JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Councilman Rahman Johnson, who was filling in as chairman of the city’s Value Adjustment Board (VAB) on Wednesday, made a “special” announcement about fee reform on Wednesday morning.
Johnson announced a new policy direction regarding fees assessed to residents who appeal their property value assessments, increasing the fee from $15 to $50.
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The fee hasn’t been changed since the 1980s, and the board decided a change was necessary because the city was spending more than it needed to.
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“This action is aimed at improving access, transparency, and fairness in the property tax appeal process,” Johnson wrote in a news release.
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Johnson said last year, the budget to operate the VAB was just over $360,000, which includes the cost of special magistrates, legal services, and all the administrative work required to ensure due process. With that, the total application revenue was only $75,000, Johnson said, a number that doesn’t even go back into the board but flows into the city’s general fund, leaving a sizable funding gap and a board the council still must fund.
“In essence, we’re subsidizing a system that gives a needed service, but with taxpayers picking up the tab. That’s not government efficiency. That’s performative equity,” he wrote in a statement.
By implementing a $50 application fee, Johnson said the city closes nearly $200,000 of that gap without blocking access for everyday homeowners.
“It’s the difference between reactive government and responsible governance,” he said. “This move ensures that the board’s work doesn’t quietly drain dollars from other essential city services. We’re simply saying: fairness must be funded.”
