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Residents urge cap on stormwater assessment increases as commission weighs options
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Summary
At a Lynn Haven town hall, residents and commissioners debated limits on non ad valorem stormwater assessments after some households saw large increases tied to a new tiered formula; commissioners said the change stemmed from a formula shift and noted state-level tax proposals complicate long-term funding.
Corey Lankford, a member of the charter review committee who spoke to the audience as a private citizen, urged the Lynn Haven City Commission to adopt a limit on annual increases to non ad valorem stormwater assessments.
"What I'm talking about is limitation on annual increases of non ad valorem assessments," Lankford said, adding that his own bill rose sharply: "Last year, my non ad valorem assessment on my house went from $91 to $172." He described an 89%–100% jump for some homeowners and called for a cap so residents would know the maximum change they might face each year.
City staff and several commissioners explained the spike reflected a change in the assessment formula and movement between tiers rather than a single-percentage increase applied uniformly. The city manager said the commission still must vote each year and that the formula change was designed to correct underfunding in lower tiers.
"It wasn't a percentage. It was the tier process that changed," the city manager said, explaining the restructured tiers were intended to bring the system toward a stable funding basis over multiple years.
Business owner and resident speakers described how the higher bills affect household budgets and local commerce. "I see less people in my restaurant," one proprietor said, describing belt-tightening among customers after the assessment increase.
Commissioners acknowledged both the political sensitivity and fiscal necessity of stormwater funding in a low-elevation coastal community. One commissioner cautioned that state-level proposals to remove homestead ad valorem taxes would shift the broader funding landscape, meaning cities may rely more on user fees or non ad valorem charges unless the state replaces lost revenue.
The commission and staff discussed several paths forward: refining the tiering formula, adding an explicit annual cap, pursuing alternative local revenue mechanisms such as surtaxes or sales-tax-based approaches, and waiting for clarity from an expected state-level referendum that could alter municipal revenue rules.
Commissioners said they would continue the conversation as part of budget planning and commission workshops and invited more public input. No formal motion or vote on a cap occurred at the town hall; staff said the commission must vote on any adjustment and that the current plan, if followed, would produce smaller, incremental increases rather than repeat last year's large jump.
Next steps: the commission will continue public workshops and consider whether to propose ordinance language or charter changes to limit annual increases; staff will provide more detail on projected bill impacts under revised formulas and on how a potential state referendum could affect local funding options.
