Manors tax, utility bills will rise

Property owners in Wilton Manors will see a few of their bills rise this year, after commissioners Monday night approved a budget built on slightly higher taxes and fees.

Water-sewer, fire service and drainage fees all are expected to rise. Commissioners reduced the property tax rate a bit, but not enough to keep tax bills from rising because of higher property values.

Commissioner Tom Green said he’s happy with the $35 million budget, with a general operating fund of $16.8 million, about the same as last year. He said the budget “provides the quality of life we need here at Wilton Manors.”

The budget aims to strengthen economic development, put money into infrastructure, improve city marketing and way-finding signs and hold the line on expanding government, City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said in budget workshops. The overall budget is a slight decrease from last year, as some other revenue and spending decreases, Henderson said.

Several speakers Monday night complained about high water bills and elected officials said they plan to tackle that issue. Wilton Manors receives its watersewer service from the city of Fort Lauderdale. One speaker said his watersewer bill is $170 a month.

Commissioner Scott Newton said the city is hiring a consultant this year to look at what Fort Lauderdale is charging. Fort Lauderdale officials say they impose a 25 percent surcharge to customers outside the city limits.

“It is something we are looking at very aggressively,” Mayor Gary Resnick said, adding that Wilton Manors is teaming up with Oakland Park and other cities that buy the service Lauderdale.

The city of about 12,000 residents, between Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park, is almost entirely encircled by rivers.

Henderson said she’s preparing the city for a 2018 ballot question that would exempt a third $25,000 in value from taxation for homesteaded property owners. For Wilton Manors, that would remove about $330,000 in tax revenue.

The additional exemption would still allow local governments to collect more in property taxes when values are rising, but the increase wouldn’t be as high. A city or county could also raise the tax rate to make up for the loss.

Wilton Manors set a tax rate of about $5.98 for every $1,000 of taxable value. The rate last year was $5.99 for every $1,000.

Henderson said the reduced tax rate “continues to provide our residents with from Fort high quality services.”

For the owner of a $260,000 house that’s a primary residence and protected by state homestead laws, the value for tax purposes would increase only 2.1 percent, and $50,000 in value would be exempt from taxation. The tax increase will be $31.35, to a bill of $1,289.25.

For the owner of a nonhomesteaded $260,000 house that grew in value this year by the average 8.8 percent, the increase in the city portion of the property tax bill will be $135.27 to $1,692.67.

Wilton Manors has two additional property taxes: a 1999 parks bond, and a 2008 City Hall bond. Both rates are dropping this year, another boon for taxpayers.

The city portion of the property tax bill is about a quarter of the total.

Tax bills go out in October, are due in November and become delinquent on April 1.