County Commission Meeting

After the presentation of raising taxes to protect land at the Highlands County Commission meeting, I remain opposed to this idea, in any form. I am opposed to paying any additional ad-valorem taxes, non-ad-valorem taxes, designated assessments, or designated fees for land conservation projects.

It remains important that county commissioners deny land use changes that infringe on wet lands or conservation lands. Buying up land to create preserves is an idea that I will not support. Buying land from private owners takes these lands off the county tax rolls.

I agree that the argument about "letting the people decide" sounds democratic. However, most issues are not brought to referendum. Most tax issues are decided by a commission, and consequently jammed down the throats of the taxpayers with little more than public input at a public hearing.

The county commission has stated that they plan to lower the millage rate and keep taxes low. The growth and prosperity of Highlands County is at stake here. Lessening the taxable acreage by buying it up is illogical, since the county commission, in part, ultimately approves land use changes for future development.

A serious question arises as to why we are charging a fee at all for a conservation trust fund. Perhaps you should abolish the conservation trust fund, and stop tacking on fees to building permits for conservation. A condition of any referendum, such as the one proposed, should abolish any other taxes or fees being collected for the same purpose.

The amount that is being proposed seems to have increased from an estimated $10 per $100,000 of assessed value, to $20 per $100,000 assessed value since the May article in the newspaper. Given the average taxable value of a new home to be about $200,000 (for a modest home), that equals almost $40 a year in ad valorem taxes assessed for this conservation project for a new home buyer, without homestead exemption. An additional tax is a huge drag on the local economy. You will not encourage growth and economic expansion by removing valuable lands from the county tax rolls.

Richard Duvigneaud
Sebring