Apopka adopts tentative FY27 budget, property tax increase

The Apopka City Commission adopted its tentative fiscal year 2027 budget and a 4.6761-mill property tax rate Sept. 3 at the Apopka Community Center, while restoring several expenditures commissioners had debated during a budget workshop two days earlier.  

The commission voted 4-1 to approve the tentative millage rate, with Commissioner Nadia Anderson opposed. The rate is 10% above the 4.2510-mill rollback rate and is expected to generate approximately $41.2 million in property-tax revenue.  

Commissioners later unanimously adopted the tentative budget with adjustments made during the hearing. The budget presented for the hearing included about $228.9 million in expenditures and $203.2 million in revenues across all funds. The general fund included about $107.2 million in expenditures and $103 million in revenues before adjustments made during the budget process.  

During public comments, resident Rod Olsen said Apopka has infrastructure deficits that have accumulated over at least 20 years and called for better historical financial information, regular financial reviews and immediate action on overtime.  

“You cannot fix 20 years in one year, but you can fix 20 years of shortcomings over several years,” Olsen said. “The budget is the start.” 

Dr. Phyllis Olmstead also called for greater access to budget information and urged commissioners to base their financial decisions on data rather than politics. 

“We don’t need to base the budget decisions on politics,” Olmstead said, adding that decisions should be based on “facts, data, research, history” and projections. 

Among the line-item decisions was leaving $100,000 for the city’s nonprofit grant program out of the budget after Anderson’s motion to restore the funding failed for lack of a second.  

Commissioners restored six firefighter positions and a risk-management specialist and retained $297,565, including benefits, for an in-house city attorney position.  

They also restored $75,000 for second-floor City Hall renovations and $210,000 for office furniture replacement. Anderson questioned the renovation cost, saying she wanted more detailed information about how the money would be spent.  

“I just think it’s ridiculous that you present a piece of paper and cannot tell the taxpayer how much it’s going to cost,” she said.  

Mayor Nick Nesta countered that the $75,000 figure came from staff and represented the next phase of the renovations. He said commissioners could request a detailed breakdown from staff and that the figures had been available for months.  

The commission also approved $5,000 in discretionary funding for each commissioner, half the $10,000-per-commissioner amount previously under consideration. The commission also restored Saturday Sounds, which Nesta said would be held once a month, and increased cemetery tree-maintenance funding by $20,000, from $25,000 to $45,000. 

In a separate vote, the commission unanimously approved the fiscal year 2026-27 non-ad valorem assessment roll for the Emerson Park Assessment Area. The assessments fund improvements including pavement, curbs, sidewalks, streetlights and traffic signs and are being collected in 15 annual installments.  

The final millage rate and budget hearing is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the City Hall Commission Chambers. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated and expanded with additional information.