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Council approves proposed maximum millage rate; Smith votes no, urges rollback to 3.73 mills
Summary
The City Council set its proposed property tax rate for advertisement and public hearing, approving the staff‑recommended maximum rate despite one council member urging a rollback to reduce homeowner bills.
The Venice City Council voted 6–1 to set the proposed property‑tax rate for public notice and hearings, rejecting Council Member Ron Smith’s motion to set the maximum rate at the rollback level of 3.73 mills.
Smith, who removed the item from the consent agenda for discussion, said the city could reach the rollback rate without drawing on reserves and cited state calls for property‑tax relief. "I cannot support this proposed property tax rate because it ignores the governor's call and the legislators' insistence that we provide relief after a decade of skyrocketing property assessments," Smith said. He noted taxable assessments had risen from roughly $3.5 billion to $7.7 billion in the city.
Council Member Rachel Frank responded that making campaign promises to cut taxes is easy but that concrete budget line items must be identified to achieve a meaningful millage reduction. The city attorney reminded council that setting the rate today establishes the maximum rate that may be advertised and that final decisions are made at budget hearings later this year.
The council then moved to approve the rates and public‑hearing dates as required by the state's TRIM process; the motion passed 6–1.
Ending: The vote sets the advertised maximum millage rate and public‑hearing schedule; the final millage will be adopted during the budget hearings this fall after additional budget deliberations.
