Tallahassee Sun

Today, Sept. 27, the Tallahassee City Commission approved the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget. The balanced budget will enable critical investments in public safety, affordable housing, infrastructure enhancements and human services, while addressing the challenges of continuing inflation.

“The City’s balanced budget provides critical investment in the priority areas outlined within our five-year strategic plan and allows us to better respond to pressing community needs,” City Manager Reese Goad said. “We are focused on ensuring Tallahassee remains a safe, prosperous community where every resident has the opportunity to enjoy a high quality of life.”

Budget development occurs year-round with ongoing opportunities for public participation. With input from the City Commission and a focus on the priorities outlined in the City’s five-year Strategic Plan, the FY24 budget totals $1.1 billion. Within that, the operating budget totals $868.4 million, and the capital budget totals $253 million.

As part of the FY24 budget, the City’s millage rate was set at 4.4500 mills. This marks the first millage rate increase in seven years for the City and provides needed funding for public safety efforts, including enhanced technology and 20 additional officers to combat the rise in violent crime. Complementing these efforts are budgetary allotments to address the impact of poverty. Due to the millage rate increase, the majority of property owners will see a monthly increase in tax of $3.50 or less, and a majority of multi-family property units will see a monthly increase of $2 or less.

According to the Municipal Cost Comparison (MCC), which evaluates what residents pay in taxes and fees for essential city services, Tallahassee is among the lowest cost providers in its peer group of 11 other cities from across the state. The MCC also shows that Tallahassee maintains one of the lowest millage rates, despite having the second-largest service area and a large portion of non-taxable property (government buildings, universities, churches, etc.).

Other key takeaways from the approved FY24 budget include:

• Furthering key capital improvements projects like the second Senior Center, the Southside Transit Center, the future fire station on Lake Bradford Road and numerous sidewalk and road projects.
• Holding the line with existing levels of operating spending, staffing levels and service levels for core general government services such as Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs (PRNA) and Public Infrastructure.
• Moving full-time and OPS employees to a $16 per hour minimum wage and ensuring the City remains an employer of choice through a five percent across-the-board pay increase for the second year in a row, with a guaranteed $2,000 minimum increase for employees.

The City’s fiscal year begins on October 1 and runs through September 30, 2024. Information about the City of Tallahassee's financials are continuously available through OpenGov and the City's online budget, both accessible through Talgov.com.

Original source can be found here.