City living often less expensive than county

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

County residents pay surcharge for city water.

Wayne Grant

News Editor

They say nothing is certain but death and taxes. Some people may argue about death, but nobody claims taxes can be escaped.

Taxes and the cost of services can sometimes be lowered, however, as Ormond Beach officials often tell county residents and businesses that are about to annexed into the city.

A recent conversation with Planning Director Rick Goss helps explain why this is often true.

The biggest savings is not taxes, but rather from the water bill. If a person lives in unincorporated Volusia County, and gets water and sewer service from the city, they pay a 50% surcharge. If they are annexed into the city, this surcharge goes away.

Goss said when he makes a presentation to a neighborhood about annexation, he uses the example of a house valued at $410,000 that uses 3,000 gallons of water each month. If it’s in the county and has city water/sewer, they pay $370 for sewer/water. If in the city, they pay $252.

The city also has a slightly lower millage rate in property taxes. There are some things both city and county residents pay for, of course, namely schools and libraries.

For police, public works and fire protection, the county has a Municipal Services Tax Unit, which is 5.64. For the same services, the city has a millage of 4.2.

For sanitation, city residents pay $13.59 monthly and county residents, $16.

For storm water, the city comes out on the losing end, charging $8, while the county charges $6. Another place the county beats the city is communications tax. The county charges $5.20 and the city $7.

The big difference maker is water and sewer, and that’s true for businesses as well as residential areas. Most businesses annexed by the city are already on city water and sewer, so when annexed, they are saving the surcharge, making a big difference in their bill.

If you’re on city water and sewer already, it’s certain you would see a savings after being annexed. If not, then a careful comparison would be required to see if there is a savings.