St. Johns proposed 2025 budget would keep tax rate steady. Property owners would pay more

St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews has proposed a $1.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 that keeps the property tax rate the same as 2024. But, if adopted, it still means property owners will pay a little more.

The St. Johns County Commission has started the process for the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget.

According to a county news release, St. Johns County saw a 13.2% increase in its total taxable property value. That will bring in $40.8 million more to pay for things such as continued road construction and improvements, hiring firefighters and increasing the salary of sheriff's deputies.

Truth in Millage notices documenting the proposed millage rates, the estimated taxes a taxpayer could pay, and information on the first public hearing will be mailed to all property taxpayers.

Andrews described the budget recommendations as a commitment to position the county for success.

“This budget recommendation maintains our focus on essential services and introduces strategic investments that will benefit our community for years to come, primarily in roads, water, parks, libraries, public safety, and staff,” she said.

Andrews said that the budget recommendations will also yield an additional 15% to the county’s reserve fund “to be adequately prepared for an active hurricane season.”

Jesse Dunn, the county’s budget director, said that although the county's tax base increased 13.2%, Florida’s Save Our Homes provision protects homestead properties from a full increase in assessed value.

“At the proposed flat millage rates, homestead property will experience an approximate 3% increase over last year,” he said. “About two-thirds of our St. Johns County residential parcels are protected by the Save Our Homes program.”

Dunn said a non-homestead property is capped at a 10% annual increase in assessed value.

The County Commission has the authority to levy three countywide millage fees that include the General Fund, the Transportation Trust Fund and the County Health Unit Trust Fund; another, the Fire District Fund, is countywide except for the City of St. Augustine.

• The general fund millage rage is 4.6537, or $465.37 per $100,000 of assessed value.
• The Transportation Trust Fund rate is 0.8444, or $84.44 per $100,000 of assessed value.
• The County Health Unit rate is 0.0161, or $1.61 per $100,000 of assessed value.
• And the Fire District Fund rate is 1.3813, or $138.13 per $100,000 of assessed value.

For instance, a homeowner in an area of the county subject to all four of the countywide millage rates would pay 6.8955 mils. If the homeowner's home were assessed for tax purposes, at $150,000 in 2024, their tax bill would be $1,034.33 just for those four districts. If the property were homesteaded, and its value increased by the 3% max allowed by Florida law, the new tax bill for those four countywide districts alone would be $1,065.36.

In addition to those countywide taxes, there are millage rates for eight other regional or special districts.

Once established, proposed millage rates can be reduced but not increased as budget discussions continue.

Many of the proposed capital improvements listed in the budget will be funded through impact fees, utility services – including unit connection fees – and transportation trust and grants.

The proposed budget increases funds for Sheriff’s Office and other constitutional officers as well as public and non-public safety; parks and recreation; library services; health and human services agencies and economic development and incentives.

The budget would cut funds for capital investments; CDBG grants (given annually to state, city and counties, Community Development Block Grants are given to low and moderate-income populations to prevent urban blight and eliminate slums); and other grants along with general government areas including facilities management; information systems; human resources; veterans services; and county administration.

Budget details and workshop sessions, as well as a fiscal year 2025 recommended budget workbook, can be found at https://www.sjcfl.us/2025budget .

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Sept. 3. A final vote is scheduled for Sept. 17. The new budget year begins Oct. 1.

(Editor's note: This will be the first of a two-part series.)

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Johns proposed 2025 budget would keep tax rate steady. Property owners would pay more