MSBU Assessments

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Call Us: 850-983-1853 Fax Number: 983-1861 Email: MSBU MSBU Assessment Information can be obtained from the Office of Management & Budget located at: 6495 Caroline St, Suite L Milton, FL 32583 Our Hours are: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) Assessment Information 

• Program Policies
• Funding Policy
• Fire District Rates (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Listing of Approved MSBU's
• Procedures for Paving Non-County Maintained Dirt Roads

Sample Requests for Establishing MSBU

• Sample Request for Street Lighting MSBU
• Sample Request for County Maintained Road Paving MSBU
• Sample Request for Non-County Maintained Road Paving MSBU
• Sample Request for Public Owned Sewer System

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Background
The Board of County Commissioners, pursuant to county ordinance, may create an MSBU to serve a specific area of the county. The MSBU may be created to serve many purposes, e.g. sewer lines, road paving, street lighting, and fire protection, etc. The rates, frequency, and duration of assessments are set forth in the ordinance creating the district. Notice of the proposed assessment will be on the Proposed Tax Notice (TRIM) that is sent out to the appropriate property owner's sometime in August each year, indicating the rates, and the time and place of the public hearing (normally in late August). The Board of County Commissioners, after hearing comments from the public, will approve/disapprove establishing or changing the MSBU.

Timetable
The process normally begins with a homeowners group, interested residents, or commissioner requesting an MSBU be established for a particular purpose. The request for an MSBU should be submitted to the County by:

Road Paving
February 15 Road Paving MSBU's require the most time for County processing because they must go to Public Works then to Engineering to ensure proper assessment amounts prior to the petition being prepared.

• Sewer Installation: February 1
• Lighting District:February 1
• Canal Dredging: February 1

The Budget Director and Budget Assistant will coordinate the county process with the requesting representatives; County Attorney; County Administrator; Public Works; Engineering; etc. The Office of Management & Budget will draft the petition once the process has been completed and all costs determined. Normally a minimum of 55% of affected Santa Rosa County property owners, who are residents of Santa Rosa County, are needed to establish an MSBU. However, state law allows the Board of County Commissioners to impose an MSBU at any time it is deemed necessary. The entire process, including return of signed petition to OMB, must be completed by March 29th.

Not later than the first workday in May, the Property Appraiser is notified of the creation of the MSBU by OMB. The Property Appraiser will create the new database and compute amounts due. When approved, this database will be included in the tax roll sent to the Tax Collector to appear on the annual tax bills as non-advalorem assessments, along with millage based taxes.

It is the goal of the Road and Bridge Department to begin the MSBU road paving projects by April and be finished with all the MSBU paving projects that affect County maintained roads by the end of summer. MSBU projects on roads not maintained by the County are designed by private consultants and contractors, therefore, time tables are impossible to predict. The time line for all of the paving and resurfacing projects is, of course, subject to weather.