Century finally passes tax rate

On a second vote Saturday morning, the Century Town Council approved the same 0.924 millage rate for property taxes that has been in place for the past eight years. The council then approved its fiscal year budget for 2023-24.

At the Sept. 26 council meeting, the council voted 4-1 to approve the millage rate. Under Florida law, the vote had to be unanimous. Council President Dynette Lewis cast the lone no vote saying she was against any increase for the residents of Century.

The council had the option of rolling back, or lowering the millage rate, leaving what people pay in property taxes the same. The difference between and 0.924 and the rollback showed a 299.6 percent increase.

A special meeting was called for Saturday, which Town Clerk Leslie Howington said was the last day for the council to pass the millage rate. She that information had to be forwarded to the Escambia County (Fla.) Property Appraiser’s Office by Saturday afternoon.

The public hearing was called for 10 a.m. Saturday at Century Town Hall and there were no comments from the public.

The first vote to approve the 0.924 millage rate again failed with Lewis voting no and council members Sandra McMurry-Jackson, Henry Cunningham, Shelisa McCall and Alicia Johnson voting yes.

Town Accountant Robert Hudson said while the math used by the state showed a 299.6 percent increase it is not a 299.6 percent increase in what people will pay in taxes.

Hudson said when you think about a nearly 300 percent increase it would appear that people’s taxes would go up three or four times, but said that’s not the case.

“I don’t know how they come up with that formula,” Hudson said.

He said leaving the millage rate at 0.924 would only increase the total amount received by the town by about $4,000.

The appraised value of all properties in Century is $54,657,939 and the 0.924 will generate $50,307. The same millage rate last year generated $46,000. Properties with homestead exemption must be valued at least $50,000 before any property taxes are collected.

Hudson and Howington also noted that the total amount of property taxes collected in Century don’t all go into the General Fund. The county takes a portion for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which provides funds to address designated blighted areas in Century.

The town had two other options Saturday with one setting the roll back millage rates at either 0.242 or 0.2665. Howington explained the 0.2423 had to be approved by the majority of the council and the 0.2665 would have to be approved on a two-thirds vote, or 4 to 1.

Using the 0.2423 rate would drop the property tax income for the town from $50,307 to $13,244 and using the 0.2665 rate would drop the income to $14,566.