Daytona Beach presents roughly $380 million proposed budget; millage rate held at 5.93 mills

At a city commission workshop, City Manager Derek Vietcher and staff presented a proposed citywide budget of roughly $379 million to $380 million and said the millage rate would remain at 5.93 mills for the coming fiscal year. The commission held the first public hearing on the budget tonight; staff said a second public hearing and final adoption are scheduled for Sept. 17.

The budget presentation covered revenues, personnel costs, capital projects and a summary of key figures. “The budget is, presented is based on 5.93 mills. It's the same from last year,” City Manager Derek Vietcher told commissioners during the overview. Staff cited a proposed general fund budget of about $159 million to $160 million and citywide taxable values of $10,446,633,026, including $549,332,990 in new-construction value.

Why it matters: the proposed budget funds core services — notably public safety, public works and personnel costs — and sets the property tax rate taxpayers will see on the roll if the commission adopts the millage. Staff also warned that potential changes being discussed at the state capitol could affect future property-tax revenue.

Key numbers and drivers
- Proposed millage: 5.93 mills (no change from current year). Staff noted a 12-year historical view of millage changes and several drivers including growth, labor needs, inflation and service levels.
- Citywide budget: presented as about $379–380 million; proposed general fund roughly $159–160 million.
- Taxable value: total taxable value reported as $10,446,633,026; new construction taxable value $549,332,990; taxable value excluding new construction $9,900,300,036.
- Property-tax revenue (citywide): about $60,500,000; property taxes account for about 37% of the general fund, staff said.

Personnel and benefits
Human Resources Director Jim Sexton and staff outlined personnel costs and bargaining status. All four union contracts were noted to expire this September and bargaining was ongoing. Sexton said the budget assumed a 4% pay increase cost for non-public-safety employees and a 5% cost for public-safety employees when the budget was prepared. Police and fire pension contributions were shown rising from about $11.4 million last year to $11.8 million this year (an increase staff described as roughly $388,000). Health insurance costs were projected to rise about 4%, about $500,000.

Positions: staff said 16 new position requests were recommended by the budget committee. If the budget is approved as presented, staff said the total would be about 1,010 full-time positions and 15 part-time positions. The budget manager told commissioners the general-fund impact of the new positions is about $751,000, with total new personnel costs across funds near $1 million.

Capital projects and equipment
Budget Manager Kylie Trevuzzi summarized capital spending: the recommended budget includes funding for 13 capital projects at about $10.2 million and about $3.0 million for capital outlay. Notable items cited include a $4.1 million citywide road-resurfacing program (roughly $850,000 from the gas-tax fund and the remainder from the general fund), a $186,000 police handgun replacement program, and $130,000 for rugged laptop replacement in patrol vehicles. Trevuzzi said each capital project in the budget book has an individual project page with anticipated start and stop dates and more details.

Process and next steps
Staff reminded commissioners the budget as presented is a first reading and can be revised before the second public hearing. The city will advertise the proposed millage and budget as required by Florida statute; staff said the next public hearing to adopt the budget and ratify the millage is set for Sept. 17. Commissioners were told they may provide feedback during the intervening two weeks and staff will incorporate changes before final adoption if directed.

Discussion highlights and commissioner questions
Commissioners asked for detail pages in the budget book, clarification of which projects are funded by specific funds (for example, gas-tax vs. general fund), and a full list of outside nonprofit and other recipients of city funds. Staff said nonprofit recipients must complete an online form and required reporting before checks are issued, and that staff will provide commissioners with a full list of contributions and ARPA/community-fund disbursements from the prior year.

Sources and attribution
Presentation material and figures were presented by City Manager Derek Vietcher, Deputy City Manager Drew Driscoll, Chief Financial Officer Natalia Eckhart, Human Resources Director Jim Sexton and Budget Manager Kylie Trevuzzi. Direct quotes and numeric figures in this article come from the workshop presentation and exchanges during the session.

Ending
Commissioners can submit changes to staff before the Sept. 17 final hearing. Staff warned that state-level proposals could alter property-tax revenue in future years and flagged that assumptions on taxable values and new construction may affect future budgets.