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Lee's tax rate unchanged; $2.5B budget OK expected tonight

Lee County will adopt its Fiscal Year 2023-24 $2.5 billion budget tonight at the final budget hearing.

The budget includes no increases in county tax rates.

Previously published information reportedly misreported Lee County’s Fiscal Year 23-24 budget, stating that the tax rate will increase 12.29%.

A news release from the county Tuesday morning provided information on the budget, which had been given preliminary approval earlier this month:

  • The county is charging the same tax rates next year as this year. The tax rate has not changed.
  • If you are a homeowner who has a homestead exemption, your assessed value of your home cannot increase more than 3% and may decrease, depending on the appraised value of your home (per the Property Appraiser) after Hurricane Ian. (Save Our Homes, approved by voters in 1992, places a limitation of 3% on annual assessment increases on homestead exempt property.)
  • Countywide taxable values increased, on average, 6.67% this year, which did bring in new revenues to build back public infrastructure after Hurricane Ian, and for needed resources in the Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Medical Services, and Transit.
  • The Lee County Hyacinth Control District and the Lee County Mosquito Control District are independent special districts with taxing authority and do not fall under the Lee Board of County Commissioners.

Lee County's General Fund tax rate next year is 3.7623 mills, which is the same as this year. The tax was decreased from 3.8623 in 2022 and from 4.0506 in 2021.
Information on Lee County Government as well as regular meetings of the Board of County Commissioners is available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/leecountyflbocc or at https://www.leegov.com/.

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