County attorney asks how opt-out and Senate Bill 33 affect homestead protections; assessor says county's floating homestead remains favorable

The county attorney asked how the county's prior opt-out interacts with recent state legislation mentioned in the hearing. "So if you recall, we opted out of the May...and so then with Senate Bill 33 making it mandatory, how does that impact?" the county attorney asked.

Assessor Steve Balfour replied that the statute discussed in the meeting (referred to in the transcript as "House Bill 33 and 581") provides to give homeowners "the better of the two" calculations; he said the county's floating homestead typically yields the better outcome and long-tenured homestead owners should not see increases unless the millage itself changes. Commissioners asked staff for follow-up to ensure messaging about these protections is communicated to affected homeowners before the next hearings.