I recently received my mail-in ballot for the November election. Like many voters, I began researching Amendment 3 to better understand what it would mean for my property tax bill and for the community where I live.
The appeal is easy to understand. Amendment 3 would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes and lower the cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties. For many Florida property owners, that could mean meaningful tax savings. As a homeowner and taxpayer, I understand the attraction. But as chairman of the board of The Lord’s Place, I also believe we need to consider the other side of the equation: Property taxes pay for many of the public services that make our communities safe, healthy and livable.
According to an analysis by the Florida Policy Institute, an independent, non-partisan research organization that provides objective data on state budgets and taxes, Amendment 3 is projected to reduce local property tax revenue statewide by approximately $13.7 billion over its first two full fiscal years.
In Palm Beach County, that reduced revenue could affect funding streams associated with fire rescue and emergency medical services, health care, children’s services, libraries, parks, conservation, housing, and other local services.
Those numbers matter to organizations like The Lord’s Place.
For more than four decades, The Lord’s Place has worked alongside local government and community partners to address homelessness in Palm Beach County. Last year, we served 2,055 people, housed 416 individuals and families, and provided street outreach and referrals to 1,122 people. We also serve more than 1,000 nutritious breakfasts and lunches each week.
Much of this work is made possible by generous private donors. But The Lord’s Place, like many nonprofit organizations throughout the county, also operates within a broader network of publicly funded services and receives support from government sources. When resources for housing, health care, public safety, and other essential services change, the effects can extend well beyond government agencies.
Amendment 3 presents voters with a real tradeoff ― greater property tax relief alongside substantially less revenue available to local governments and taxing districts. What it does not determine is how communities would respond to that loss of revenue. Local leaders could face difficult decisions about budgets, services, tax rates, and fees.
As voters consider Amendment 3, I hope we look beyond what we might save on our individual tax bills and also examine what those dollars currently support. Understanding both sides of that equation is essential to making an informed decision about the future of our community.
Jim Kukla chairs the Board of Directors of The Lord’s Place, a non-sectarian agency working to break the cycle of homelessness in Palm Beach County.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Consider the cost of Amendment 3 | Opinion
