The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) passed its tentative $946 million budget and millage rate on Thursday, setting up a final vote in two weeks.
The budget and millage documents must closely mirror the preliminary vote during the final reading, leaving little room for future change—though counties make budget amendments as the year progresses. The final vote will be Sept. 23.
The county will generate $17 million more in taxes through its general fund and law enforcement millage rates levied against properties. In total, county income from property taxes is estimated to hit $216 million.
The general fund millage rate will fall from 7.6180 mills to 7.600 mills, still above the rolled back rate by 6.3% and therefore considered a tax increase by the state. This rate is paid by all Alachua County residents and is equal to 0.76% of someone’s assessed property value.
The Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) Law Enforcement millage rate will stay the same at 3.5678 mills. This rate is paid by all residents of unincorporated Alachua County and cities that adopt the rate for using sheriff services.
For a home with an assessed value of $150,000 (and no exemptions), the combined millage rates will cost $1,675.17 in county property taxes.
The general fund budget sits at $323 million in addition to the $34 million from the MSTU Law Enforcement tax.
The county will fund the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) at $143 million for the next year. The sheriff’s budget has increased an average of $11 million each year over the past four years.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) budget is by far the largest of any county constitutional officer. The property appraiser follows with $9 million, then the tax collector at $8 million and the supervisor of elections at $4 million.
Alachua County Fire Rescue, not an independent officer position, will have a $96 million budget for 2025-2026. The fire rescue budget will increase by $1.4 million, but over the past four years, the department’s budget has more than doubled from $41 million in 2022.
Alachua County’s fire assessment fee, levied against properties, helps fund the department and will earn around $23 million of the budget, according to county documents.
Tommy Crosby, deputy county manager, said double-digit inflation over the past few years, rising property values, an increasing minimum wage and more expensive services and goods (like construction costs) have contributed to the higher across-the-board budget.
The total budget for fiscal year 2022 was $701 million, with a general fund of $229 million.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correct the new millage rate at 7.600 mills instead of 7.000 mills.
I am deeply disappointed with the decisions being made in this county. You are lowering the millage rate from 7.6180 mills to 7.000 mills, but it’s still 6.3% above the rolled-back rate—a clear tax increase that keeps us at the second-highest property tax rate in Florida.
People here are barely getting by, yet you continue spending millions on county vehicle cameras and administration employees who are still working from home seems unfair five years later.
The BCC still pouring millions more into over-budget motel projects for the homeless. All this while residents on fixed incomes are being crushed under these taxes and teachers can’t even get a cost-of-living raise.
Alachua County is becoming unlivable for retirees, working families, and long-time residents. We deserve leaders who actually put residents first and stop treating us like an endless source of revenue. These decisions feel careless, out of touch, and unfair to the very people funding this county.
It’s time to rethink these priorities before more people are forced to leave because you are pushing us out.