First Public Hearing and Budget Meeting for Winter Haven to be Hosted on Tue. Sept. 10
by James Coulter
Winter Haven City Commissioners not only voted to set the date of the first public hearing for next year’s city budget on Tue. Sep. 10, but also approved to set the tentative millage rate at 6.5 mills and carry over outstanding encumbered purchase orders into next year’s budget.
At their recent meeting on Mon. July 23, the Winter Haven City Commission voted unanimously on an ordinance to set the date for the first public hearing and budget meeting for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 on Tue. Sep. 10.
Originally, the date for that meeting was Mon Sep. 9. However, that date was changed to the next day as not to conflict with the hearing dates of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) or the School Board.
That same ordinance approved the tentative millage rate for next fiscal year at 6.5900 mills. However, the city may consider implementing a calculated current year rolled-back millage rate of 6.2912 mills.
“Based upon the Certification of Taxable Value provided by the Property Appraiser’s Office, the City’s 2024 gross taxable value is $4,745,881,925,” C.J. Scott, Chief Financial Officer, wrote in the memo for the ordinance.
“This represents an increase of $480,114,604 or 11.26% increase over the 2023 gross taxable value,” he continued. “At a 96.50% collection rate, along with City funding of the Community Redevelopment Areas, the anticipated ad valorem is $27,793,715.”
Earlier that evening, city commissioners voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that would carry forward outstanding encumbered purchase orders from this fiscal year into next fiscal year’s budget.
“The…commitments for certain goods, services, or projects were encumbered in the fiscal year but were not completed prior to the end of the fiscal year,” Scott wrote.
“Proper accounting procedures require that the encumbrance amounts should be appropriately adjusted in the budget for the new fiscal year to reflect the ongoing commitments,” he further elucidated.
The first public hearing date for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget will be hosted on Tue. Sep. 10, 2024 at 6 PM in the John Fuller Auditorium in City Hall, 451 Third Street N.W. in Winter Haven.
Live video of the meeting will be streamed on the City of Winter Haven’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@cityofwinterhavenfl
