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Leon County holds second public hearing, adopts budget options and millage-related votes
Summary
At a second and final public hearing on the fiscal 2026 budget, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners heard the proposed millage, heard no public speakers, and approved a series of budget options and line items across four voting steps; several commissioners declared conflicts or recused themselves for specific funding lines.
The Leon County Board of County Commissioners on the evening of the board's scheduled public hearing recorded the proposed aggregate millage and approved a sequence of budget options and line-item motions ahead of final budget adoption.
County Administrator Vincent Long read the proposed aggregate millage into the public record, saying the proposed rate is 9.0644 mills — a 3.4% increase over the aggregate rolled-back rate of 8.7615 mills — and that the ad valorem revenue increase reflects an upturn in property values that will be used to “support, sustaining a quality level of essential services Countywide,” Long said.
The hearing drew no in-person or virtual public speakers on the millage, the county administrator said, and the board proceeded to take the motions staff had posted. Florida statutes require the board to address each millage rate before acting on the corresponding budget.
Commissioners voted on the set of options shown in the agenda packet. The board approved option 1 on a recorded voice vote that passed 6–1, with one commissioner opposed. A subsequent motion to adopt option 2 but excluding the county’s CHSP (homeless services) line item passed with the board voting unanimously in favor after one commissioner recused themself from the CHSP vote. The board then adopted the CHSP line item itself in a separate motion; that vote was recorded as 6–0 with Commissioner Maddox recused.
The board then approved option 3 and option 4 by voice votes, both passing unanimously. Chair remarks indicated the hearing concluded and the board moved on to general business after those votes.
Why it matters: The millage and related budget approvals set the property tax rate and the spending framework for county services for fiscal year 2026. The stated 3.4% increase over the rolled-back rate reflects rising property values; commissioners and the public will now see how specific program lines and department budgets align to that rate.
County Administrator Vincent Long said staff had incorporated direction from the budget workshops and agendas into the final budget for commissioners’ consideration. Several commissioners declared conflicts or recused themselves on specific line items during the sequence of votes, and those recusals were recorded in the meeting minutes.
What’s next: Staff will prepare and publish the finalized budget documents and any required filings associated with the adopted millage. The board indicated this hearing was the final public hearing before adoption of the fiscal 2026 budget.
