2007 0315 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting March 15,2007 City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida reasonable cap on the annual increase in property tax values, and we are suggesting that we use the current use as a way of appraising a piece of property as opposed to the highest and best use. He said as an example, if someone has a parking lot and that is an important facility for people to park their cars, he can only derive so much revenue from parking cars, you can't then expect to have an appraiser come by and say that you could have built a 50-story building on that property and if that property was used for a 50-story building it is worth 10- 20 times more than what it is as a parking lot and therefore you must pay taxes as though you were going to have a 50-story building on there when your full intent was nothing more than to continue to park cars on that lot, so why are you penalizing me for providing a needed service by assuming that I am going to build something at its highest and best use. He said we are trying to instruct the State to say use the current use for the property, look at giving more in the way of a homestead exemption by doubling it but not at the first $25,000.00, let everyone pay at least a minimal amount of taxes because everybody uses services, and then lastly, provide for some reasonable cap whether it be 3%, 4%,5% as to the limit of increase that can occur from year to year regardless of what may be happening out in the market place as to the property values. He said if the property values went up 20% it is not necessarily you need to increase your tax base by 20% and "Save our Homes" had the 3%, and perhaps some were at a lower level that all properties should have some protection against exorbitant rates of inflation from year to year and this resolution covers those suggestions but leaves enough latitude that we are not mandating in stone the final version but suggesting avenues that should be explored. Commissioner Goodman said we are not only suffering with the assess valuation of the property and the taxes but we are getting deluged by the insurance and everything coming all at once is becoming a major problem. Vice Mayor Thaler said on page 3, section II, [page 235 of agenda] does answer Commissioner Goodman's questions. Commissioner Brezin said the messages that she is getting from most of the condo owners is that this is wonderful that we are finally going to get some relief here, and so the message we are trying to relate to them is it might take away funding for all the crucial programs we have, starting with the parks and recreation programs, police department, and many other amenities that we have. She said that it is our responsibility to understand this to explain it to those that don't, yes they should get relief but not at a cost that will be so high that their apartments would depreciate in value because when you take away the amenities, their apartments would not be as desirable as they currently are. She said that she feels that Governor Crist's program is an excellent one. Commissioner Iglesias said one of the reasons we became a city is exactly what the Mayor said, we know what the needs are locally better than anyone else, but it is hard to see one day and realize that your college education for your kids have just taken an impact. When he wakes up one day and realizes that his property tax just went from $7,000.00 to $l6,000.00 to $34,000.00 a year, because the founding fathers of this country said no taxation without representation and he would like to know ifhis garbage is being picked up five times more than the Mayor's, no it is not. He said that he is selling his house in Ocala to finish the construction of the house here which he probably can't keep for more then three years, so something has to get done and get done quickly because we are getting to the point that you can't afford to come down here. He said there is a lot of government waste because 17