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Zephyrhills council approves first readings on millage, budget and utility rates; several land actions pass
Summary
At its September meeting council approved first readings for the tentative millage (6.25 mills) and tentative budget ($105.27 million), a 3% water/wastewater rate increase on first reading, and authorized annexations and a conditional-use height resolution; all recorded motions passed unanimously.
The Zephyrhills City Council on Monday approved a series of first-reading ordinances and other motions in a meeting that included public comment on flooding and several planning presentations. In unanimous votes, the council passed the first reading of the tentative millage ordinance, the tentative budget ordinance and a proposed 3% increase in potable water and wastewater rates for the coming year.
Finance staff told the council the proposed millage rate is 6.25 mills, using a rollback rate of 5.9552 calculated under Florida Statute 200.065; staff said the 6.25 rate is what the budget is built on and that it matches the millage used for the previous three years. The tentative budget presented totals $105,266,502 and includes capital funding for a public works facility and Zephyr Park, with some design costs in 2025 and construction phased in later years.
On utilities, staff said base and usage charges will increase 3% this year (the first increase since October 2021) and that future increases are projected in a rate study; the council and staff emphasized any future changes will come back to council for approval rather than be applied automatically.
Council also approved the first readings for multiple land-use items and one conditional-use resolution tied to industrial development near the municipal airport. Planning staff described a three-part annexation and zoning application for roughly 12.9–13 acres for an industrial end user identified in staff materials; staff said no development plan has yet been submitted and that environmental and traffic reviews will occur at the site-plan stage. The council approved a separate conditional-use resolution to permit portions of a manufacturing facility to exceed the city’s 30-foot height limitation after FAA review.
Several procedural motions also carried: a five-item consent agenda passed unanimously, and the council approved a one-time purchase and annual licensing for a planning/GIS platform (see separate article). All recorded votes on ordinances and resolutions at this meeting were unanimous.
What happens next: Most of the ordinances approved Monday were adopted on first reading; council will consider second readings and the final adoption schedule at upcoming meetings. Staff said financing details for large capital projects will return to council for formal approval of debt instruments.
