VCC Gives Final Approval To FY 2021-22 Budget

DeLand, FL – The Volusia County Council gave final approval Tuesday night to a new budget and property tax rates to help fund county services for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The operating budget adopted Tuesday for the 2021-22 fiscal year totals $961 million. The largest countywide component is the $349.1 million general fund, which supports services that the county provides to all of Volusia. It’s supported by a countywide property tax rate that the County Council set for next year at 5.3812 mills – a reduction from the current rate of 5.4500 mills. This marks the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in the past six years that the general fund tax rate has gone down. By comparison, the rate in fiscal year 2015-16 was 6.3189 mills.   Property taxes account for approximately 33% of the county’s total operating revenue. The remainder comes from a variety of sources, such as licenses and permits, fees, special assessments, fines, charges for services, and appropriated fund balance. Including the general fund, the county controls a total of nine tax funds. The property tax rates are either staying the same or going down next year in seven of the nine funds. The two exceptions are the property taxes that Volusia County voters overwhelmingly approved last year to renew popular environmental, cultural, historical, recreational, and land preservation programs – Volusia ECHO and Volusia Forever.   On Tuesday, the council adopted the following property tax rates:   General Fund                                   5.3812 mills Library Fund                                     0.5174 mills Volusia ECHO                                  0.2000 mills Volusia Forever                                0.2000 mills East Volusia Mosquito Control         0.1781 mills Ponce De Leon Port Authority          0.0845 mills Municipal Service District                 2.1083 mills Silver Sands Bethune Beach MSD  0.0144 mills Fire Rescue District                          3.8412 mills   In August, the council cut approximately $2.8 million out of the recommended general fund budget. No additional changes were made on Tuesday. The new budget places a high priority on public safety and includes funds for several new positions, including nine firefighters and a part-time fire inspector, two EMTs, two paramedics, two ambulance supply technicians, six corrections officers, and one corrections analyst.   While all property taxpayers pay into the county general fund, library fund and the Volusia ECHO and Volusia Forever funds, the location of the residence determines whether any of the county’s other tax funds apply.