Conservation Collier could see budget cuts next year. Here's why

Conservation Collier could see its funding cut by as much as $14 million next year.

While environmentalists have raised concerns, some residents are OK with it.

As part of broader cost-cutting efforts, Collier County commissioners are considering reducing the millage rate – or property tax rate – charged for the voter-approved land preservation program next year.

In November 2020, voters approved the renewal of the program, which allowed for a tax levy of up to 0.25 mill a year, for another 10 years.

One mill equates to $1 dollar for every $1,000 worth of a property's taxable value (after any adjustments). At 0.25 mills, an owner of a home assessed at $300,000 would pay $75 a year.

At the maximum levy, Conservation Collier would raise more than $34.6 million next year. That's $6 million-plus more than is required to meet the county's original projections for the program's renewal, due to an increase in property values.

The taxable value of property countywide has risen to $138 billion, which is a 13.5% increase from a year ago.

New construction countywide is valued at $3.4 billion, a 16.3% increase from 2022.

County commissioners discussed a list of potential budget and tax reductions at a board meeting Tuesday, but didn't make any decisions. Decisions won't be made until the final budget hearing Sept. 21.

Staff proposed an overall budget that was nearly $41 million higher than the county commission's directive, based on the total amount of tax dollars to be collected. The higher amount includes $17.5 million for capital reserves, an additional $4.1 million for capital projects, including a new government services center in Golden Gate Estates, and another $1 million to supplement funding for parks, libraries, domestic animal services and museums, where there are even larger shortfalls.

The proposed budget by staff included an additional $2.3 million for Conservation Collier next year.

However, in coming up with potential cuts, staff said that could be eliminated. Staff offered up three pages of possible reductions, including reducing capital reserves and allocations for everything from parks and libraries to swale maintenance and vehicle and security equipment replacement.

Decisions on budget cuts still to be made

While they didn't make a final decision, commissioners talked about funding Conservation Collier at $20 million, shaving off more than $14 million, through a calculated reduction in the millage rate for the program. With a carryover of $8 million, the program's budget would still be at $28 million next year to pay for land purchases and maintenance.

"You've got to start somewhere. We've all got to start making some tough decisions," said Collier County Commission Chairman Rick LoCastro.

He emphasized the need to keep the Conservation Collier program solvent and healthy, but described the maximum amount at the maximum millage rate as "excessive."

"I mean, I don't want to go to zero," he said.

Other commissioners agreed.

Commissioners expressed the need to "cut the fat" from the overall budget, with a desire to make the government leaner and more efficient, especially as so many residents struggle to deal with the higher cost of living, due to record inflation – particularly retirees living on fixed incomes.

Commissioner Dan Kowal said he supported Conservation Collier, but described it as "counterintuitive" when it comes to taxes, as taxpayer money is used to buy property that is then taken off the county's tax rolls forever.

"It diminishes revenue every time we use it," he said.

LoCastro acknowledged the same, saying that might have not been something the average voter considered in approving the program, or renewing twice.

Some strongly oppose the cuts.

Brad Cornell, a policy associate for Audubon Western Everglades and Audubon Florida in Southwest Florida, told county commissioners Conservation Collier deserved full funding next year, describing it as one of the most effective, valuable and popular programs in the county. He stressed the important role it plays in resiliency and in sustaining the quality of life for residents.

He pointed out there is more than $8 million in pending land acquisitions awaiting the board's approval, with many more on the horizon that have yet to be protected. As property values rise, so do the costs of acquiring land, Cornell stressed.

Assistant County Manager Ed Finn said cutting Conservation Collier's funding to $20 million would allow for more flexibility on the operating side of its other primary budgets, allowing for increases in other areas, without having to raise the tax rates for the general and unincorporated tax funds.

The reduction, he said, may just slow the land-buying program down a bit, in terms of acquisitions.

"We're still going to have plenty of money to spend," Finn said.

