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Resident Jim Fuccillo shares his frustrations with Commissioners about the millage rates.<\/p>\n
SUN PHOTO BY NICOLE DROEGER<\/p>\n
PUNTA GORDA \u2014 This year\u2019s property taxes are up 1.46% from fiscal year 2026 in Charlotte County.<\/p>\n
County commissioners adopted the final millage rate for fiscal year 2027 on Monday during the final budget hearing. The countywide millage rate is 6.1275, amounting to $215.8 million in revenue.<\/p>\n
A millage rate is the rate of tax per thousand dollars of a property\u2019s assessed value. For example, a house valued at $300,000 multiplied by .0061275 is $1,838.25 in property taxes.<\/p>\n
County commissioners initially considered a 6.1576 millage rate for 2027 but decided to reduce it to the current rate.<\/p>\n
The millage rate in FY 26 was 6.0394, $208.13 million in revenue.<\/p>\n
In addition to the millage rate, there are also a handful of other taxes and fees, including street drainage and maintenance Municipal Service Benefit Units, plus a second property tax rate for the Charlotte County Public Schools District<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to the county\u2019s property taxes, the school board adopted a rate of 6.272 mils for the coming year. This adds an additional $1,881.60 or $3,719.85 in total for a property with an assessed value of $300,000.<\/p>\n The County\u2019s MSBU revenue fund is $448.58 million.<\/p>\n The 2027 budget, totaling $2.8 billion, is comprised of:<\/p>\n General fund: $341 millionSpecial revenue: $979 millionDebt services: $25 millionCapital funds: $812 millionEnterprise\/Internal services funds: $658 million<\/p>\n The operating budget for 2027 is $704 million, a 4.92% increase from $671 million from last year.<\/p>\n The total budget is $2.8 billion. The county subtracts $1.02 billion for interdepartmental\/interfund transfers and reserves, bringing the net budget to $1.8 billion<\/p>\n The only resident to speak during the public hearing was Jim Fuccillo, who is upset with the lack of fiscal conservatism in the county.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue fiscal conservatism is making difficult choices,\u201d Fuccillo said. \u201cFind efficiency in cutting back on loaded county operations. It does not mean looking to the taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioners unanimously approved the millage rate resolution and budget resolution.<\/p>\n Sheriff\u2019s Office Budget<\/p>\n Charlotte County\u2019s Sheriff\u2019s Office millage rate for 2027 is 2.6604, or $93.7 million, a significant portion of this year\u2019s property tax funds.<\/p>\n Last year, CCSO had a millage rate of 2.5723, $88.65 million. This year\u2019s rate increased by 3.42%.<\/p>\n