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Port St. Joe commission starts budget process with proposed preliminary millage
Summary
Staff briefed commissioners on rollback and voting thresholds; the commission moved to start the preliminary millage process at 4.0914 mil to preserve budget flexibility while the annual budget is developed.
City finance staff told the commission it was time to begin the annual budget process and explained the difference between the current millage rate (3.5914), the rollback rate (3.4243), and the voting thresholds that determine how many votes are required to adopt different millage levels.
"Your current millage is 3.5914," staff said, adding that the city can start the budget process with a higher preliminary level and reduce it later as needed. Staff noted state law changes affect vote thresholds and that some higher rates require unanimous approval.
After discussion about tax messaging and the recent homestead-exemption changes at the state level, the chair proposed starting the preliminary millage at 4.0914 mil to allow flexibility in the coming budget discussions. The chair asked for a motion; the commission moved and seconded the preliminary rate to begin the statutory posting and budget-workflow steps.
Commissioners said the practice of starting ‘‘high’’ gives the council room to lower the millage as the budget is refined, while others urged caution to avoid alarming taxpayers. Staff said the formal numbers will be refined through the budget workshops and that the preliminary rate is an administrative step to start the calendar for required disclosures.
The transcript records the motion to set the preliminary millage at 4.0914 and that it was seconded; no roll-call vote tally was recorded in the excerpt.
