FORT PIERCE – The St. Lucie County Commission finalized its 2025/2026 tentative millage rate Sept. 18 with a last-minute ad valorem reduction that shaved more than $1 million off the $913.1 million budget approved during the first budget hearing Sept. 4.
After Management & Budget Office Director Jennifer Hill and Budget Manager Jennifer Garrity finished their tag-teamed presentation during that earlier budget hearing, County Administrator George Landry promised to return during the second and final budget hearing with a further reduction requested by commissioners during his one-on-one meetings with them. Garrity now presented that slightly modified budget and millage rate to the Board, beginning with definitions of terms such as the rollback rate – the ad valorem amount needed by the county to maintain current funding levels – and the aggregate rate, the amount obtained by dividing the sum of all Board-levied ad valorem taxes by the county’s taxable value.
“The aggregate provides a way to make the comparison of the total tax rate to the rollback rate,” she said. “The amount of taxes a property owner pays is calculated using a millage rate per thousand times the property value. The taxing authorities set the tax rate [and] include the county, the city, the School Board and the Fire District, just to name a few. The property appraiser assesses the value of each property. The amount of property taxes someone pays is calculated by taking the millage rate multiplied by the assessed property value divided by 1,000.”…