City Council finalizes 2016-2017 budget, increases property tax rate by half-mill

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The City Council delivered its final votes on the 2016-2017 city budget and property tax rate, adopting the annual budget of more than $104 million with a 4-1 vote and setting the tax rate at 3.7876 mills by a 3-2 vote.

The adopted budget, which reflects an increase of $14.4 million, or 16.1 percent over the 2015-2016 spending plan, will go into effect Saturday, October 1, the first day of the 2016-2017 fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2017.

Commissioners Billie Dean and Doug Bankson voted against the millage rate increase, but Bankson was the only commissioner to vote against the 2017 budget adoption.

The new property tax rate will mean a rate hike of a half-mill, equivalent to $50 in taxes for every $100,000 of taxable property value.

In the $104-million budget, the city earmarked funds for several capital projects such as $16 million for a new sewage treatment plant, $2.8 million for a new communications tower on the north side of the city, and $1.9 for the new fire Station No. 5, equipment and personnel next to the Northwest Recreation Complex off Jason Dwelley Parkway.

The City Council also unanimously approved the 2016-2017 community redevelopment agency (CRA) budget plan worth about $2.3 million, which will focus on downtown redevelopment that includes land acquisition and the update of the CRA plan.

Public comment were open at all three meetings.

The City Council had three different sessions over a one-hour period on September 28. They first had the millage levy session, then recessed to reconvene as the CRA. After voting on the CRA budget, the CRA adjourned and went back into session as the City Council in order to adopted the final budget.

For more on what happened at the public hearing, including what the citizens and the City Council said about the budget, read the story in the September 30 issue of The Apopka Chief.Â