Commissioner references emails she has received from constituents
As part of her remarks during the Board Reports section of the Aug. 26 Sarasota County Commission meeting, Commissioner Teresa Mast raised an issue that — she indicated — needed clarification.
“I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s been receiving these wonderful emails about the TRIM notices that came out and the confusion … that lies in there,” she began, making it clear that her use of “wonderful” was sarcastic.
She was referring to the Truth in Millage notices that the Sarasota County Property Appraiser’s Office mails out each August. Those documents go to property owners, showing them the maximum amount of taxes they would be expected to pay in the next fiscal year, which always begins on Oct. 1.
As local government leaders point out annually, the millage rates and assessments shown on the TRIM notices are the maximum levels that any local taxing authority can impose. The figures can be lowered before or during the formal budget public hearings that local government bodies generally conduct in September.
“We do not set the appraisal value of individuals’ [properties],” including homes and businesses, Mast continued. “And I wanted to make sure I put that on the record,” she added, addressing Chair Joe Neunder.
“There seems to be a lot of confusion about who sets those values,” Mast added. “We have absolutely no purview over that …”
The Property Appraiser’s Office releases the new value each year for each piece of property in the county, as shown on the Property Appraiser’s Office website during any search regarding the history of those figures.
Mast did note that the taxing authorities — such as the County Commission — set the millage rates. She added that she did not believe the county’s millage rate had been adjusted higher for more than 20 years.
Staff in the Commission Chambers of the R.L. Anderson Administration Center in Venice told her that the millage rate had not been raised in 35 years.
“I greatly appreciate all the emails,” Mast continued. “I respect [the senders’] frustration.”
Referencing the fact that even though few people were in attendance at the meeting at that point, in early afternoon, she expected individuals were watching the session via other means, such as live-streaming.
“You have been heard,” she told county residents who had contacted her.
“I’m sure they’re watching, and I’m sure they’ve heard,” Neunder added.
In general, he points out, “In determining a property’s value, we consider and analyze the subject property and market information. We gather this information from various sources. The information includes such items as:
“The values of similar properties with a similar use, a review of Income and Expense Surveys (see below), any effect of nearby major construction or other external conditions, whether there has been a change in how the property is used affecting its income potential, the sales price if the property has recently sold, comparable sales of land and improved properties, rents, operating expenses, construction costs, and accrued depreciation, the description of the subject, its condition, its area (size), both land and improvements, its location, the market parameters established by the subdivision, neighborhood and market area, its zoning, the age/year built and history.
“The information is gathered from such sources as:
“Public records, office files, cost information, plans and specifications, confidential taxpayer information, and third party data available by subscription or other means.”