For the third year in a row, the total property tax rate in Marathon will be lower than most parts of unincorporated Monroe County.

The recent trend is a reversal from the higher property taxes Marathon property owners paid five years ago.

According to records from the Monroe County Property Appraiser's office, the total property tax rate for City of Marathon residents will be 9.2059 this year, compared to the rate of 9.9769 those in unincorporated areas such as Conch Key and Big Pine Key will be charged.

A tax rate of 9.2059 means property owners in Marathon will pay about $920 for every $100,000 of assessed value. Comparatively, those in most parts of unincorporated Monroe County will pay about $998 for every $100,000 of assessed value.

The total property tax rate is made up of a variety of charges, of which the City of Marathon has control over only a portion. Although Marathon property owners do pay some county taxes each year, it is a smaller percentage than those in unincorporated Monroe County.

The city levied a property tax rate of 1.68 this year, a figure that includes fire rescue services, which appear as a separate item on the county tax bill. The same goes for police services, as the city contracts directly with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office to provide road patrol services.

Taxing entities that are beyond the control of both the County and the City include the school district and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District.

Marathon property owners enjoyed a similarly lower tax rate in the years 2008 and 2007. In 2006 and 2005, Marathon's taxes were either comparable or higher than a portion of unincorporated Monroe County, depending on different special district taxes charged throughout the Keys.

Property taxes had been one of the key issues in Marathon's incorporation movement -- focused largely on where those tax dollars were being spent.

"The people wanted to have the money they contributed in taxes spent here instead of Key West and other places," said Karen Farley-Wilkinson, one of the early proponents for Marathon's incorporation movement.

rbusweiler@keysnews.com