Winter Haven City Commission Sets Tentative Millage Rate, Schedules Public Hearings, for Next Fiscal Year’s Budget
by James Coulter
The City of Winter Haven is expected to generate more than $31,000,000 in ad valorem taxes if it adopts its tentative millage rate of 6.5900 during its budget meetings, scheduled for Sept. 10 and 22.
At their most recent meeting on Mon. July 28, Winter Haven city commissioners voted unanimously to approve an ordinance adopting the city’s tentative millage rate and scheduling the public hearings for next fiscal year’s budget.
The tentative millage rate has been set for 6.5900. Under this rate, the city is expected to generate $31,202,469 in ad valorem taxes.
This calculation is based on the city’s gross taxable value, which is $5,345,311,221. That amount represents “an increase of $599,429,296 or 12.63% increase over the prior year gross taxable value,” wrote C.J. Scott, Chief Financial Officer.
“The proposed budget anticipates total expenditures of $250,280,102, a decrease of $47,382,350 over the prior year…[which] reflects a projected General Fund available Fund Balance of $25,261,367 million, exceeding the Fund Balance reserve policy target (30%) by $641,403,” Scott wrote.
Furthermore, as Scott explained: “once set, this rate cannot be increased unless each taxpayer is mailed a revised Notice of Proposed Property Tax. The millage rate can be reduced at either public hearing, but cannot be increased.”
The City is required by the Truth in Millage (TRIM) Act to notify the County Property Appraiser of a proposed millage rate and the time and date of the first public hearing regarding the next fiscal year’s budget and millage rate.
The first public hearing has been rescheduled to Wed., Sept. 10, 2025. Its original date, Wed. Sep. 8, would have conflicted with either the hearing dates of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) or the School Board, a conflict which is prohibited by the TRIM Act.
