TRIM NOTICES GO OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS AUG. 17

By ED BRIMNER
Property Appraiser

TRIM (TRuth In Millage) notices will be mailed on Aug. 17th to every Wakulla County property owner. Please be on the lookout for this important information. Remember your TRIM notice is not a bill – but it is an estimate of your property taxes. For that reason, you need to know the following:
• Column 1 on the TRIM’s top table shows you what last year’s taxes were. Column 2 shows what the tax rate would need to be for Wakulla County to collect the same amount of tax revenue as last year and what your taxes would be if that was the new tax rate. This is called the rollback rate. Column 3 shows the tax rate being proposed by your taxing authorities and what your projected taxes for 2023 will be.
• When you receive your TRIM, final taxing decisions have not yet been made. Public input is expected and encouraged. The TRIM notice provides information regarding public meetings to discuss tentative budgets and proposed millage rates. I encourage you to study the issues and communicate with local officials by attending scheduled meetings, sending emails, and/or calling your taxing authorities. A phone call to County Commissioners, School Board members, or City Council members could make a difference in your tax rates. You may contact these officials by calling the BOCC administrative offices at (850) 926-0919, the Superintendent of Schools administrative offices at (850) 926-0060, the St. Marks City Hall at (850) 925-6224, or the NW Florida Water Management District offices at (850) 539-5999.
• The middle table on your TRIM shows non-ad valorem assessments. This year, there is a proposed increase for the fire assessment to $248; last year’s fire assessment was $152. There is no proposed increase for the garbage assessment, and it should remain $204.
• The bottom portion of your TRIM provides your 2022 and 2023 market, assessed, and taxable values of your property allowing you to know the changes in value. Each of these could be different. An explanation of these values is provided in the TRIM package. All value information is based on sale(s) or change(s) prior to Jan. 1, 2023. Review your TRIM notice and if you feel your property value is overvalued or you are missing an exemption that you applied for, please contact our office prior to September 11th. No one knows the details of your property better than you and a phone call to the Property Appraiser can make a difference.
As always, our customer service staff is available to answer questions at (850) 926-0500. You can also visit the Property Appraiser’s website www.MyWakullaPA.com or visit us on our Facebook page.