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DeBary sets proposed millage at 3.65 mills; manager warns increases won't fully cover public safety cost growth
Summary
At a July 15 special meeting the DeBary City Council set a proposed ad valorem millage rate of 3.65 for FY2026–27 and scheduled tentative budget hearings for September; city staff said the rate yields about $650,000 in new revenue but still falls short of rising public safety costs.
DeBary's City Council on July 15 adopted a resolution setting a proposed ad valorem millage rate of 3.65 mills for fiscal year 2026–27 and scheduled the tentative budget hearing for Sept. 9, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers.
City Manager said the $3.65 rate is the starting point for the statutorily required budget process and noted the city must hold multiple September meetings because of state law timing. "If you kept the property tax rate the same at 3.65 mills, it is a $650,000 increase in ad valorem taxes," the City Manager said, describing July 1 property-appraiser updates that raised the projected revenues.
Why it matters: staff told the council that although the projected $650,000 increase helps revenue, public safety costs for fire and police have risen by more than $900,000 and that keeping the millage unchanged does not fully cover those increases. "Even if we keep the rate the same, it doesn't keep up with the increased cost in public safety," the City Manager said.
Key numbers and drivers discussed included a 7.5% increase in the city's law-enforcement contract (about $350,000, from $4,670,000 to $5,200,000), a proposed 3.5% salary pool for municipal employees, and a worst-case estimate of roughly $783,000 in fire-service increases driven by contract services, equipment and vehicle payments. The City Manager said the city plans to move roughly $740,000 from franchise-fee reserves (typically $600,000 annually) to balance the proposed budget and carry forward FEMA IRMA reimbursement and gateway-entrance funds into assigned reserves.
Captain Paul Kamara of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, introduced by the mayor, said his office will continue partnering with DeBary on enforcement and community priorities. "I've been with the sheriff's office for 29, great years," Captain Kamara said, and he confirmed existing deputies will handle e-bike enforcement rather than adding new deputies.
Staff also reviewed capital and grant activity that affects the budget. Highlights included an Echo grant of $2.5 million and an additional $2.5 million legislative appropriation for Alexander Island Park improvements, entrance construction expected this fiscal year, and parking and restroom completion targeted for November 2026. The city intends to transfer part of the FEMA reimbursement into the stormwater fund to accelerate stormwater projects, and staff reported recent grant awards and regional funding for projects such as West Highbanks stormwater ($8.6 million CDBG/county grant) and Benson Junction Road (a $5.7 million project with $4.3 million from the TPO).
Council members asked staff to bring detailed line-item questions to an Aug. 19 workshop and then return to finalize decisions in September. Vice Mayor Butland formally moved adoption of Resolution 2026-04 to set the proposed millage at 3.65; the motion passed unanimously (5–0).
Next steps: DeBary will hold a budget workshop Aug. 19, then a regular meeting on Sept. 2, a tentative millage and budget hearing on Sept. 9 and a final budget meeting on Sept. 23, where adjustments can be made based on updated revenue and state figures.
