Deltona staff files maximum 6.95 millage for TRIM notice; stormwater and solid-waste assessments set for notice

Deltona financing staff on Monday asked the City Commission to authorize the maximum proposed operating millage rate and several property assessments to appear on TRIM notices for fiscal year 2025–26. Commissioners voted to transmit the maximum millage of 6.95 mills for the TRIM notice and to place proposed stormwater, solid-waste, street-lighting and other assessments on property-appraiser notices ahead of public hearings.

City Finance Director Mr. McKinney told the commission the “maximum recommended millage represents a 6.12 increase over the rollback rate,” and that the working budget at the time of the presentation was balanced on a working millage of 6.75 mills. He asked the commission to authorize the city manager to transmit those maximums to the property appraiser so the statutory TRIM notices can be mailed and public hearings scheduled.

The request matters because the TRIM notice is not a final tax levy; it sets a ceiling the city can adopt later and triggers statutorily required public hearings in August/September. McKinney said staff will continue to work with departments on operating budgets and update revenue estimates before the tentative and final hearings.

Commission action and key assessments - The commission voted 4–3 to approve transmittal of the 6.95 maximum operating millage for the TRIM notice. That vote authorizes staff to publish the number and hold the required hearings; it is not the final adopted millage. - On stormwater, staff recommended an estimated assessment of $190 per single-family equivalent for FY2025–26 (part of a plan to increase the assessment $20 annually over several years). The commission authorized transmission of that rate to the property appraiser; the motion carried 5–2. Finance staff said the original internal request had been for $200 but the recommended notice rate was reduced to $190 to defer a portion of the capital program to the next fiscal year. - For solid-waste collection and disposal, staff asked the commission to transmit an estimated single-family assessment. Staff said negotiations with Waste Pro were near conclusion and that the estimate on the TRIM notice is a ceiling; the city expects the final assessment “to come in under $2.75” per month but asked to notice up to $2.75 to preserve options. The commission approved transmission 4–3. - Street-lighting, aquatic-weed control for Lake McGarity, and nuisance-abatement assessments were also authorized for TRIM inclusion; those items passed unanimously.

Public comment and staff context Resident Tim Blodgett urged support for stormwater funding during public comment, saying recurring flooding depresses property values and urging structural fixes. McKinney pointed commissioners to the city’s budget web page and to Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation figures that had pushed some cost estimates up. He also reminded commissioners the city has seen limited taxable-value growth in recent years and that historically the commission adopted maximum millage at the September final hearing, but that schedule may differ this cycle.

Next steps and fiscal process Approving the TRIM notice figures starts the statutorily prescribed sequence of two required public hearings (tentative and final) in which commissioners may adopt a lower millage and finalize assessments. Staff told commissioners it will keep working with departments and the negotiating team on the solid-waste contract; if negotiations yield a lower solid-waste assessment, staff will present the revision before final adoption.

Commissioners who voted against the TRIM millage said they wanted to preserve flexibility for taxpayers and asked staff to continue looking for revenue or cost adjustments. The commission’s transmittal votes do not alter the city’s legal requirement to publish the TRIM notice and hold hearings before adopting final rates.

Ending note: impact-fee and related finance work Separately during the meeting the commission awarded a comprehensive impact-fee study contract to Raftelis (RFP selection) and approved staff direction to add optional scope (mobility and a general impact fee) at modest additional fees. Staff said the fee study can be completed in nine months if the commission approves the optional items; that study will inform future capital funding and the FY2026 budget process.