Q: On the Nov. 8 ballot for St. Johns County will be a local referendum for voters to decide if they want to increase the county’s sales tax by one cent, from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent, for 10 years to fund infrastructure projects. Can you give your thoughts on this?
A: First, I’m not advocating either way for or against voting on this proposal. St. Johns County has a need for $500 million over the next 10 years for infrastructure, law enforcement, emergency services, stormwater management and parks and recreation.
The Board of County Commissioners has only two ways to create funding sources: increasing sales tax and increasing property taxes. We could also do nothing to address this need. I have already said that I won’t vote to raise property taxes. As such, I believe that we as St. Johns County citizens need to have a very real conversation about our finances.
Q: Why is the amount already paid in ad valorem taxes not enough to cover this, especially in light of the rising taxable values of homes in St. Johns County?
A: I think when people ask this question, what they really want to know is, are we being good stewards of the money we receive? I believe the answer is yes.
First of all, St. Johns County has had two millage discounts in the past 15 years: one was a full mill roll back by the state during the recession in 2007/2008 and the other was when our Board of County Commissioners used the rollback rate in September 2020. Also during the recession, the Board of County Commissioners added $25,000 to the Homestead Exemption. This all takes money out of what would be used for these projects that are now backlogged. These discounts have netted $300 million in cumulative losses to the county’s general fund.
So, the percentage of income per capita that the family has spent on the county budget since 2007 has actually gone down, from 1.56 percent to .95 percent.
On top of this, expenses have gone up drastically. A major factor in expenses which impact the county is the cost of labor.
Q: Can you give an example of this increase in costs?
A: A big one is the cost of road construction. For instance, in 2018, the cost of a three-mile widening project to State Road 16 was $15 million, or $5 million a mile. Today, that would cost $20 million a mile or a total of $60 million.
So we have millage discounts that lead to a decrease in the per capita income received by the county coupled with this drastic increase in expenses (which shows no sign of slowing down).
Q: Is it possible to address this shortfall by increasing impact fees to developers?
A: This is actually the first question I had for staff after I took office. And unfortunately the answer is no. Our impact fees are at the statutory limit.
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you?
A: Readers can email me at bcc1cwhitehurst@sjcfl.us or call me at (904) 584-5348.
