Gimenez says he will maintain or lower tax rate

The most important promise that Mayor Carlos Gimenez made while campaigning was to reverse the property tax rate hike of his recalled predecessor.

About two weeks after he won his June 2011 race, Gimenez proposed reversing that tax rate increase, and the county commission agreed. We gave Gimenez a quick Promise Kept.

But Gimenez must now propose a new budget -- while campaigning for re-election. His chief rival in the Aug. 14 primary is County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez.

Gimenez is expected to release his budget proposal in July, but he wrote memos in May that included some clues. One memo stated that the preliminary tax roll showed a 1.48 percent increase in the county tax roll. Gimenez wrote that his budget will eliminate 500 vacant positions and save $40 million as a result of his reorganizing the departments. He said he intends to "outline my plan for continued savings to the taxpayers, maintaining services at current levels, and reducing the employees" contribution to group health care.”

In a separate memo in May, Gimenez said that he would use savings toward "a possible reduction to the millage rate.” (To read more about the budget as a political chess match between Gimenez and Martinez, read this Miami Herald article.)

Gimenez said in an interview with PolitiFact Florida that he intends to keep the same tax rate or even propose another reduction this year. But we await his official proposal and negotiations with the commission, which will hold public budget meetings in August and finalize the budget Sept. 20. This remains a Promise Kept for now.