- February 24, 2025
Property owners will pay more if rate holds up.
Wayne Grant
News Editor
The City Commission set the tentative millage rate for the next year at their July 28 meeting. The rate will be placed on the TRIM notice that property owners will receive from the Volusia County Property Appraiser next month. TRIM stands for “truth in millage,” and allows citizens to see their estimated taxes for the coming year.
The final tax millage for the city of Ormond Beach will be determined by the commissioners in two public hearings at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 and 23.
If the proposed rate holds up, city property owners will be paying more, because the rate is above the rolled-back rate, which would bring in the same amount as the previous year.
The millage proposed by the city’s finance department and approved by the commission is 4.2843, 8.79% over the rolled-back rate of 3.9383.
Added to the millage are three obligation bonds approved by voters in previous years, which total 0.2727. That makes the total millage 4.557, which means that a property owner would pay $4.557 per thousand of appraised value after exemptions are substracted. Owners can find the appraised value on their TRIM notice.
The total proposed budget for the city is $85,892,131, which is $6,190,958 more than last year.
Before the meeting, Finance Director Kelly McGuire presented the operating budget to the commissioners. A capital budget workshop was held earlier this year.
“It’s not realistic to expect government to operate with the same dollars year after year after year,” she said. She showed a chart that showed that in many years the city holds to the rolled back rate.
Added expenses include five new police officers (partially paid by a grant); a new neighborhood improvement officer; a new information technology specialist; facilities and vehicle repair and replacement; Environmental Learning Center supplies; enhanced sports field maintenance; median landscaping maintenance; and the Enterprise Resource System, a computer software system for the entire city.
One reason additional police are deemed necessary is the annexation of North U.S. 1 into the city. In future years, as properties are annexed, the businesses are expected to bring in funds through taxes and fees to pay for services.
The city outsourced the maintenance of sports fields in the past year, which cost more money but improved quality. The commissioners agreed the investment has been worthwhile, pointing to the recent national baseball tournament held at the Sports Complex.
Firefighters reach agreement
In other news, the city approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Ormond Beach Firefighters Association. It will remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2016, or until a new agreement is reached. Bargaining unit employees will receive a 2% wage increase retroactively for fiscal year 2014-15 and a 2% wage increase for fiscal year 2015-16.
