Commission ignores calls for tax relief

By John Labriola - Public calls for tax relief went nowhere last Thursday as the Citrus County Commission decided not to cut residents' property tax rate for the 2025-26 budget year. The vote was 3-2, with Commissioners Diana Finegan and Janet Barek on the losing side. The decision came just two days after the commission's 4-1 vote on Sept. 9 to raise the fire fee from $79 to $125, with Finegan opposed.

Commissioners set a total property tax rate of 8.9249  mills, the same as the current year. But because property values mostly went up this year, it will mean a 5 percent increase in taxes for the average homeowner over the rollback rate. That means the owner of a home currently valued at $300,000 who takes the standard $50,000 homestead exemption will pay $2,231.23 in county property taxes under the new budget, which will take effect Oct. 1.

Most residents who attended the two-hour preliminary budget hearing wanted commissioners to cancel the county library system's $3,300 subscription to BookPage, a woke monthly magazine that recommends new books that push LGBT, DEI, CRT and witchcraft themes and demonizes parents opposed to exposing children to pornography. The library system purchases a total of 500 copies a month of BookPage – about 100 for each of the five libraries – so patrons can take them home without having to check them out. 

"Spending tax moneys on this BookPage is not the best way to spend our money," said Ray Brown of Homosassa. "When commissioners vote to allow witchcraft, Satan-worshipping drag queens and other satanic witchcraft in their community, you're eating away at family values. Stop promoting this propaganda in the disguise of family fun."

Another resident highlighted BookPage's heavy promotion of LGBT and transgender themes and noted that it never recommends books by conservative authors like Ben Carson or Charlie Kirk, the latest victim of an LGBT assassin. 

Finegan and Barek both supported removing BookPage from the budget. But Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, who admitted he had not heard of the magazine until recently, said he would prefer to wait for a decision from the Library Advisory Board, which is scheduled to discuss the subscription at its Oct. 28 meeting.

"I don't like the idea that the taxpayers are footing the bill for this if it is what we're being told it is," he said. "I do know the Library Advisory Board is going through the process of reviewing it now. I will personally be reviewing it myself, and we can make changes along the way."

Toward the end of the meeting, far-left Commissioner Holly Davis, who has never voted to cut taxes, accused Commissioner Finegan of "picking on" the poor for wanting to roll back the tax rate for the health and library budgets, which would have reduced their reserves to $570,000 and $132,000, respectively, but not have affected their operating budgets.

Finegan, who said she knows from growing up what it means to struggle financially, snapped back: "I'm not picking on anybody. That is honestly the craziest thing I've ever heard you say up here. I'm looking out for taxpayers."

The commission will hold its final budget hearing on Sept. 23.