County approves 2020 budget of more than $917 million

By the close of business Tuesday evening, the St Johns County Commission had unanimously approved a Fiscal Year 2020 budget that tops $917 million.  The Fiscal Year 2019 budget (October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019) was close to $841.8 million, according to records available from the St Johns County Clerk of Court.

There will be some funds carried over from Fiscal Year 2019 into the new year; however, they are unspent funds already earmarked for ongoing projects.  The budget includes about $15 million in unrestricted funds.

Property tax rates are largely the same as the current fiscal year except for shifting the rates for the Transportation Trust Fund and General Fund. The General Fund millage will go from 5.1 to 4.95, and the County Transportation Trust Fund will go from 0.75 to 0.9.

Historic City News will be watching as final decisions are made for the use of currently unrestricted funds by the Commission, likely sometime next month.

The aggregate millage rate is 5.2% higher than the aggregate rolled-back millage rate, which is the property tax rate needed to bring the county the same amount of revenue in the next fiscal year. County commissioners decided this month to eliminate added property tax millage for Ponte Vedra Beach restoration. The county is pitching in its own funding for the planning stage of the project.