Lee County hears public objections to reassessment as board adopts FY 2025–26 budget and tax levies

The Lee County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing June 25 on a proposed real‑estate tax rate of $0.69 per $100 of assessed value and on the county's FY 2025–26 budget, drawing a packed public comment period and heated exchanges over reassessments, school funding and county finances.

Chair (speaker 1) opened the hearing by reading the notice that the "lower tax rate" — the rate that would levy the same amount as last year on the new assessed base — would be $0.5515 per $100, while the proposed rate is $0.69 per $100. Staff told the room the county's total assessed value rose roughly 46.06% since the last assessment baseline and that, because assessments changed, some property owners might see much larger individual increases than the countywide average.

Members of the public repeatedly asked the board to explain what the rate means in plain terms. An agency official (speaker 4) said multiplying a $100,000 assessment by 0.0069 produces a $690 annual tax liability (the board repeated that rates are expressed per $100 of assessed value). The official also explained that the county's prior assessment base dated to 2016 and that state code generally requires reassessments on a multi‑year cycle (typically four years; some smaller localities may stretch to six), which is why values jumped this year.

Several residents described sharply higher assessed values. Brian Hogan (speaker 16) warned that although the countywide average increase was about 33%, some individual tax bills could rise by far more; he urged the board to explore cuts rather than raising taxes. Cliff Sumpter (speaker 18) and other commenters urged supervisors to fully fund the school system's local match (figures discussed in the hearing included a school request of about $7.14 million and an alternative figure of about $6.1 million), saying deep local cuts risk school closures and further population loss.

Other commenters raised separate concerns: Debbie Artrip (speaker 13) alleged nepotism in school hiring and urged a supervisor to abstain from voting; the targeted supervisor denied involvement and said hiring decisions are not his role. Residents also questioned audit findings, law‑enforcement responsiveness and the distribution of state and federal grant funds; staff and supervisors described carryover rules and matching requirements for state/federal funds such as ESSER and at‑risk allocations.

After the public comment period closed, the board reconvened following a short recess and took motions on year‑end disbursements and on the proposed tax levies. A supervisor moved to approve the levies, including the $0.69 per $100 real‑estate rate; the motion was seconded and the chair announced the motion carried. The board then moved to adopt the FY 2025–26 budget and approved Resolution 25‑008 to appropriate general funds, with the chair announcing the motion carried.

Board and staff discussion during the meeting emphasized constraints the county faces: a large increase in regional jail costs (staff cited a roughly $914,000 increase), limits on local control of some constitutionally required offices, and the need to preserve core services such as EMS. Officials said some federal pandemic‑era and other one‑time funds had boosted prior-year balances but that many program dollars carry strings or must be matched locally. Several supervisors said they had reviewed options carefully and that difficult choices remained.

What happened: The board closed the public hearing, approved year‑end disbursements, adopted the FY 2025–26 budget and passed Resolution 25‑008 to appropriate general funds. The board also approved the listed tax levies, including the real‑estate rate proposed at $0.69 per $100 of assessed value. Specific roll‑call vote details and per‑member tallies were not recorded in the transcript provided; the chair announced motions carried.

Next steps: The board discussed scheduling a July recessed meeting to continue business and moved to employ certain personnel (a motion that was seconded and approved). The transcript records the board adjourned at the close of the session.