Collier County commissioners on Sept. 5 tentatively approved the $2.98 billion 2024-25 budget, but didn’t resolve whether to repay $29.6 million they took from Conservation Collier to help cover a more than $60 million shortfall last year.
Commissioners adopted the rollback rate of 3.77, a decrease from 4 mills this year —taxes that cover the general fund, Conservation Collier and Pollution Control. That was possible due to property values increasing 10.33%. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 worth of a property’s taxable value after adjustments, including a homestead exemption.
Commissioners also agreed public safety was paramount and preserved Sheriff Kevin Rambosk’s $266.45 million budget, a 6.48% increase over this year. Although commissioners Burt Saunders and Bill McDaniel Jr. strongly supported repaying the conservation funds, no decision was made.
“We did not talk about borrowing the funds last year,” Chairman Chris Hall said. “We never said the word ‘borrow.’ We said we’re going to take those funds and balance the deficit in our budget.”
Commissioners’ intent at last year’s final budget hearing was to take $53.5 million in conservation funds but by this month, only $29.6 million was used. A month after approving last year’s budget, commissioners adopted a resolution allowing them to take Conservation Collier funds whenever needed.
There were only three speakers at the 90-minute hearing and all urged commissioners to replenish the funds to increase the funds’ interest rates and help with land maintenance. They also asked commissioners to support Conservation Collier’s $52.4 million budget, which includes separate funds for maintenance, land acquisition and projects.
“Conservation Collier trust funds are there as a piggy bank that we can smash if we need to when a hurricane rolls through and we’re waiting on [Federal Emergency Management Agency] money,” said Andy Wells-Bean, Audubon Western Everglades’ executive director. “So, to ensure that we have the money that we need for perpetual maintenance and to have at hand when there’s a natural disaster, we would urge you to replenish those trust-fund monies.”
Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Chair Michele Lenhard commended the county’s priority-based budget consultant, ResourceX, for targeting efficiencies and ensuring taxpayer savings, but cited pending $58.5 million in Conservation Collier land acquisitions, including $11.9 million for the Williams Farm property in Immokalee, which will be used for affordable housing, soccer fields and other uses.
She noted it’s a challenge to maintain properties in perpetuity due to historically low interest rates and asked commissioners to replenish the funds and not cut the program’s budget to assure the “long-term financial health of a valuable program.”
Gary Bromley, another land acquisition member, said he was among voters who supported Conservation Collier and found it “unsettling” that funds were “repurposed.” To restore voters’ faith, he urged them to reimburse it fully now, or incrementally.
And Brad Cornell, policy director for Audubon Florida and Western Audubon, praised commissioners for streamlining the land acquisition process, noting many are pending final approval. He asked commissioners to increase Conservation Collier’s 0.22 millage rate to the maximum, 0.25 mills, assuring them the public would support it.
Conservation Collier started in 2003, after county residents, in a November 2002 voter referendum, approved creating a taxpayer-funded land acquisition program by agreeing to a property tax increase of up to 0.25 mills—$25 per $100,000 of taxable property value—and bonding for up to $75 million for 10 years. Residents overwhelmingly supported the program during three referendums, most recently in 2020.
With the funds, more than 4,978 acres and 22 preserves have been created to protect water quality, wildlife habitat and provide recreation areas, including Freedom Park, Pepper Ranch and the Gordon River Greenway.
The next budget hearing will take place at 5:05 p.m. Sept. 19 at the third-floor commission chambers, Building F, 3299 Tamiami Trail E.
