Local Works Day, sponsored by Florida Local Government Coalition, is September 6, 2013. In Op-Ed, Anne Gannon, Palm Beach County Tax Collector, explains how her office serves Palm Beach County residents
September 6, 2013 is Local Works Day … a day to bring attention to the hard work that local government employees do for millions of Floridians each day. It’s about public works that are easy to take for granted, but which knit our communities together. – Florida Local Government Coalition
In the following op-ed, Anne Gannon, Palm Beach County Tax Collector, explains how her office serves Palm Beach County residents:
What does the Tax Collector’s Office do?
By Anne M. Gannon, Constitutional Tax Collector Serving Palm Beach County
Local Works Day,
September 6th
“To help Florida citizens understand, appreciate and support local government and the services and value these governments bring to millions of lives each day.” – Sponsored by Florida Local Government Coalition
Here in Palm Beach County we enjoy a quality of life like no other, complete with enviable weather and picturesque beaches. As residents of this beautiful county we receive services by many government agencies that serve our area. More than likely you put out your garbage each week, check out that bestseller you’ve been meaning to read at the library, see emergency rescue speeding to help someone in need, or send your kids off to school in the morning without ever thinking of all that goes into making these services possible.
Local Works day was created by the Florida Local Government Coalition to bring attention to the extraordinary efforts local government makes to keep these “ordinary” services running.
Constitutional Tax Collector’s throughout Florida play a major role in ensuring tax dollars are appropriately allocated to agencies that provide county residents with vital services. Elected every four years, the Tax Collector is one of five independently elected Constitutional Officers at the county level. The other officers include the Sheriff, Clerk & Comptroller, Supervisor of Elections and Property Appraiser.
Our office collects property taxes for every local government agency that has the power to levy taxes. We act as an agent for the county, administering Local Business Tax Receipts and Tourist Development taxes, and also act as an agent for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, The Department of Environmental Protection, The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and The Department of Revenue.
Our office has served you if you’ve ever paid property taxes or business taxes, renewed your driver license or registered a vehicle in Palm Beach County. Once the taxing authorities levy the taxes, we begin collecting them. Our office processes payments and distributes them to the appropriate taxing authorities, such as the school board, municipalities, and utility providers, who use the funds to provide many services, including education services, road repairs and the delivery of clean water to our homes. We provide driver license, ID and motor vehicle services on behalf of the state.
Our office also issues hunting and fishing licenses and disabled person parking permits. Acting as an agent for the county, we collect Tourist Development taxes that fund beach restorations, cultural arts programs, enhancements to our convention center and sporting facilities as well as promote tourist attractions across Palm Beach County.
The Tax Collector was put in place to maintain transparency and discretion between taxing authorities and the collection of actual tax dollars. In 2012 we collected more than $3 billion in property taxes that were redistributed to 95 Palm Beach County taxing authorities. The county, school boards and municipalities received $2 billion of those revenues.
Our office does not operate on tax dollars; instead our operating budget is funded by fees collected on services provided. The budget is approved by the Florida Department of Revenue, and thanks to many cost-effective initiatives, we often have excess revenues which we distribute to local taxing authorities.
We work hard every day to serve you and appreciate the trust that residents, the county and the state instill in us to collect and distribute taxes, and provide services that make every ordinary day, extraordinary.
2012 By the Numbers:
- 804,426 customers were served at our service centers
- 319,916 phone calls were answered at our call center
- 14,726 emails were responded to by our Client Advocate
- $10,000+ was donated by our office employees to benefit the Susan G. Komen South Florida affiliate and The Lord’s Place
- $59,719,542: Total commissions received from services provided.
- 37% of the total fees supported our budget
- 63% were returned as excess fees to the community
See a short Bio of Anne M. Gannon, Palm Beach County Tax Collector.
See more information about Local Works Day, Sponsored by the Florida Local Government Coalition.