The Apopka City Commission will again consider setting a proposed property tax rate Monday after postponing action earlier this month, with a new agenda packet comparing how different millage options would affect the city’s budget and reserve levels. 

The special meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. Monday, July 27, in the Commission Chambers at Apopka City Hall. Commissioners are scheduled to consider setting the rolled-back millage rate at 4.2510 mills, adopting a proposed operating millage rate of 5.1876 mills and establishing Sept. 3 as the date for the city’s tentative budget hearing.  

The updated staff report compares several possible millage rates and estimates how much the city would need to reduce General Fund spending under each option to maintain reserve levels. 

Under the recommended 5.1876-mill rate, a 0.75-mill increase over the current 4.4376-mill rate, the city projects approximately $104.5 million in General Fund revenue against $121.1 million in expenditures. Staff estimates the city would need to reduce spending by approximately $17.4 million to maintain a 25% reserve or about $11.4 million to maintain a 20% reserve.  

If commissioners instead adopted a 4.9376-mill rate, representing a 0.50-mill increase, the amount the city would need to reduce would grow to about $19.1 million for a 25% reserve and $13.6 million for a 20% reserve. At the current 4.4376-mill rate, staff estimates the city would need to reduce spending by approximately $24 million to maintain a 25% reserve.  

The staff report also notes that the proposed 5.1876-mill rate would generate approximately $45.7 million in property tax revenue during fiscal year 2026-27 and is 22.03% above the rolled-back rate. Once commissioners set a proposed millage rate, the city may later reduce it during the budget process but cannot increase it without additional statutory notice requirements. The proposed rate and related TRIM forms must be submitted to the Orange County Property Appraiser by Aug. 4.  

Commissioners postponed action on the proposed millage rate during a July 15 special meeting after failing to reach unanimous agreement on the recommended 0.75-mill increase. 

Commissioner Nadia Anderson said she could not support the proposal because she believed the preliminary budget contained spending that was not essential while uncertainty remains over potential state property tax reforms. 

Mayor Nick Nesta responded that the budget remains preliminary and said his goal is to reduce the proposed increase to 0.5 mill before the budget is finalized if additional savings can be identified. 

Without unanimous support for the proposed rate, commissioners tabled the item. Monday’s meeting will allow the commission to revisit the proposal before the city must meet Florida’s Truth in Millage, or TRIM, deadlines. 

The city has also scheduled special commission meetings for 6 p.m. Monday and 5:15 p.m. Thursday, July 30, although agendas for those meetings had not been released as of the afternoon of July 23.