The proposed tax increase will be the focus of an Orange County Public Hearing next week.
On Tuesday, May 6, supervisors will receive comments regarding the proposed tax rates. The proposed Orange County budget is balanced using a real estate tax rate of $0.48 per $100 of assessed value, one cent over the equalized rate of $0.47. The county’s recent reassessment yielded a 31.23% increase in the valuation of real estate, from approximately $4.8 billion to $6.3 billion. By law, the tax rate must be equalized to within 1% of the previous revenue. The current tax rate, before equalization, is $0.61. The budget also includes a $.016 fire and EMS levy rate, five cents over the equalized rate of $0.11. The current rate is $0.14.
Supervisors opted to advertise an even higher tax rate than what is utilized in the budget to allow for flexibility. The advertised rates are $0.51 per $100 of assessed value for real estate and $0.17 for the fire and EMS levy.
No changes have been advertised for any of the county’s other tax rates.
It remains to be seen if supervisors will opt for rates closer to those advertised. During last week’s budget public hearing, residents spoke in favor of funding eight deputy positions at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. None of the positions are currently included in the proposed budget. Sheriff Jason Smith has said the new deputy positions are needed as the county continues to grow. He said the county continues to add new homes, businesses and people, causing cases and calls to increase leaving less time for being proactive with traffic enforcement.
“Not only do we not have enough staff to handle calls, but deputies have no backup and are responding to calls by themselves frequently,” Smith said. “We do not have enough deputies as things currently stand. We’ve been lucky thus far that something serious hasn’t happened. Whether we want to believe it or not, crime is coming and we need to be prepared.”
Major Michael LaCasse has said the positions represent needs, not wants.
“The concern I have is over the last three years, the board has approved nine positions for fire and rescue, two for communications and none for law enforcement,” LaCasse said. “I asked for two [positions] three years ago, four last year and eight this year.”
He said the increasing number of houses and residents increases the tolls on law enforcement officers and the chances of burnout.
“You can provide the best pay and bonuses, but unless we have people who can spend time with their families and have time off without working all the time, we’re going to lose people,” LaCasse said.
The estimate for the positions, including benefits, is $1.4 million. LaCasse said just four of those positions would cost approximately $710,000, just over the $666,000 a one-cent increase on the real estate tax yields.
“I propose if you give us the four positions with a one-cent tax increase, Jason [Smith] and I will find the extra money needed to [fund them] for the county,” he said. “This is something that needs to happen for the deputies that work for us. They need to feel supported.”
The county’s proposed $158.5 million budget, of which $38.3 million is in the general fund, is 6.6% or $9.8 million more than the current year’s budget. It includes six new full-time and four new part-time employees. For schools, $28.1 million is included which is comprised of operating, capital and debt service. It’s far less than the $35.8 million requested, but still $926,000 more than the current year.
For county employees, the budget includes a 3% mid-point market wage adjustment and a 1.5% one-time bonus to constitutional offices and their staffs, offset somewhat by funds from the compensation board. Additional wage adjustments are included for public safety along with the continuation of public safety career step plans, both to improve retention. A 15% anticipated health insurance increase is funded.
Some selected rates and fees are also adjusted to cover program costs, including in parks and recreation, at the landfill and in the commissioner of revenue, treasurer and EMS budgets. The budget is balanced using an approximately $3.4 million appropriation in general fund balance. Bradley said the budget focuses the most on school and public safety funding. Approximately $9.1 million is included for capital improvement projects with nearly $5 million covered through new debt service including seven buses, one ambulance, eight cardiac monitors and landfill operations equipment to bring operations in-house. Just over $43 million in projects was requested. The funded capital improvement projects include $250,000 for the beginning of a potential water impoundment project.
A public hearing on the proposed tax rates will be held May 6 at 6:30 p.m. at 11282 Government Center Drive, Orange. The budget and corresponding tax rates are expected to be voted on May 13.