During the deliberations, LoCastro suggested that some cost savings could come from a phased approach of spending by county departments. When it comes to buying replacement vehicles or replacing X-ray machines at county buildings, for example, he said it could be stretched out over a couple of years, or postponed, if not urgent.

Budget cuts to be determined at final budget hearing

With some direction from the board, County Manager Amy Patterson said she might be able to trim next year's proposed budget by $20 million or less, but she warned that more drastic reductions could require cuts in services, which she wouldn't recommend, and likely wouldn't sit well with most residents.

She stressed the need to keep up with maintenance and infrastructure demands, as the county continues to grow and attract more residents.

The county's costs continue to rise, as it too deals with inflation, on top of growth.

"I do understand that growing government, that's not what our aim is," Patterson said. "We are not here to spend money."

When it comes to budget cuts, she said, they often involve "emotional choices," affecting services such as libraries and parks, and even code enforcement, with the critical need to protect reserves and what's most essential to the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Staff proposed the millage rates for the general and unincorporated funds remain unchanged, as directed by the board in March.

The tentative budget for fiscal 2024 totaled $2.85 billion, a 5.5% increase over this year.

At the first budget hearing on Sept. 7, commissioners asked staff to come back with possible scenarios for cutting the proposed budget, or millage rates, at its regular meeting this week.

A 'new era' for Collier County taxpayers

Long-time commissioner Bill McDaniel praised the board's renewed focus on the budget, and considerations of tax cuts, with two newer faces on it, saying that it's the "beginning of a new era for our community."

Commissioner Burt Saunders took issue with that statement, arguing that budget and tax cuts have been discussed many times since he was elected to the board in 2016, although it may have not been as in much detail as this year.

While he agreed the county needs to make sure it operates efficiently and doesn't waste money, Saunders said he would prefer to keep the tax rates steady, rather than reducing them, not just to address today's needs, but future ones, as they arise.

He described the potential cuts discussed at the meeting as "more of a political decision," without an understanding of what they really mean in the short or long run.

As one of the newcomers, Commissioner Chris Hall said it's his desire not to stick to "business as usual" at the county, and to look for ways to roll back or reduce taxes.

"At some point in time, we have to stop the growth of the government monster," he said. "Not to say, we have to kill it, but we have to stop it from going up, and up, and up. I say we have to, but I want to."

Several residents spoke in favor of cutting Conservation Collier's funding next year, saying something has to give in this current economic climate, with inflation and the cost of living so high. That included Kathy Mayo, president of the local chapter of NOW, who suggested the program might be paused for a year.

Her suggestion, she said, shouldn't be taken to mean she and others like her who are worried about paying more taxes don't support conservation. She pointed out that Collier County is one of Florida's greenest counties, with about two-thirds of its land set aside for conservation.

"We're not against that. But come on, when you boil it down, what’s more important? People or land?" she asked.

She added that any tax increase by Collier County government would be a "double whammy," on top of the recently approved increase by the Collier County School Board.

"It's just too much," she said.

Supporters argue Conservation Collier deserves full funding

The board approved another six acquisitions on Tuesday, before debating cuts to Conservation Collier's budget next year. That will increase maintenance costs, and environmentalists argued that adequate funding for those costs is key to the success of the program.

In an email after the meeting, Cornell of Audubon said that while some county commissioners may think otherwise, he believes voters knew and understood what they were doing when they overwhelmingly approved the program and agreed to tax themselves three times, first in 2002, then in 2006, and again in 2020 – to take matters into their own hands.

"Conservation Collier is the rare program that can reassemble fragmented, subdivided landscapes to restore and protect wetland flow ways, wildlife corridors for Florida panthers and black bears, and work with nature to assure clean water and flood protection, plus reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in over drained places like Golden Gate Estates," he said. "If Collier County citizens want these fundamentals of a beautiful and sustainable quality of life, they clearly understand they must take responsibility themselves."

Through the program, the county has acquired more than 4,200 acres of land for conservation since 2003.

Seventy-five percent of the money that's collected is earmarked for land acquisition, with the remainder reserved for perpetual maintenance.