Tax increase in Lee County?

Could an increase in the property tax rate in Lee County be on the horizon?

You'd think the subject would be all but taboo in this economic climate. But Lee County's assistant county manager, Peter Winton, raised the possibility at a meeting of real estate executives in Fort Myers recently.

There's enough money in reserves for three years to continue to bear the current $60 million annual operating deficits in the county's general fund, Winton says. “You're not going to make that up in cuts alone,” he warns. “We're going to have to look at the other side of the equation.”

Really?

Several real estate owners who attended the luncheon said they're willing to suffer cuts in service if it will spare an increase in taxes and they urged Winton to relay that message to the County Commission.

After all, Lee County today is sitting on about $180 million of reserves in its general fund. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had three years in reserves? That should be plenty of time to make smart budget cuts.