Gainesville council adopts ordinance amending FY2025-26 appropriations, proposes higher tax rate

The Gainesville City Council on Oct. 21 approved an ordinance amending appropriations for the 2025–26 fiscal year and adopted a proposed tax rate of 0.573779 per $100 valuation, which the city’s taxpayer-impact statement says would raise the typical Gainesville homeowner’s annual property tax bill by about $68.54.

Mayor Pro Tem Mary Jo Dollar moved to suspend the charter to allow immediate consideration of the budget ordinance; Councilmember Dakota Nichols seconded the motion, which the council approved 7-0. Dollar then moved to adopt the ordinance amending appropriations; Nichols seconded and the measure carried by a 7-0 vote.

The agenda included the Taxpayer Impact Statement prepared under HB 1522. The statement lists a median home value of $180,000 on the 2025 certified roll, the current adopted tax rate of 0.535700 per $100 valuation, and the no-new-revenue rate of 0.515430 per $100. The city’s comparison table shows the current fiscal-year tax bill for a median-valued Gainesville homestead at $964.26, the proposed FY2025-26 bill at $1,032.80, and a balanced budget at the no-new-revenue rate at $927.77.

According to the materials presented, the proposed budget would increase the median homeowner’s annual tax by about $68.54 compared with the current fiscal year; the city notes that adopting a no-new-revenue budget would have reduced that same homeowner’s bill by about $36.49. The ordinance text and effective date were part of the meeting packet; the minutes record the approval but do not specify a separate effective-on date beyond the ordinance adoption.

The council completed the item and then adjourned; no formal amendments to the ordinance were recorded in the minutes.