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Value Adjustment Board approves $50 filing fee for most petitions
Summary
The Hernando County Value Adjustment Board unanimously approved a resolution to raise the VAB filing fee from $15 to $50 per petition, with a $15 exception for portability filings, saying the change will help offset operating costs and discourage frivolous filings.
The Hernando County Value Adjustment Board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution raising the filing fee for most petitions from $15 to $50, with portability petitions exempted and remaining at $15.
Value Adjustment Board counsel Holly Cosby told the board the statutory change allows higher fees and would reduce pressure on county and school board budgets. "Since I've been operating as that counsel ... the filing fee has been $15 ... House bill 7031 ... states that that can charge now 50 up to $50 per parcel per filing fee," Cosby said, recommending adoption of the $50 fee to help "fray the cost of operating the VAB." School Board Member Johnson moved to accept the resolution and Mr. Biesecker seconded; the motion carried on a voice vote recorded as "carries 4 nothing."
Board members debated the equity trade-offs of a higher fee, noting it could deter frivolous filings but also burden lower-income residents who later prevail. "If you win ... why should you pay that? Because it's our fault, not the citizen's fault," one member said during discussion, urging the board to consider asking state representatives about fee-refund provisions. Counsel clarified portability petitions remain $15 and that the fee change is intended to reduce requests for additional county funding.
The board's adoption is effective immediately for future filings; the board directed staff to implement the updated fee in petitioner materials and to advise petitioners of the portability exception.
