How does property tax reform affect the Osceola Library System?

As employees of Osceola County, we’ve already seen the impact the tax reform has had on our budget, resulting in reductions in staffing, facilities and services, not only for the library system, but for the whole county. We all wait with bated breath to see how the voting on January 29 will affect us further.

According to this article on the ALA (American Library Association) website, “The constitutional amendment, to be decided January 29, would replace the current $25,000 homestead exemption and the 3%-a-year Save Our Homes cap with a new exemption of as much as $195,000, according to the July 23 Palm Beach Post. Florida Library Association Executive Director Ruth O’Donnell told American Libraries the so-called “super-exemption” would result in an average 22% cut in state revenues to municipalities and counties, with individual cuts ranging from 10% to 35%.”

As we’re starting to realize, much of the library’s budget comes from property taxes. These 10-35% cuts will not be good news for the library system.

If you want more information about the proposed tax reform, I recommend studying the following resources:

Tax Reform Information provided by MyFlorida.com

Property Tax Reform Committee Preliminary Report and
Recommendations

Florida Tax Watch Answers Questions

What the Special Session D Did

Save Our Services