LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Transparency and accountability, are what Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman says his proposal for a law enforcement Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) would bring to the community.
Fox 4’s Bella Line met with Commissioner Hamman to break down what this means for taxpayers. He says the big thing is it would allow taxpayers to see what is going into the $315 million budget the Lee County Sheriff's Office has.
See what other benefits Commissioner Hamman says the MSTU will bring:
The Lee County Sheriff's Office budget is in the spotlight right now by some residents.
"If you look at your tax bill, you can see the libraries, you can see mosquito control, you can see a water district, but you can't tell by looking at your tax bill, how much you spend on the sheriff's office,” said Hamman.
So, last week, Hamman suggested an MSTU on law enforcement, as he says it is getting nearly half of the county's growing tax base.
"Lee County's general tax fund actually spends about $700 million of your money every single year, and $315 million of that $700 million goes directly to the sheriff's office,” said Hamman.
Leaving just around $385 million for the other departments in the county.
He says the MSTU would ensure full transparency with the taxpayers and fairness for other departments in the rapidly growing county.
"We're always going to choose law enforcement over just about anything else, but this gives, if we get them out of the general fund. This gives the other departments a chance to maybe get some of the new growth revenue,” said Hamman.
Hamman says the board decided to go forward with an allocation study to see what this would look like for our county.
He says it also gives city municipalities the chance to decide whether or not they would want to be a part of it.
"We want to make sure that law enforcement knows it's a thankless job that they have, but we thank them for it, and we stand behind them,” said Hamman.
Fox 4 will keep you up to date on their findings.
