By Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County commissioners held a workshop on the 2026 budget, their first get-together on the annual spending plan that ultimately could reach as high as $400 million.
But, just as lawmakers did with the state budget this year, commissioners have begun looking for ways to tighten the fiscal belt.
Just hours after the Legislature OK’d a $115 billion budget, avoiding a partial government shutdown that could have started as early as July 1, Leon County’s board of county commissioners gathered 9 a.m. on June 17 at the Leon County Courthouse.
The good news is that the county’s spending still pales in comparison to the city of Tallahassee, which has more costs providing an array of services such as fire protection.
Further good news is that the county’s property tax rate for now plans to stay the same, at $8.31 for every $1,000 of property value. That means a homeowner with a home value of $250,000, for example, pays $2,077.50 in property taxes.
Here are some of the highlights from commissioners’ four-hour long workshop:
Affordable housing back on the agenda
Commissioners voted unanimously, with commissioner Bill Proctor out of chambers, to move forward with an initiative to finance affordable housing projects, something that has long been a wish of the Capital Area Justice Ministry.
A small handful of CAJM members were in the county commission chambers during the meeting as they waited to see if their long awaited plea would finally come to fruition after being turned down by both the city and the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency.
A total of $500,000, split among State Housing Initiatives Partnership funding (SHIP), the Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) and the county’s general revenue fund will be used for funding projects targeting very low and extremely low-income households.
County employees could see another pay raise
Commissioners once again are considering pay raises for employees in order to stay competitive in their wages.
Last year, commissioners went ahead with a 5% pay raise, which was sponsored by Proctor, who attempted to do the same again this year, though he was shot down.
Commissioners voted to approve a sliding scale, anywhere from 0% to 5%, with an average of 3%, of a pay raise based on performance.
Property tax rate to remain the same
County commissioners also agreed to keep their countywide and Emergency Medical Services property tax rates the same as last year: $8.31 for every $1,000 of property value and a separate $0.75 for every $1,000 of value for EMS.
A homeowner with a home value of $250,000 pays $187.50 for EMS.
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