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Escambia Approves $434 Million Budget, Fire Tax Increase
September 21, 2016
The Escambia County Commission voted Tuesday night to approve a $434 million budget, while holding out part of an economic development group’s funding and raising the county tax.
The budget is $22 million higher than last year and up $78 million over 2013.
About one-fourth of the budget will go toward crime — $55.5 million to the Sheriff’s Office and $46.5 million to the county’s corrections department. Public Safety will receive $43 million, $26 million to public works, $25.4 million to human resources, $19.5 million to the landfill and solid waste, $19 million to Neighborhood and Human Services, and $12.7 million to ECAT.
Escambia County’s property tax, or millage rate, is unchanged 6.6165 The county fire tax increases from $100 to $125 to staff additional fire stations south of Nine Mile Road with paid personnel.
The commission voted to hold back 75 percent of their $550,000 allocation to the economic development group FloridaWest. Commissioner Doug Underhill has expressed concerns about how the group spends public money and the number of jobs that it has created.
Comments
14 Responses to “Escambia Approves $434 Million Budget, Fire Tax Increase”
I am all for our full time career firefighters (I know, have trained with, and worked with many of them personally), but for years how often was it said that a full time county wide career department would cost in excess of $175+ per household per year? Yet, those of us that were trying to bolster the volunteer ranks were using “scare tactics”, “unrealistic” figures, and “wild rumors” to try and get more support for recruiting volunteers (to avoid having to staff stations with career personnel)? Only about 10% of the home-owners were not part of making this bed, but everyone can lay in it now. Enjoy!
Bwayne: Your thoughts make a lot of sense ! However , what if only parents of school age children had to pay the School tax ? Our BOCC Has 5 districts……the District 5 Commissioner voted against the $25 annual increase ….and that’s how politics works at every level . If (we the people) are taxed in (10) different categories then prolly 98% of us ain’t gonna gripe about a measly $25 increase as long as the millage stays level. A lot of “winking” going on downtown huh ?
If we don’t live in the area that is receiving the updated fire taxes, then we should not have to support it with addition on our already high property taxes. Each section should be taxed individually instead of letting the majority of commissioners who are in charge of the sections south of us make us fund their areas without any improvement to our’s.
WELL I DON’T RECIVED A COST OF LIVING IN MY S/S CHECK, BUT ECAMBIC COUNTY KEEPS GOING UP IN TAX’S BUT THESE IS NOTHING FOR THE NORTH END WHY, WHY AND ALL THOSE TAXED THEY GET GAS.COMMUNICATION , LAND MOTEL TAX SHOULD I GO ON . YES THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY COMING IN AND ARE COUNTY COMMISIONER WHAT A JOKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with jane .. say it again
I don’t mind paying my share of tax however I hate it when the BOCC starts handing out hundreds of thousands to special groups. Take this money and spend it on fire stations. I will vote them all out in November!!!!!
More fire tax, their not going to be happy until the tax is 300 to 400 a year. Nickel and dime us to death. Folks just go on and keep voting for these same people, sometimes you get what you ask for. Lol.
Oh, and don’t forget the School tax….the mtbsu’s , the county gasoline tax, the county sales tax, the tax’s added to utilities etc. they like many different taxes so we
just pay-up and are so confused we just shut-up !
25% increase on a TAX we the people cant fight.
SURPRISE,SURPRISE
If growth is so good, and increases the tax base, how come we are always being taxed to pay for growth?
Shame on you for raising the fire tax! The North End is unfairly taxed to pay for Pensacola!
Raise the millage rate and increase fire tax to cover paid fire stations for entire county and be done with it. Fire tax has gone up over the years and I had said the same thing several years ago and my commissioner told me the people of Escambia County wouldn’t stand for it. Please tell me what has changed.
Ecat .. what a waste .. why are we taxed for a bus system .. let the user pay
And of course no paid firefighters for the north end….we just get to pay for Pensacola.