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Highlands Today

Land Conservation Tax Effort Dead for 2008

Advisory Commission Voted Not to Push Ballot Initiative

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: July 31, 2008

SEBRING - Efforts to place on the 2008 ballot a property tax to help the county conserve environmentally sensitive lands appeared to be dead late Wednesday afternoon after its backers conceded to a county advisory commission that the worsening economy would damper its support.

The Natural Resources Advisory Commission agreed, as it voted to recommend to the county commission against putting any ballot proposal for the tax before the Aug. 26 deadline for it to appear on November's general election ballot.

In May, NRAC voted to send an earlier draft of the ballot initiative to the board of county commissioners that would have let residents vote on a 0.2-mil tax, which amounts to $10 for a home valued at $100,000 after the $50,000 homestead exemption's considered. Early this month, however, County Administrator Michael Wright and the county commissioners sent the ballot initiative back to NRAC for further research.

Outside of the commission meeting, Lake Placid veterinarian and state representative candidate Elton J. Gissendanner, who had advocated the new property tax, said that he realized the worsening local economy would weigh against it, but he believed it could be brought back up next year or in 2010.

Check back for updates.

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