Indian River County adopts $598.9 million budget, raises millage above rollback

Kenny, the county administrator, told the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday that the county's proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget is $598,860,844 and represents the second and final public hearing on the budget.

The budget adoption matters because it sets tax rates and spending across general, special, capital and enterprise funds for the coming year and allocates a large portion of new general‑fund revenue to the sheriff's office.

Kenny said the proposed total is a decrease of about $72 million compared with the fiscal 2024–25 beginning budget as calculated March 20, 2025, and that the county's tax roll increased about 8.8% countywide (8.7% for unincorporated areas). “Tonight represents our second and final hearing, the adoption hearing for our budget, for fiscal 2526,” Kenny said. He reported that retirement-rate increases added about $3.9 million countywide and that workers' compensation costs rose by just over $1 million.

The county set the proposed general‑fund millage at 3.5475 mills, which the administrator said is 6.69% above the rollback rate of 3.325 and therefore legally constitutes a tax increase. The adopted general‑fund budget is $156,981,193. In explaining allocations, the administrator said the sheriff's office will receive about…