increase the homestead exemption given to
Florida homeowners. As they approved the tax relief and spending cuts
Tuesday, county commissioners faced last-minute concerns from residents
about the loss of bus service in their neighborhoods.
"The bottom line is we needed to cut back and we needed to cut
back because of the edict from the voters," Commissioner Diana
Wasserman-Rubin said.
Tuesday's decision follows a similar-sized tax cut last year. The
county will collect less in property taxes — $890 million, compared
with $930 million — than it did in 2007.
The average home in the county is assessed at $186,450 so the
county government portion of the tax bill will drop from $763 last year
to $667 this year.
The property tax relief and the declining economy created an $87
million hole in the county's $3.6 billion budget for next year. Library
hours have been cut, most parks will be closed on Tuesday and help for
mentally ill and victims of domestic abuse will be curtailed.
County officials had thought more than 100 employees would have to
be laid off, but said Tuesday that attrition has reduced the number of
layoffs to no more than 24.
As part of its cutbacks, the county is eliminating bus service in areas
with low ridership. Route 55 was shortened to drop neighborhoods in
Victoria Park and Bayview Drive, while the Century Village condo
complex in Deerfield Beach will lose routes that go to the Town Center
mall in Boca Raton and the Pompano City Centre
Scott Wyman can be reached at swyman@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4511.
