WILDWOOD, FL (352today.com) – The Wildwood city commission readopted the millage rate it approved in late September as part of a procedural process to fix a mistake.
At the special meeting Monday night, commissioners readopted a 2.8287 millage rate it approved on September 25, 2023, for the fiscal year that began October 1.
The city says state law required a new hearing on the rate after they realized an error had been made in the calculation of the rolled-back millage rate.
When the 2.8287 millage rate was adopted by the city commission in September, it was erroneously presented as the rolled-back rate. The corrected rolled-back rate of 2.8051 amounts to a difference of $0.0236 for each $1,000 of property value assessment.
As 352today explained in our reporting on Oct. 27, the city was required to hold a new hearing to present the adopted 2.8287 rate as a tax increase. When in reality that rate is 0.1713 lower than the prior year’s 3.000 rate, and the lowest rate in city history, according to available records.
The city told us the difference amounts to $2.36 per $100,000 in property valuation. So, a house with a taxable value of $300,000 will pay an additional $7.08 on their tax bill over what they would have if the rolled-back rate had been adopted.
At the meeting, Wildwood’s Chief Financial Officer and Assistant City Manager Cassandra Smith stated, “I am aware you had every intention of adopting the rolled-back rate and I deeply apologize for putting you in this position. I have examined how the error occurred, implemented new protocols, and assure you it will never happen again.”
“Nobody is more attentive to detail and takes greater pride in their work than Cassandra,” said City Manager Jason McHugh. “This falls on me as the city manager, but Cassandra insisted on taking ownership of this from the moment it was discovered. It’s a testament to her integrity and leadership as a public servant, and I have the utmost confidence in her and our finance team moving forward.”
“There isn’t a person in this room who hasn’t made a mistake at one time or another,” responded Mayor Ed Wolf. “I’d also like to point out that for those residents whose property assessments have not increased, this is still a tax decrease.”
The city says while the special meeting was posted and advertised in accordance with state law, only one member of the public attended the special meeting, and none spoke during the public hearing.