Tavares sets final millage at 6.685 mills and adopts $69.2M FY2026 budget; council allocates $108,970 in surplus to local projects

The Tavares City Council adopted its final millage and budget Wednesday, approving Resolution 2025-15 to set the FY2026 operating millage at 6.685 mills (5.21% above the rollback rate) and a debt-service millage of 0.1467 mills. The council then adopted Resolution 2025-16, approving the FY2026 budget in the amount of $69,201,385.

Clerk and staff read the required statutory resolutions into the record, and staff said the advertised tentative millage and budget hearings complied with Florida Statute 200.065. The county property appraiser certified the gross taxable value used in the calculations as $1,896,245,451.

Staff noted the FY2026 budget includes a 5% employee general wage increase, six new public-safety positions (three police, three fire), six additional general-fund positions (finance, fleet, facilities, community services), $400,000 for paving and no fire assessment rate increase. Staff reported estimated reserves would remain above Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommendations after the budget actions.

The budget document showed a $108,970 of unappropriated general-fund revenue (surplus) after changes since the tentative budget. Council members debated options for that surplus: return to reserves, appropriate to projects, or otherwise. Vice Mayor moved to place the $108,970 back into reserves; council approved that motion by voice vote (motion carried). Later in the meeting council revisited the surplus and approved a motion to appropriate the $108,970 across specific projects and programs:

- $55,000 for an economic-development retail-recruitment consultant to accelerate commercial development and target retail recruitment;
- Gateway year-round lighting (amount included in the allocation);
- West-end (Ruby Street) lighting improvements;
- Sidewalk repair/new sidewalk funding (city staff to present a sidewalk program for use of funds);
- A citizen gateway/grant program (faade/residential gateway improvements) to be developed and returned to council for program rules.

Council amended the final-budget action on the record to appropriate the $108,970 to those line items and approved the amended final budget and the resolutions by voice vote. Several council members stressed caution about using one-time reserves to fund recurring items but supported targeted, visible investments and an economic-development consultant to expand the commercial tax base.

Staff will finalize appropriation coding and return any program details (sidewalk plan, citizen gateway grant rules) to council for approval.