Local Governments Win BIG?

The St. Petersburg Times is reporting on a letter sent yesterday by Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio

touting "substantial agreement" in the property tax talks.

One very significant portion of this letter could prove to be a major victory for local governments.

The details of this letter start out by saying

Cities and Counties will be required to cut their property taxes...

A cap on future property taxes will ensure that local governments cannot grow faster than personal income.

Nothing in there looks like a win for local governments. But look at the very next line in the letter

Local governments may override the caps and the cuts by an extraordinary vote

So what is an extraordinary vote, you ask? Here is what the letter goes on to say about that.

allowing local governments by a super majority vote, referendum or other heightened standards to override the mandatory cuts.

This provision appears to give local governments the power to retain control over their budgets. All they have to do now is to have the political courage to do what they think is best for their communities. I am betting that local governments in the Tampa Bay area will still look long and hard about where they might be able to reduce spending without impacting the quality of life in their communities. But they will retain control over how much to cut.

Stay tuned.