The Osceola County Board of Supervisors on June 24 approved an amended drainage assessment for Drainage Ditch 39 and adopted several fiscal resolutions for the next fiscal year, including an interfund loan to support the ambulance/EMS fund.

County staff said a state law requiring a $5 minimum assessment on parcels caused the projected fund balance for Ditch 39 to exceed the board’s target when the assessment percentage was set at 2.5 percent. To restore the fund to the board’s intended balance, supervisors voted to reduce the assessment percentage to 1.5 percent while leaving the $5 statutory minimum in place.

“We figured it'd be, like, a dollar eighty‑two they would have to pay, but the law says it's $5,” a county official explained. That $5 minimum, applied across many small parcels, raised the projected ending balance from the intended $2,500 to about $3,500 at the higher rate, staff said; the reduced rate is intended to bring the fund back in line.

Supervisors also approved routine resolutions to set fiscal year 2025‑26 appropriations and personnel compensation items, adopted a weed‑destruction order and approved an interfund loan to cover EMS payroll and claims. The interfund loan requires repayment by June 30 and was described as a short‑term measure while EMS builds reserves; supervisors noted EMS may need additional bridge amounts into the next fiscal year.

Motions for the drainage amendment and other resolutions were made and carried by voice vote. Commissioners asked staff to confirm the distributional effects of the drainage change because some property owners will still pay the $5 minimum while others will see smaller percentage assessments.

Why this matters: changes to drainage assessments affect local property owners’ annual charges and the county’s maintenance fund balances; interfund borrowing supports public safety services while reserves rebuild.

What to expect: staff will finalize assessment notices and proceed with the approved budgets and interfund loan documents.