By Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore
The county government's budget cycle begins in earnest in February, with final adoption in late September. The Orange County Board of Commissioners (BCC) approved a final $6.9 billion budget on September 19th at 5:01 p.m. I had multiple briefings throughout the year from each department, and by the time the meeting was held last week, I had no more questions. In fact, no one from the community was present to give public testimony.
The millage rate was passed without fanfare at 4.4347 mills, which is a 5.05 percent increase over the rollback rate. The rate has held steady the entire time I have served on the BCC. If a jurisdiction votes for the rollback rate, it means the municipality will collect the exact same amount as was collected the previous year. The increased amount collected even with the same milage rate is due to additional properties paying taxes on the tax roll, and in this environment, increased home values. However, if your home is homesteaded you can only be required to pay an increase of 3 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) more in taxes. This is why you might find long-term homeowners paying $50 in property taxes and a neighborhood renting or just purchasing the property paying $2,500 more in property taxes.
It is interesting to look at the diversity of taxes assessed by folks in the same neighborhood. Some night, if you have nothing better to do, look up your street.
Highlights for Fiscal ’25 Budget projects include the following:
- New animal control facility $45 million
- Septic-2-Sewer Program $19.3 million
- Lake Apopka Loop Connector Trail $10.8 million
- Sidewalk Program $10.8 million
- Kennedy Blvd. ROW $9.4 million
- All American Blvd. ROW $6.9 million
- Pine Hills Pedestrian Safety Program $1.3 million
- John Bridges Community Center Playground $1.2 million
- Edgewater Dr. corridor study $103,789
Please remember the depth and breadth of the county's responsibilities. The county maintains all facilities for the courthouse, constitutional offices, parks, jail, convention center, animal control, mosquito control, and community action buildings like John Bridges and Willow Street. The county is responsible for similar roles as cities and additional safety net programs such as homeless services, mental health services, jail operations, emergency services (hurricanes), and children’s afterschool programs such as the Boys and Girls Club. This is an addition to maintaining county roads, ponds, and utilities.
As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at Distict2@ocfl.net
