Volusia County’s FY 2022-23 budget one step away from adoption

Posted On: September 6, 2022

With a majority of its property tax rates set to go to full rollback, Volusia County government’s budget plan and the taxes to help finance programs and services for the next fiscal year are one step away from final adoption.

Tuesday evening, the Volusia County Council gave unanimous, preliminary approval to a $1.06 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2022-23 and the nine property tax rates controlled by the county. The action came during the first of two mandatory public hearings on the new budget and tax rates. The second and final public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

At $374.3 million, the largest fund in the county budget, the general fund, finances the services that the county provides to all of Volusia and is supported by a countywide property tax rate that’s scheduled to roll back next year to 4.8499 mills. Upon final council approval, this will mark the fifth consecutive year that the county’s general fund tax rate has gone down, bringing the rate to the lowest it's been in nearly 15 years. The tax rate for four other funds – the library fund, the Municipal Services District (MSD), the Ponce De Leon Port Authority and the Silver Sands Bethune Beach MSD – are also slated to go to a full rollback next year. The other four of county government’s tax rates, which include voter-approved Volusia Forever and ECHO levies, would remain unchanged.

While all taxpayers pay into the county’s general fund, library fund and the voter-approved Volusia ECHO and Volusia Forever funds, a property’s location determines whether any of the other tax funds apply. Here’s a comparison of the county’s current property tax rates and the rates that the County Council tentatively approved on Tuesday for the next fiscal year:

                                                            Current (FY 2021-22)     Proposed FY 2022-23   

General Fund                                        5.3812 mills                   4.8499 mills

Library Fund                                         0.5174 mills                   0.4635 mills

Municipal Service District                    2.1083 mills                   1.8795 mills

Ponce De Leon Port Authority              0.0845 mills                   0.0760 mills

Silver Sands Bethune Beach MSD       0.0144 mills                   0.0129 mills

Fire Rescue District                              3.8412 mills                   3.8412 mills

Volusia ECHO                                      0.2000 mills                   0.2000 mills

Volusia Forever                                    0.2000 mills                   0.2000 mills

East Volusia Mosquito Control            0.1781 mills                   0.1781 mills                  

Next year’s tentative budget will direct money into beefing up public protection, including funding for eight emergency medical technicians, seven paramedics and two ambulance supply technicians to address staffing relief, alternative transport and growth and demand for service. The budget also includes funding for 15 new firefighters in an effort to reduce overtime mandates. Fire Rescue is pursuing a federal grant that would help pay for some of the new positions. Next year’s fire fund also includes money to pay for the relocation of two fire stations and purchase of two fire trucks, an ambulance and 27 replacement cardiac monitors. Plans also are in the works to renovate several other fire stations in future budget years.

Also included in next year’s budget is funding for six corrections officers. This will be the second year of a three-year plan to add 18 new officers.