County administrator: Indian River may avoid increasing property taxes next year
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Taxpayers may be spared an increase in the property-tax rate next year, thanks to a strong economy and limited debt on the county’s books.
That’s what County Administrator Jason Brown told members of the Indian River County Taxpayers’ Association Wednesday in his state-of-the county update.
“We are thinking the economy is going very strong right now,” said Brown, who was county budget director for 12 years before becoming county administrator in 2017. “I don’t see any reason for a millage (tax) rate increase next year. I can’t see why we can’t put together a budget that keeps the millage rate stable.”
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Other factors Brown cited for the strong economic picture include sales-tax revenues, up 6.2 percent; tourist taxes up 11 percent; and building-permit revenue up 25.2 percent. In 2017-18, 1,181 single-family building permits were issued, up from 953 in 2016-17.
“They are rocking and rolling out there,” said Brown. “We have some good things happening right now in the county.”
Among those good things are an increased focus on the Indian River Lagoon, with the county developing a master plan for water-quality projects. The plan provide a road map for improvement going forward, Brown said.
“One of the most important things we’re working on is the lagoon,” said Brown. “We’ve done four major stormwater projects to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, and are working on a fifth at Osprey Acres to treat water from the south relief canal.”
The recent agreement for Major League Baseball to operate Historic Dodgertown will also pay big dividends to the county, Brown said.
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He estimated Historic Dodgertown has a $30 million economic impact in the county, and he believes it will grow. In 2017, 62,000 room nights in local hotels have been attributed to activities at Historic Dodgertown.
County Attorney Dylan Reingold, who shared the podium with Brown, focused his comments on Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, and the county’s continued legal battle against it. A federal judge Dec. 24 dismissed the county’s latest legal challenges.
The county, he said, will file a new lawsuit in state court by early next week over who will pay for safety improvements and maintenance along Virgin Trains' corridor, which is owned by Florida East Coast Railroad. The county will argue it should not be liable for those costs, he said.
“We feel this is a very important lawsuit to protect taxpayer dollars,” said Reingold.
Other topics covered during the presentation included upcoming road improvements; the recent sale of the Vero Beach electric system to FPL; and the strength of county finanial reserves to weather future economic instability.
The county will continue its septic-to-sewer conversion project to improve water quality in the Indian River Lagoon, Brown said.