City Council - Special Meeting

City Council meeting is 530. If you would rise for silent invocation and I pledge allegiance. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Mayor Spelman? Here. Appreciate everybody being here in attendance. We're going to move right to agenda item number four. And we will methodically go through this tonight at a slow pace to ensure that the Assistant City Attorney can make sure that all the I's are dotted, T's crossed, and so forth. So, and keeping us on track where we need to be. Agenda item number four, the public hearing is now convened to discuss the millage rate and budget. The fiscal year, I'm sorry, the fiscal year 2027 budget commences on October the 1st, 2026 and continues through September 30th, 2027. We will begin wit

I appreciate your your comments, especially relative to some of the additional revenue sources and streams that municipalities can receive because there seems to be a lot of information out there that would suggest otherwise, and to hear that those sales tax revenues have dropped so much is fairly eye opening when you also consider the cost of all the other things that municipal and county governments are not immune to. When fuel costs go up, they go up for us too. So that's one of the frustrating points when you're trying to fund and operate a quality municipal, county, or even state governme

Again, I'm going to just echo what Tracy says. Again, we can't keep kicking the can down the road on this. And I've put a lot of time and a lot of effort into dissecting. But we have a lot to do. We still have a lot to do. And we've committed to doing a lot. And it's not just this or that item. Overall, I mean, we know the contracts we just signed. We know that's a big increase. And I still think there's more coming when it comes to public safety. There's still going to be some additional increases as we go on. But I think we've got to quick kick in this can down the road and do what we need t

Oh, yeah, this is probably one of the hardest things that we have to do as a council is determine if we're going to ask the citizens to pay more money to live in our city. And we don't think any one of us take it very lightly. I had a gentleman call me today and tell me, yeah, see the headquarters reducing their taxes. And like, what's their millage at? Is it much higher than ours? I know that some other cities have maybe thought about going back to roll back or considering it. I know the county's not based on their previous initial first meeting. When you're at over six and coming down is pro

So a lot easier to come down from 633. We've been at 4.95 or less. kicking the can down the road. It's a terrible thing to say. I mean, I think the people that the elected officials prior to us were making tough decisions like we are going to make tonight and trying to do the best for their community. And, um, I've got to sit here for the last year and a half hearing how our staff has cut costs and found ways to save money and found ways to raise money. We've witnessed over the last couple of years with our fire rescue generating revenue and providing a good service. And I really think that's

appreciate all of the uh the comments and and thought in the process i will i will say you know i've sat up here for more years than the rest of you guys um you know you when you get elected and you sit up here you it's natural to have this process in your mind of how things are going to go right and just like sean was just talking about you know you want to think 10 years out and i think we're all like that the reality of it is is that no matter what course and path you have, there is something you haven't planned for or thought of that's gonna change the course. It's a very fluid thing that

Hey, Scott, can I add something to that? You can. I've had that same conversation, and then I asked the person I was talking to, I said, let me ask you this. Would you want the money, if you were to sell your house today, would you want it to be the same price that you paid in 2005?

Hell no. Because his house was worth a heck of a lot more today than it was in 2005 when he bought it. And I think that's a lot of people think that, hey, my taxes keep going up. Well, sell your house today and see how much you paid. Because you don't want to get the same amount you paid 20 years ago. No one wants that. They want an appreciating asset. Well, along with appreciating asset, the taxes come along with it and assess values.

Well, and I... comments are very valid. And I don't want to get too far off what our task is tonight, but I will say, and I've said this from up here, our current system, not pulled oranges, we fund municipal government it's it's a system that needs to change yes it needs some work i have concerns i know we all have individual concerns and maybe opinions or perspectives and you know mine particularly is more of a balanced funding of services as opposed to you've got some folks who don't fund any of it zero yeah how many what do we have wayne about 1,200, 1,400 properties that don't pay any pro

Okay, all right. Any revisions proposed?

Moving on to agenda item number five, I will read the resolution number 26-46 for tentative city village and ask for a motion. Can I get a motion to be read as presented here on this document please?

And just to clarify, that is resolution number 26-46, correct? Okay, and do I have a second? Second. A motion and a second. Is there any public comment on that motion? Any other council comments on that motion? Will the clerk call the roll?

Yes. 5-0. The adopted tentative millage rate of 5.1500 mils per 1,000 evaluation is a 6.03% increase in ad valorem tax revenues above the rollback rate. Agenda item number six. Read resolution for number 26-47 for the tentative city budget. Can I have somebody read that request for a motion and then a second, please?

We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion on this motion from council? Anybody in the public wish to speak to this motion?

Procedurally... How do you want us to go back to item number five? Start that over? Just do that?

i'll read into the record the resolution of number 26-46 a resolution of the city council of the city of port orange volusia county florida adopting the tentative ad valorem property tax millage rate to be levied for fiscal year 2027 october 1st 2026 to september 30th 2027 providing for scrivener's errors and providing for an effective date can you restate your motion and reread that for me yep

Second. We have a motion and a second. I will recall for public comment. Back to council. Anybody else have any comments? and i will ask the clerk to recall the vote uh councilman foley yes yes yes yes yes 5-0 now moving uh i'll re-announce the adopted tentative millage rate of 5.1500 mils per 1000 evaluation is a 6.03 increase in ad valorem tax revenues above the rollback rate good okay item agenda item number six we'll read the resolution for 26-47 A resolution of the City Council of the City of Port Orange Volusia County Florida adopting the tentative operating budget for fiscal year 2027 O

Second. We have a motion and a second. Any public comments to that motion? Back to council. Final comments. Council, anybody? And will the clerk call the roll on that motion?

Yes. This budget includes all operating and capital costs for fiscal year 2027. This budget includes the general, special revenue, debt service, capital, enterprise, and internal service funds. The proposed citywide fiscal year 2027 budget for all funds will be $215,582,170. I'm going to look to the assistant city attorney to see if there's any other I's that needed to be dotted and D's crossed. We're good? get this correct and get the process right.