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Deltona finance director explains revenue mix, budget calendar and city debt at Citizens Academy
Summary
Finance Director Mary Lisonbee reviewed the city’s fund structure, revenue sources, capital program and outstanding debt for government and utility funds and described the budget calendar and required public steps under Florida’s TRIM process.
Mary Lisonbee, the City of Deltona finance director, told a Citizens Academy that the city operates multiple funds and must follow state law and government accounting standards when preparing audited financial statements and the annual budget. “The state of Florida and the city charter require that the city produces a set of audited financial statements annually,” Lisonbee said.
Lisonbee outlined Deltona’s fund accounting structure — a general fund for day‑to‑day operations, about 13 special‑revenue funds (including stormwater and solid waste), three capital‑project funds and a proprietary fund for Deltona Water. She said about 32% of city revenue comes from property taxes, roughly 22% from other taxes (sales, utility and communications taxes), about 6% from franchise fees and roughly 23% from charges for services; Deltona Water receives about 83% of its revenue from charges for service and about 15% from grants.
On property taxation, Lisonbee explained the millage example used in the presentation: the city’s millage was 7.65 for the year discussed and she illustrated how the millage translates to dollars on assessed value. She also described recurring special assessments, including the stormwater fee ($128 per equivalent residential unit) and the solid‑waste charge (about $202.80 per year).
Lisonbee reviewed the city’s debt profile as presented: about $33 million outstanding for governmental funds (including a 2009 stormwater bank loan and a 2016 capital improvement refunding bond) and roughly $128 million for the utility, comprised of a $97 million principal on the 2021 utility refunding bonds and approximately $30 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She said the city adopted a conservative debt‑coverage policy requiring pledged revenues to cover 125% of the year with the greatest payments.
Regarding the budget process, Lisonbee described the Truth in Millage (TRIM) calendar that requires preliminary deadlines in June and public hearings in August/September. She said the finance team begins departmental requests in April, compiles a preliminary budget, meets with the city manager and department heads and then brings required rate and millage items to commission meetings. Lisonbee said emergency expenditures (for example, hurricane response) can require emergency procurement and later a budget amendment presented to the commission; she cited a forthcoming amendment to cover approximately $6 million of unbudgeted hurricane‑related expenditures.
Lisonbee encouraged residents to use the city website (deltonafl.gov) for budget documents and comprehensive annual financial reports and offered her contact information for follow‑up questions. She also noted Deltona’s repeated recognition in budget and financial reporting award programs and explained that governmental accounting uses fund accounting and generally accepted accounting principles issued by GASB and FASB.
