Lee County commissioners will have to cut $121 million from the budget in 2027-28 and $159 million the following year if Amendment 3 passes in November.
County commissioners received the news and were given a list of options about how they could offset those cuts during an angst-filled workshop this week.
Amendment 3 would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes by $150,000 next year and $250,000 in 2028. Recent polls show the vote is hovering around the 60 percent approval needed.
The county used the current $766 million general fund budget and $99 million raised through Municipal Service Taxes Units (MSTU). Increases in tax revenue through growth and the rate of inflation weren’t taken into account.
The county will have $249 million available in 2027 and $211 million in 2028 left to pay for public safety, animal services, parks and other services and departments, after subtracting mandated items and constitutional offices and court budgets.
“Those kinds of deficits are pretty ugly,” said Chief Financial Officer and Assistant County Attorney Pete Winton, during his presentation.
The options included adding more MSTUs, increasing user fees, general obligation bonds, increasing the tax rate, service reductions and program eliminations.
“It’s a combination, that’s how you get there,” said Commissioner Brian Hamman.
Commissioners commiserated over the size of the cuts and the two-year time frame in making the cuts. They said the amendment was not well thought out because it penalizes a county like Lee, which has been prudent with its spending. The tax rate has remained the same since 2022.
Hamman compared the cuts the county would have to make to someone’s annual salary being cut by about 20 percent from $100,000 to $80,000, or from $3,800 biweekly to $3,000, and the next year it being cut to $74,000, or $2,800 a paycheck.
“This is deeper than tightening your belt, this would be a dramatic change to your lifestyle,” he said.
Commissioner Kevin Ruane thought cutting services is one way to go but said it would be difficult to decide on which services to cut.
Constitutional offices such as the tax collector, supervisor of elections and property appraiser would have to cut budgets, which would affect how they do their jobs, Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass said.
He asked staff to look at how the land-buying 20-20 program, parks, and other services would be affected.
Property taxes might be cut, but residents could pay more in Municipal Service Taxing Unit’s and services fees, he said.
“It’s still fees, it’s still taxes, so the state is basically putting the burden back on us, locally to raise taxes so they can basically say they took away taxes,” Pendergrass said.
Ruane said if the amendment passes, it will affect more than services.
“The local economy will take a hit in ways people don’t realize,” he said.
“I really worry when I look at the macro aspects of this and that impacts so many people.”
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