Message from the Mayor

Dear Friend,

Each year at this time, the Orlando City Council and I set guidelines to develop a balanced budget for our City. As is the case for the families in our community and across the country, this process is challenging this year because of a slumping economy and the rising costs of energy and healthcare. In Orlando, we are also feeling the sting of a decrease in sales tax and a state-mandated revenue reduction due to property tax reform.

In order to bridge the resulting 30 million dollar budget gap, we are advocating a sensible and strategic plan that:

• Makes cuts to city services
• Continues and expands efficiency measures
• Makes a withdrawal from our reserves
• Makes a modest adjustment to the millage rate

So, what does this mean for you, the homeowner?

It means your City government made some painful choices and cut a variety of important programs and services from its budget.

It means your City government did not sacrifice safety. Our budget fully funds the third year of the City’s public safety initiative, putting 25 more police officers in our neighborhoods.

It also means your government made the decision to restore the millage rate to a level that allows our city to continue to provide superior core services, but still allows 70 percent of our residents to pay less in City taxes than they did last year, and 80 percent to pay less in taxes than they did two years ago.

In an effort to help Orlando home owners understand how this plan affects them individually, we have created a City tax calculator which can be found on our web page. Residents can input their information and receive an estimated City tax bill. You’ll also find an easy to understand fact sheet to help answer questions about this year’s budget process.
 

Sincerely,

Buddy Dyer
Mayor