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NEWS BRIEFS Overall Sarasota County property tax values are up 3.4 percent over last year. Photo by Norman Schimmel PROPERTY TAX VALUES UP 3.4 PERCENT IN THE COUNTY Sarasota County's property tax values have risen 3.4 percent from 2012, with the City of North Port showing the highest increase in values since last year, at 5.34 percent, according to preliminary taxable values released by the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's Office. rise in property values for this year; for Fiscal Year 2015, the estimate was for a 3.1 percent increase; and by FY 2018, the December projections showed, the county should see a 5.1 percent hike. According to a memo sent to the County Commission on June 4 by Karen Fratangelo, a fisThe total estimated taxable value of county cal consultant in the county's Office of Fiproperty is $40,459,591,691, according to the nancial Management, the county will have an figures. additional $4.2 million in revenue, assuming County property values declined almost 40 the commissioners maintain flat millage rates. percent over the period following the start of During the board's last budget workshop — the recession in 2007. on May 14 — the commissioners made it clear Last year, the final figure for Sarasota County they did not intend to raise millage rates for was down 1.1 percent from 2011. The Proper- the 2014 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. ty Appraiser's Office by law must release the Fratangelo told the commissioners in her final figure no later than July 1 every year. memo that the higher property values will As of early February, state budget staff had mean an increase of $3.5 million for the estimated Sarasota County would see an in- county's general fund; "(we originally esticrease of 2.5 percent for 2013. In December mated a $1.1 [million] increase using state 2012, the state projection was for a 0.7 percent projections)."