Broward County: Straw vote urged on property tax issue

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Aug. 10, 2006 -- It's a question with a predictable answer for homeowners eager to move: Are you afraid that buying a new home would boost your property tax bill?



Broward voters may be able to weigh in with their responses this fall -- but their vote would only be a straw poll of their opinions, not a binding referendum.



Broward County Commissioner Jim Scott wants to ask voters whether they support the concept of "portability" in property taxes. The idea is to allow homeowners to take the taxable value of their old home and transfer it to their new home, even though the new home might cost more.



"People are really prisoners in their homes, and property taxes are too high. This is going to help," said Scott, who will ask commissioners next week to put the straw ballot question to Broward voters this fall.



Proponents of portability say it would help address inequities that have developed out of the 1992 Save Our Homes amendment.



3 percent cap



The amendment caps at 3 percent the annual growth in taxable value of homes owned by state residents, regardless of the market. People who stay in their homes see limited growth in their property taxes, but new buyers must pay taxes on the full value of their homes. That often results in wild variations in tax bills within a single neighborhood of similar homes.



Portability would require a state constitutional change, which means that lawmakers would have to ask voters statewide whether they want to approve the change. If they did, then individual counties could decide whether they want to allow it.



Problem studied



Efforts to put such an amendment on the November ballot stalled this spring in the Legislature. The governor appointed a Property Tax Reform Committee, which will study property tax inequities and issue recommendations next year.



Supporters of portability believe that if voters in a big, urban county such as Broward like the idea in November, it would signal to the governor and state lawmakers that it could pass statewide.



"Watch us vote, just watch us vote," said Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish, who lobbied for the portability constitutional amendment in Tallahassee, and who helped persuade Scott to support the concept.



Another big issue



The question is unlikely to be the only weighty tax issue facing Broward voters in November. County commissioners are scheduled to sign off on a ballot question that asks voters whether they want to tax themselves another penny to pay for transportation upgrades and better bus service.



They're also considering asking voters to approve issuing at least $500 million in bonds to pay for a new courthouse complex.



Both proposed questions must be approved in the next two weeks to give Broward Supervisor of Elections time to put the issues on ballots.