- February 5, 2025
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Updated 1:34 p.m. Sept. 6.
A lower tax increase than previously discussed was proposed at special meeting on Wednesday, but City Council still was divided. The vote was 3-2.
The proposed millage rate was 4.6288 mills per $1,000 of valuation, which comes at a 9.99% increase in property tax revenue above the rolled-back rate, which is 4.2084 mills.
That increase reached 12% during a budget workshop meeting in August, but the total did not include impact fees and other revenue sources, said City Manager Jake Johansson. City staff also included an above-average revenue stream from the additional ambulance unit.
Residents were divided on the increase. Some opposed it, citing customer service issues within different city departments.
"You have to make sure that if you are giving (city employees) raises through our taxes, that they're doing better and are better trained," said Port Orange resident Mark Dickinson.
Others supported the increase to improve services and maintain the city's quality of life. Port Orange resident Mary Wilson said she will support adding an additional ambulance unit and other public safety measures.
"I'm not opposed to paying an additional 12 cents a day for these services," she said. "I don't go to Starbucks because I think it's too expensive, but I will pay the extra tax for my safety and my family's safety."
Councilmen Chase Tramont and Bob Ford remained opposed to the increase.
Tramont said the additional ambulance unit, which makes up a large portion of the tax increase, continues to be a point of contention for residents. He said more people are opposed to increased taxes to pay for the unit.
Ford said the city needs to keep taxes at an affordable level, otherwise it will hurt residents with low or fixed incomes. He also said the ambulance issue should be resolved by Volusia County, not the city.
"Port Orange is having a difficult time meeting its own needs," he said.
Councilmen Scott Stiltner and Drew Bastian supported the increase.
Stiltner said he wants Port Orange to be the best city in the county, and moving in a positive direction means investing locally. He also said the ambulance issue is not a new one, and Port Orange needs to be proactive in solving the issue instead of waiting for the county.
"Right, wrong or indifferent, you have to put public safety first in your community," he said.
Bastian supported Stiltner's comment, adding that even with the increase, Port Orange has the 14th lowest millage rate per capita in the county. Last year, he said, his Port Orange taxes calculated to $801.62, or $2.19 per day. This year's increase bumps him up to $843.30, or $2.31 per day. And that 12-cent daily increase includes an added ambulance and transport service.
"I think that's a terrific bargain for what I get living here," Bastian said.
The dollar amounts in the second-to-last paragraph have been corrected.
