Lee County commissioner warns staff cuts will end free tax‑preparation service, urges reconsideration

The Lee County commissioner of revenue told the Board of Supervisors on July 15 that a recent reduction in deputies will force his office to curtail services, including the county’s free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

The commissioner said the office has fallen from four deputies to three and that the VITA program has prepared 13,091 federal returns over the past nine years, saving qualifying low‑income residents about $200 per return. “In the last 9 years, we've done over 13,000 federal income tax returns. 13,091 to be exact,” the commissioner said, adding that the IRS estimates the service saved residents roughly $2,600,000 cumulatively and that grant funding tied to the program totaled about $31,003.34.

Why it matters: the VITA program provides free state and federal e‑filing for low‑income taxpayers and the commissioner framed it as both a direct public service and a modest revenue generator for the county. He said reduced staffing will end late‑Thursday service that helps working residents and will make it difficult to meet statutory deadlines for tax assessments and relief processing.

The commissioner described other duties his office performs — maintaining the real‑estate tax roll for nearly 21,000 parcels, processing transfers and tax‑relief applications, administering locally adopted food‑and‑beverage and lodging tax returns, and operating the county’s GIS and public access systems — and argued those duties justify restoring staff. He noted neighboring counties with similar populations often have more deputies or greater comp‑board funding and described past shifts in state “comp board” funding that affected staffing levels.

Board members asked questions about alternatives, including schedule adjustments to preserve late‑Thursday service and whether grant or state funding options had been fully pursued. The commissioner said some services (state income tax processing) are mandated but others (federal VITA filings) are provided voluntarily and would be the first to go under the reduced staffing plan.

The commissioner urged the board to reconsider the personnel decision but the public record from this meeting shows no formal reversal; he asked for re‑evaluation and offered to provide a pay range for a comp‑board‑funded deputy should the board reappropriate funds. Board members thanked him for the presentation and indicated they would follow up.

The board took no immediate recorded vote to restore positions during the meeting.