First Public Hearing on St. Johns County's $1.46 Billion Budget Set for Sept. 3

St. Johns County commissioners have set proposed "ceiling" tax rates for the coming fiscal year, and the first of two public hearings on the roughly $1.46 billion recommended budget is set for Thursday, Sept. 3, at 5:01 p.m. in the County Auditorium at 500 San Sebastian View. That hearing, and a final one on Sept. 15, are the last chances for St. Augustine-area property owners to speak before the rates that shape next year's tax bills are locked in.

Nothing is final yet. The rates commissioners approved last month are legal ceilings, meaning the board can lower them before adoption but cannot raise them without starting the notice process over. County Public Affairs Director Wayne Larson said as much in a post-meeting radio summary, telling residents the board only reviewed a proposed budget and has not adopted a final budget or millage rate.

What the proposed rates mean

The proposed general fund rate is 4.4999 mills. Combined with other county levies, the aggregate rate comes to 6.7559 mills, which is about 2.06% above what's called the rolled-back rate, the rate that would bring in the same revenue as last year after accounting for rising property values. In practical terms, that 2.06% gap is the size of the tax increase the county would collect if commissioners keep the ceiling rate as proposed.

One detail matters specifically for city residents: the county's fire district rate does not apply inside the city of St. Augustine. That rate funds fire response countywide, except within city limits, where the city provides its own fire service and levies its own charges instead. It means a homeowner on the city side of a boundary line can see a different total tax bill than a neighbor just outside it, even with the same property value, because the two are paying into different fire funding structures.

Why the numbers moved this year

County staff built this year's budget with an added layer of caution. Presentations to the board this summer walked through scenarios for how statewide property-tax reform, still being debated in Tallahassee, could change what the county is allowed to collect. Staff described the FY27 numbers as a starting point rather than a locked plan, built to be adjusted if state lawmakers change the rules on local property taxes before the county's fiscal year begins.

Property owners should already have, or soon will get, a TRIM notice in the mail. The Property Appraiser sends that notice in mid-August, and it lays out the proposed millage rate for every taxing authority on a property, including the County Commission, the School Board, the city or other municipality, and any special districts, along with the estimated tax bill under those proposed rates and the date and time each authority holds its hearing.

The county has not said whether it expects to lower the ceiling rates before adoption. That question, and any pushback on the roughly 2% revenue increase built into the aggregate rate, is expected to come up directly at the Sept. 3 hearing, where public comment is on the agenda before commissioners vote.

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