Commissioner Anderson: Apopka cannot afford to keep postponing essential investments

Editor's Note: Rod Olsen is an Apopka resident and former president of the Rock Springs Ridge Homeowners Association. He frequently addresses local issues during public comment at Apopka City Commission meetings and regularly contributes opinion pieces on city government and community concerns. He submitted this op-ed to The Apopka Voice as an open letter to Commissioner Nadia Anderson, who was the lone vote against raising the millage rate to .75 mill in the preliminary setting.

In Summary:

In an open letter to Commissioner Nadia Anderson, Apopka resident Rod Olsen supports retaining the proposed 0.75-mill interim increase to preserve the commission’s flexibility during budget deliberations. He points to flooding, traffic, sidewalks, utility capacity, parks, public safety facilities and employee vacancies among the city’s mounting needs. Olsen also calls for detailed departmental reviews, stronger fiscal accountability and the appointment of permanent city administrator and city attorney positions.

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Dear Commissioner Anderson,

Thank you for the questions you asked and the concerns you expressed during both July 15 and July 27, 2026, City Commission meetings.

I appreciate your willingness to ask tough questions and carefully examine the proposed budget before making a final decision. One item I am trying to better understand is the discussion regarding the proposed 0.75% millage increase. At the July 1 Commission meeting, the Commission reached a consensus to move forward with the proposed 0.75% increase after discussing increases ranging from 1.0% to 1.25%.

Related: Apopka City Commission tables millage vote again as unanimous support for 0.75 increase remains elusive.

Based on the discussion at the last two meetings, I was left wondering whether additional information or concerns have since come to light that influenced your position. While no homeowner welcomes a tax increase, it is important to view the proposal in the context of the City's long history of deferred infrastructure and operational needs.

As you know, once an interim millage rate is adopted, it is relatively straightforward to reduce it during the budget process if circumstances warrant. Increasing it later, however, requires a much more restrictive and time-sensitive statutory process. That flexibility is particularly important given the uncertainty surrounding the proposed Homestead Expansion constitutional amendment (HJR 1-F) and its potential fiscal impact on municipalities.

For too many years, the City has deferred critical investments while continuing to approve significant residential growth. Those deferred needs now require attention. Among the challenges facing our community are:

• Flood mitigation.
• Traffic congestion and roadway improvements.
• Sidewalks, including areas where children continue to walk in roadside ditches to reach schools.
• Water and sewer capacity.
• Reclaimed water system pressure.
• Parks and recreational facilities.
• Replacement of aging water meters.
• Deferred water, sewer, and solid waste rate adjustments.
• Replacement of aging backflow preventers to help protect our potable water supply.
• Public safety facilities.
• Golden Gem Pond and other stormwater infrastructure.

Golden Gem Pond serves as a prime example of the cost of delay. The pump station and liner repairs now cost substantially more than they would have several years ago because the project was postponed.

Likewise, although the City's population has nearly doubled over the past twelve years, park development has not kept pace, with only limited additions until this fiscal year.

Staffing also remains a significant concern. The City has approximately 60 vacant budgeted positions while averaging 2,400 hours of overtime each week for well over a year.

Multiple employees continue serving in interim roles while simultaneously performing two and sometimes three jobs. These staffing shortages reduce service levels, increase overtime costs, and limit the City's ability to effectively manage important projects. For example, staffing limitations contributed to delays in expending available CRA funds, resulting in reduced CRA funding opportunities.

The City also faces the possibility of returning approximately $5 million to a developer if required roads and sidewalks are not completed within the required timeframe.

Given these challenges, I respectfully offer the following recommendations for your consideration:

1. Retain the proposed 0.75% interim millage rate to preserve flexibility while allowing time for a thorough, line-by-line review of every departmental budget.
2. During each departmental budget review, examine turnover statistics, current vacancies, requested new positions, overtime expenditures and historical budget performance, including explanations for significant over- or under-budget variances. The objective should be to ensure every department has the personnel and resources necessary to effectively serve our 69,000 residents at the most reasonable cost.
3. Fill the permanent City Administrator/Chief of Staff position as soon as practical to provide stable executive leadership. One position, not two.
4. Fill the permanent City Attorney position as soon as practical. A full-time City Attorney would reduce outside legal expenses while providing more timely and accessible legal counsel to the Mayor, Commission, and Department Directors.

It is time to hold both City leadership and department directors accountable for operating within their approved budgets except in extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances. Consistent fiscal discipline, together with regular performance reviews throughout the year, will improve transparency and strengthen public confidence.

I hope the City moves beyond the longstanding practice of postponing necessary infrastructure investments while continuing to plan responsibly for future growth.

Although I would prefer not to see any increase in the millage rate, we also cannot continue deferring essential infrastructure, equipment, staffing and services.

Responsible government requires balancing affordability with the necessary investments to provide the level of service our residents expect and deserve.

Retaining the proposed 0.75% interim millage rate simply preserves the Commission's flexibility while allowing additional time to thoroughly evaluate the Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget before making a final decision.

Thank you again for your service and for your consideration of these comments.

Respectfully, Rod Olsen