Jupiter’s Proposed Tax Rate Is Changing

If you looked at Jupiter’s proposed tax rate this year, one number probably jumped out.

The Town’s proposed millage rate is 3.5886 mills, up from 2.3894 last year. That is about a 50% increase.

But that does not mean your Town and fire taxes are going up 50%.

The reason for the jump is Jupiter’s new Fire Rescue Department, which begins service October 1. Right now, Jupiter property owners pay the Town’s 2.3894 millage rate plus a separate 1.7251 mill Palm Beach County Jupiter Fire Rescue tax.

That County fire tax is going away. Jupiter is replacing it by adding 1.1992 mills to the Town’s own rate.

So when you combine the Town and fire portions, the millage actually drops from about 4.1145 mills to 3.5886 mills. That is roughly a 12.8% decrease.

There will also be a separate non ad valorem fire assessment, so the exact impact will depend on the property. But for many Jupiter property owners, the overall Town and fire tax burden is expected to be lower.

The Town has even published examples showing lower combined ad valorem taxes on several hypothetical properties before the separate fire assessment is added.

So if you see that Jupiter’s millage rate jumped 50%, technically that is true. It just does not tell the full story.

The Town is moving fire rescue from Palm Beach County to Jupiter. Based on the current proposal, the combined millage rate is actually lower.

The rate is still proposed, not final. The first public budget hearing is September 8 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall.