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Commissioners defer decision on dedicating a fixed sheriff's millage until next budget cycle
Summary
County finance staff and the sheriff urged more time to study legal and cash-flow implications before moving sheriff operations from the general fund into a dedicated property-tax millage; the board voted unanimously to defer until the FY 2026-27 budget process.
Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to defer consideration of a proposal to designate a fixed property-tax millage dedicated to the sheriff's budget until the FY 2026-27 budget process. The board asked county staff and the sheriff's office to return with additional analysis of statutory, cash-flow and operational impacts.
CFO Sheila McLean explained that designating a dedicated sheriff millage would move significant revenues out of the county general fund into a separate sheriff fund. Florida law governing millage and constitutional officers imposes new reporting, tax-collection and reserve requirements. McLean stressed the cash-flow change: property-tax collections are concentrated in the fall, and the sheriff's office currently receives monthly allocations from the general fund; a separate millage would reduce the sheriff's access to operating cash in October and November unless transitional transfers were arranged.
Sheriff Alan Wells told the board he and staff were working through the accounting and operational questions and asked for time to coordinate legal and financial details. Commissioners and staff also noted the complexity of separating miscellaneous revenues, contract payments and interlocal transfers that now help fund sheriff operations.
Commissioner McCann moved to defer the matter to the 2026-27 budget process; Commissioner Saddiq seconded. Legal and financial review and outreach to other Florida counties that use dedicated sheriff millages were requested. The motion to defer passed unanimously.
Why it matters: Dedicating a fixed sheriff millage would change how property taxes are collected and spent and could alter the county general fund numbers and cash flows. Commissioners asked staff to analyze statutory constraints, the effect on general fund reserves and how to treat miscellaneous revenues and interlocal agreements.
What's next: County staff will research statutory issues and examine other counties' models, return with a plan and revenue projections for the FY26-27 budget process, and advise how to handle transition cash-flow needs if the board ultimately adopts a dedicated millage.
