As home values rise, Boca property owners could pay more in taxes

The city of Boca Raton may keep its property tax rate the same as last year, but homeowners still would pay more in taxes this upcoming year because of rising home values.

Boca Raton’s proposed rate is about $3.68 for every $1,000 of taxable value. Home values in the city rose by an average of 5.3 percent this year, not counting new construction.

For the owner of a home worth $400,000 — and a homestead exemption of $50,000 — the increase in city property taxes would be about $31, with the bill at $1,318.

Council members still could decide to change the property tax rate as they ready for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. While the City Council has talked of keeping taxes low, many residents have paid more because of the increasing property values.

It’s still up in the air whether residents will see any change in how much they pay the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. That entity manages the city’s parks system and collects taxes from people in Boca and some unincorporated areas.

The district’s current rate is $0.91 per $1,000 of assessed value and no change has been proposed yet, said the district executive director Briann Harms.

Boca residents may see a $20 increase in the city’s fire fee for the second year in a row. Officials said in a memo last week that the $105 annual residential fee should jump to $125 next year to pay for fire services.

Commercial property owners who paid $327 last year would have to pay $389.

“Overall costs for the fire department have gone up, so those increases will defray some of the operational expenses,” said Chrissy Gibson, Boca’s spokeswoman.

Some of the city’s upcoming expenses include adding more personnel.

Officials have not yet proposed a budget, which will detail how the city intends to use taxpayer dollars over the next year.

Residents will get the chance to weigh in on the city’s rates and budget during a hearing at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 in City Hall, located at 201 W. Palmetto Park Road.

He suggested the city buy private land farther west in the city to accommodate the school.

Deputy City Manager Susan Grant said Thursday’s gathering is a “preliminary meeting to get community input before we take any additional steps, so we don’t have a conceptual plan,” Grant said.

Grant said the city would hear Vassil’s and others’ comments.

“Purchasing the amount of land that would be required to build a school would be costly, but no options are off the table,” she said.